OK, I know (more often than not) Asian cars don't rate very high here on the XF forum. So if everybody could just keep an open mind, (and try to be as unbiased as possible) check these out.
Their demensions, and performance "stats" seem very similar to one of our favorite cars. Not too bad looking either.
I've been waiting for this car/cars to come out for about 2 years.
Now I have no plans on jumping ship or anything drastic like that, but these might make a fun DD.
Just curious what everybodys opinions might be.

Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ Forum | Toyobaru.net

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...e_first_drive/

 

Good horsepower, bad torque. I do like the design. Im sure the Suby will get an AWD turbo at some point. The price is right for a tuner car.

I just hope it doesnt turn into the next ricer douchebag mobile, like the Civic and TC did.

 

I prefer the styling of the Subaru more than the Scion... Supposedly, the Scion has sharper handling but the Subie is slightly more refined.

Subaru did the dirty work designing the chassis and powerplant, while the Toyota folks were the main contributors to the silhouette of the cars. Inspired by the classic 2000GT

Subie wins the interior contest, hands-down.

 

There are very few Japanese cars that I like, but I have to add these two to my list of positives - especially the Suby. They say the handling bogey was the Porsche Boxster, which is a fine target to shoot for. Everything I've read on these cars so far has been very positive, especially when discussing the balanced handling - something I prize over sheer HP in a car like this (part of why I loved my Miata so much).

 

Agreed. One doesn't need a 16-lb sledgehammer to hang a picture... a 16-oz claw will suffice.

My only real complaint on the Scion is the "black with red stiching, or else" interior. Combined with the low-rent materials, it's a bit chintzy but I realize we're witnessing bean-counting in action.

If the BRZ had a stone leather/blue stitching option, it would be quite fresh with the other bits of polished aluminum.

I give it less than a year before we see a BRZ-STi version with gold multi-spoke OZ racing wheels and the same turbo the WRX uses.

 

I totally agree, there just has to be a turbo in the mix eventually, after all, it is a Subie.
Since the performance of the NA variety is identical to the NA Crossfire, I'd probably be perfectly content with how they perform right now.

 

Very favorable comparison of these 2 cars in the March Car & Driver (article link not on their website yet). High praise for the 6 sp manual trannys and balanced handling.

 

There will be a cult following w these cars. Possibly the best performing and looking car for the money. Turbo will be released next year. Just wait til some tuners get their hands on one of these.

 

I have been following these cars for a while also. It seems pretty cool, cheap, light, small, and quick. Not fast but an early car and driver article stated from toyota that they will have after market performance parts to buy for these cars, like the TRD packages they have. Lets just hope for those that buy the car that those parts are cheap (not likely).

The "STI" version.... Now thats a whooooole different story. That car would be awesome with a turbo. I doubt that it would be AWD though, they wanted the motor down and back as far as they could for a low center of gravity and close to equal weight distribution, I dont think they will move it forward just to give it AWD (which they would have to do). They really just need some fat rear wheels.

 

I'm thinking smaller turbo and definitely fatter tires. Not sure if the current model has a LCD yet or not, but that would be a good addition.

Agreed that they're likely not going to pursue the AWD simply for the reason of intra-brand competition. The WRX already holds the crown for Subie's AWD pocket-rocket... no need for two cars filling the same slot. This is something Mercedes apparently doesn't care about...

Want to go fast with four doors? C63 AMG. Or, E63 AMG. Wait, you can go fast in a BIG sedan if you fancy the CLS63 AMG. Or, really fast in a massive sedan while getting a back-massage in the S-Class AMG. What's that? Four doors are too many, but you still need a back seat? C63/E63/CL63 Coupe should fit the bill. Hate back seats but want to haul @ss in a convertible? Clearly the SLK55 AMG is the winner. Or, the larger SL63 AMG. Wait, there's also a SLS 63 AMG that does the same damn thing.

Hmmm.

 

The Toyota 86, Scion FR-S, and the Subbie BRZ all have Limited slip diffs and an actual OFF for traction control .

...and allllll of those Mercedes' are different prices for something slightly different. I want to get a nice 4 door Mercedes eventually and I have been trying to research some, but HOLY $#!*, you have to know every single model almost.lol. Im not sure I will ever be able to pick one out based on 4 doors, good power, functioning cup holder, and good looks.

 

Quite simple, actually...

If you want to pay $70,000 for a hot-rodded entry-level sedan that costs $35,000 in normal trim, get the C63 and never look back. If you want a proper luxury sedan, E-class is the way to go and rougly the same price for WAY more comfort. If you want to spend another $30,000 for no good reason other than the E63 isn't sporty enough for you, CLS63. The S-Class is for 60 year-olds. Even if you can afford a used one, you can't afford the maintenance.

The best reasonably priced sedan is an older (04-05) E55 AMG... Beast power, good comfort, but spendy maintenance when (not if) the ABC system breaks.

There's always the C32 but it's a minimum of 8 years old at this point, and is slower (and more expensive) than the SRT-6 so there's no real cookie to buy it unless you absolutely must rock a star on your car.

Older E-class would be my pick, but it's a monstrous car.

 

Ive been looking intently at the E500 and the E55 AMG. The 55 is a bit more rare so Ill have to save up and wait for the oppurtunity to strike on one, but Mercedes makes it difficult when all Im trying to do is get my wife off my back for buying a 2 seater, and do it for under $20K.

What do you mean by monstrous? I didnt think they were actually that big... There arent any around my town to look at though....

 

E500/550 would likely be your best bet. The 55 AMG is still well into the 30's for a clean specimen.

As for the size... I simply prefer a smaller car. The E55 is smaller than a Cadillac DTS, but still a bit portly in my book. They did come with quite an array of creature comforts though.

 

Near miss.Test driver has close call with deer (Video) | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

 

I saw the FR-S at the Houston Auto Show last week...It's a nice looking vehicle...The say it will be priced in the mid twenties