We’re all up to our eyeballs in horsepower these days. It’s a rising tide that floats all boats, from the Gong Show insanity of the Dodge Hellcat twins to the capability of your average V6 family sedan to out-muscle a mid-80s Ferrari.
Happily, speed limits have been raised to accommodate all the fresh new ponies prancing under our right foot. Oh wait, no they haven’t. There’s been a 10km/h bump on some rural highways in this province, but for the most part you can sneeze at a gas pedal and be watching your car get flat-decked away by the RCMP five minutes later.
But what if fun wasn’t so much about the fast and furious side of things, but about that seat-of-your-pants scoot you get in a lightweight sportscar?
What about something that’s quick enough to be fun without being fast enough to be a liability?
Well here it is then: the Scion FR-S.
Design
A joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, the Scion FR-S is basically identical to the Subaru BR-Z; this latter is a bit more expensive and has slightly less aggressive suspension tuning. I’ve always felt the Scion version to be slightly better looking than the Subaru, wearing its distinctly Japanese styling well.
The factory-sized 17” alloys look the right size for the car, although there’s a large aftermarket these days to swap them out for something lighter, perhaps shod with grippier rubber. However, as it stands, it’s a balanced shape.
Foglights are a dealer-installed accessory, and you can also order your FR-S with a TRD exhaust for a bit more rasp out the back. However, in factory-spec form, it’s already pretty much got everything it needs.
Environment
The most direct competitor for the FR-S is perhaps the Mazda Miata, but the Scion has a few advantages for practicality-minded folks. For one thing, it’s a 2+2, which means booster seats fit in the back or a couple of cramped adult passengers in a (literal) pinch. A rear-facing child seat can be crammed in there, but only if the person riding in the passenger seat is Bilbo Baggins.
The general feel of the materials in the FR-S is just as with other members of the Scion range: inexpensive but durable.
The seats are great, as is the steering wheel and shifter, and everything else is just, well, there. There’s a little extra padding where you might knock a knee against something during hard cornering, but the overall impression is that the primary focus of this car is driving, not comfort.
However, it should also be mentioned that the rear seats fold down, making the trunk just large enough to carry four extra tires (to a track day or similar). That gives the FR-S just a little extra usability, which is handy if it’s your only car.
Performance
Under the hood is an odd hybrid of an engine: a Subaru 2.0L flat-four combined with Toyota’s direct-injection system. It makes 200 hp at 7,000 rpm and 151 lb/ft of torque between 6,400 and 6,600 rpm.
That’s not a lot and, when it comes to the torque output, that’s really not a lot. Two hundred hp seems respectable on the surface next to hot hatches like the Ford Fiesta ST, but you really have to wind out the FR-S’s four-banger to its absolute limit to access that power.
However, there is sufficient power here to have a good time as it’s not about the straight-line speed at all, but about what happens when you start pushing the FR-S through a few corners. For 2015, Scion has tamed the FR-S’s pervious tendency to be a bit tail-happy, but it’s all for the better.
Rather famously, the FR-S comes wearing a set of low-rolling resistance tires found as the upgrade on the Japanese-market Prius. A Prius?
That’s right: it’s not important to offer brain-bending levels of grip. Instead, you want predictive handling and perhaps a tendency to slide out a little.
Here the FR-S is a relative delight. Early versions of the cars are a hooligan’s dream, but you can’t go around all day hanging the tail out in front of Johnny Law. The FR-S now turns in with aplomb and then zings through the corner with a light and nimble feel. The wetter the roads, the better, and up in the mountains of the North Shore, the little Scion was much more fun than some hugely capable and powerful all-wheel-drive twin-turbo Audi might be.
There are a few drawbacks to consider if this is your only car. It’s quite loud as a highway cruiser, and while the suspension isn’t overly stiff by sportscar standards, a lengthy road-trip isn’t something to be embarked upon lightly.
Still, slicing through the fog and rain at the top of Mount Seymour was never so much fun and it didn’t even involve being a total miscreant. Mission accomplished, little car.
Features
Apart from the optional premium audio and satellite navigation, the FR-S comes relatively well-equipped as its base model. The touchscreen navigation is nothing to write home about, so you’d be better off just getting a secure attachment for your smartphone.
Premium is required and official fuel economy is rated at 10.9L/100kms city and 7.9L/100kms on the highway. Observed fuel economy for mixed driving was right at 10L/100kms, very good for spirited driving.
Green Light
Grippy seats; light and nimble feel; surprisingly usable for small space.
Stop Sign
Bare bones interior; engine lacks grunt; noisy cabin at speed.
The Checkered Flag
Plenty of thrills in a compact sportscar that’s still practical enough for every day.
