So Mark are you thinking about creating a 2.0 compressed Rotex FR S. Just saying.....we know a guy.:aureola::wink:
Not in the near future, we do have a mutual friend that will help whatever I decide on......even if I have to hog tie him to the dyno...lol Joking aside, my understanding is that there will be a compressed offering from the manufacturers in the not so distant future....
Bang! More power! :biggrin5: Subaru has lots of turbo expertise. It should be no problem at all for them to make a wicked fast FRS/BRZ....
I think cars can be over powered. If you are not on the track, one can have more power then then can legally use on the street. If they have it, they will use it and that can lead to real problems for them and for others. Jim
I agree cars can be over powered. That being said there is no car sold today that can't break every speed law there is. Even a SMART. :crazy:
The Scion/Subaru is mainly a Subaru project with the exception of some of the Toyota valve train. Subaru needed the deeper pockets of Toyota to get this off the ground; Toyota needed/wanted a sporty car in the lineup. Interesting it's branded as a Toyota and not a Scion elsewhere. Anyway, it's doubtful forced induction will find it's way on the Scion. It's more likely to find it's way on the BRZ, when/if and STI variant comes out, which would be very tempting. That might get me out of my MINI. It'll most likely be 3 years before we see it though. There has been talk about even the Subaru staying NA, with a bump to 250 HP. That wouldn't get me out of my MINI.... On the other hand, Toyota has said over and over that this car was built with the aftermarket in mind--be interesting to see what they come up with, and at what price. As for the "what's so special about this car" comments earlier, having had some time in a BRZ: It's light. It's rear wheel drive. It has a gearbox to die for. It has a center of gravity lower than most Porsche's. It has steering feel unparalleled in this price range, even with electronic assist. It's purposely built as a platform for track duty. It's affordable. It has fantastic seats. It's built with the aftermarket in mind. Only thing I'd upgrade almost immediately are the brakes. This car is a home run. It's why they're very difficult to get ahold of at the moment. I had a major scare with my MINI recently, and seriously thought about selling it--turns out more likely than not it's a relatively minor issue, should have it fixed tomorrow. I'd like to hold on to the MINI for as long as I can, hopefully forever, but if it ever came to the point where the engine went (although even then, I'd maybe consider replacing the engine), or something else catastrophic happened, I'd probably get a BRZ. A BRZ STI still may be too tempting if/when it rears it's face, depending on what they do with it. A Mazda Yusho, if they produce it, would be the only other car I'd consider.
I just found out how limited these BR Z's are.....my Subaru dealer (one of the larger ones in OR) is only going to get 4. Most are only getting a single one, if any.
That applies mostly to 18 year olds. Sorry guys, I will concur that there can be some useless HP cars (Vayron), but over powered? That's like saying my computer has too much memory, I am too good looking, I have too much money.. etc. But to further agree with you, I've had more tickets in my JustA than in my MCS. I tend to drive even more mellow in my 500 hp M5, but that's probably cause very few people choose to challenge that particular M car. Meh, same thing happened when Mini's came out, 1 series BMW's, any number of anticipated car make/models. A forced induction model would certainly get me to take a closer look at it.
Test drove the FR-S on Saturday. All they had at the dealer was a single car - an automatic unfortunately. It was a Toyota dealer btw, Scion has just come out in Canada so there aren't many dealers around here yet. Anyway, the steering is excellent, the suspension feels like it has aftermarket mods - stiff and fast responding. They really nailed it. It does lack the low end torque of the cooper S turbo, though it more than makes up for that with the top end. Well sort of - torque is always fun It didn't feel all that fast around town, but I had to behave as the salesman was pretty nervous when I turned off the tracktion control. :lol: I have no doubt it would kill my MINI at the track though. They've made a purist sports car, like a miata, but faster, while still being versatile enough to be your daily driver (if you are single with no kids). Well not quite - there is lots of cargo room with the fold-down rear seats but access is limited through the small trunk opening. If only it was a hatchback. Seems stupid that it isn't. Oh well. Still, I would get one as my next car - we can use my wife's Yaris when we need to haul stuff.
Scion/Subaru miscalculated the demand, which they'll freely admit. The U.S. allocations were based on a percentage of STI sales--and demand has FAR exceeded what both Toyota and Subaru anticipated. They'll catch up, but it's going to take awhile; demand is going to far outstrip supply for at least the next year. For the life of me I can't understand why people who love MINI's, and "get" what a MINI is, aren't enthusiastic about this car. All I can say is drive one. Actually, don't--you may regret not owning one. If you don't think a car can be overpowered, try driving virtually any of the AMG's.....Great power, so much so it's pretty much uncontrollable. Then there's the videos of the 300HP classic MINI. Even a professional driver couldn't handle it on the track. Great video though; every time the turbo kicks in, the car almost jumps into the air. M5's are great cars. I get a nice view of them as I go by them on the track (Blackhawk at least).
Besides, if you have a powerful enough well balanced, light car, they can deliver miles of fun to the driving purist on and off the track!! Don't believe me, ask the litterly thousands of Miata racers around the world. .....and you know 300 hp will be just around the corner in this platform!!
I wouldn't be surprised if the shortage is a calculated move to some degree. Don't want to flood the market right from the get go.. Those of you who have seen one on the lot are they going for MSRP, no sur charge like the PT Cruiser when it came out?? ( now you can't give those things away ) and what is sticker on one now that it is actually out?
Exactly Bryan, remember that BMW/Mini let the rope out slowly in the beginning too... Many manufacturers took note I'm sure. Much better to start out with "wow, demand is so much more than we expected," than with "zero financing on all new...."
That's different. Not sure I like it or not... Side view of fenders looks too much like the Juke ( frog car )