Thank you! A lot of the reviews I read or saw on video about the car all stated that it was severely under powered, which was its biggest downfall. And during the break-in phase, where most of those reviews had been done, the car really was anemic and lacking the power that the body lines seem to scream it has. However, after I hit the 5,000 mile mark and all the seals were...well...sealed and all the intricacies were worked into the car, I can say with no hesitation that it is a whole new animal. Obviously, there are days where the car seems to be having a case of the Mondays, either due to climate or crappy fuel or both, but it is a far cry from the car that the reviews said was much too underpowered for its looks. There are only two downfalls to this car so far, both easily fixed. However, it is a bit annoying that I should have to spend any money at all to "fix" what's not acceptable. Those achilles' heels would be: 1) There is a major flaw with the high flow fuel pump in these cars. Although covered under warranty, I will be taking "Stefanie" in next week for her 3rd fuel pump since I took delivery in January. And they will likely just put in the same part number as they did the 2nd time, although I am going to lobby them to save their pesos and put in a more stout aftermarket hffp. I guess we will see. 2) The tires on the Toyota version are an absolute embarrassment. Michelin Primacy HP...the same tire that Toyota offers for the Prius. Sans traction control, this car would be set in more flat spins than the Mad Hatter Tea Cups at Disneyland. Thank you all for an incredible forum. As I don't have my Mini YET, there seems to be a good amount of camaraderie here, and I look forward to a lot more interaction with you guys.
Growing up on cars that had maybe 90-100 Ponies on a good day the Toybaru twins 200 Ponies seem like a lot to me. What makes them so attractive to me is the balance they have. I think the only reason they went with such an odd tire is it lets the unskilled get crazy slip angles going pretty easily. I'm sure than more than a few have been backed off the road by the fast & furious crowd. I'll probably get boos & hisses, but I'd rather have your FRS than a GP. :yesnod:
The tire selection may have been a way to get better gas mileage numbers. Glad you like the place. I'm a car guy at heart, I love them all, even have a soft spot for the Aztek, for it did teach me the visual definition of hideously awful.
BOO HISS BOO HISS! No just kidding:devil: it's one of the few cars that could temped me from my mini. But if we are talking first gen GP then the GP wins.
BOOS & HISSES... just kidding, to each his own. I have looked at the FSR in the past, love the interior, and if I was in the market for a car I would have to say the FRS would be up there, probably my top pick if there wasn't a GP in the mix.
I traded an FR-S in for my Justa Hardtop. I enjoyed the car and if I weren't at a point in my life where I needed an automatic transmission I would probably still have it. One thing I realized after getting my MINI is that driving the FR-S always felt to me a little pretentious. The car has the design of an exotic which it isn't.
If I had all sorts of money. I would love to get one put a SC on it and do some suspension work. Oh and keep the MINI.
The FRS/BRZ come with automatics too. I understand the getting old & the old knee not liking the clutch pedal as much as it once did. My next car will very likely be an auto too. We have a clubster auto here in the household & it drives very nicely. A Cooper hatchback with auto is on my short list too, no it won't be an F56. For me it's more the handling than the pony power a car has.
Thanks, Crashton! I agree, the lack of grip for the tires does allow the rear to slide out nicely. And the steering response is such that when I do turn the traction control off and allow the car to go into "happy mode", it does it in a very controlled manner. BUT, as you stated, there still needs to be that proper driver's training/experience to keep it from spinning around and kissing a wall or pole or innocent bystander. The price of the car puts it pretty much within reach of the younger crowd on tighter budgets, which would have been awesome for me when I had been in that position. But knowing how I was then, I would have had the car for about 3 weeks before I ruined it somehow.