Speaking of the Miata, we need to get those things off the road. They creep me out by smiling at me in my rear view mirror.
It's a nice looking car and supposedly handles very well (how that really matters on public streets nobody has ever explained), but it isn't that powerful. I imagine there will be owners of these cars who find out in real-time what it's like to lose a stop light race against a guy in any number of the generic V6 family sedans that the US is covered in.
...What this all meant to the Scion FR-S was that its naturally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four had to lug us up and over Mountain Springs Summit, elevation 5,502 feet, before dumping us back down at the track on the other side...
On the highway, we found that the FR-S cruised effortlessly at 75 mph. There was moderate wind noise permeating the cabin at these velocities, yet almost no tire noise. Conversation with our fellow passenger was easy and at normal levels.
But things soon changed as we climbed slowly towards the mile-high summit through the mountain pass. As slower traffic blocked our way and we pushed harder on the accelerator to move around them, we noted that the Scion was starting to struggle to hold its speed. Passing other vehicles was soon out of the question, as acceleration was just too lethargic to take the risk. With a power rating of 200 horsepower and just 151 pound-feet of torque, what was fun around town had become unresponsive and sluggish when speed and altitude were added to the mix.
... Lastly, there is the power deficit at higher speeds. Proper gearing masks the issue up to about 65 mph, but then the naturally aspirated four-cylinder simply runs out of breath (a much-rumored upcoming turbocharger would make the FR-S just about perfect).
First drive from autoblog.com
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/04/25/2013-scion-fr-s-second-drive-review/
They seem to like a lot about the car, but this is what stood out for me..
So, if you live at sea level and stay off the highway the car sounds very nice. Hopefully, someone will squeeze a turbo kit under the hood eventually. TRD?
-KeithP
I can't get excited about the car. Somehow I think it's lacking something.
I think only Germans end up making the complete package. A car that goes gazonkas on the pedal and is a joy to drive around curves. Japanese tend to fuck it up somehow every time. This time by providing a less than ideal car that has an engine that would be suitable for a standard 4 seat sedan.
Meh.
This makes perfect sense. Weight matters little at high speed and with only 200 HP it's not going to fly. A turbo charged one would be quite impressive, I bet, but will surely carry an impressive price tag as well.... Lastly, there is the power deficit at higher speeds. Proper gearing masks the issue up to about 65 mph, but then the naturally aspirated four-cylinder simply runs out of breath (a much-rumored upcoming turbocharger would make the FR-S just about perfect).
500 hp m3 hellaflushI'm sure these two models will be heavily abused by the "hellaflush" crowd soon.