Hot Molten Lava Toyobaru
 

After months of waiting, I purchased my first new car. I have not stopped smiling all day! :D

I went with the Hot Lava Scion FR-S 6MT. I'm still on the first-day high of driving it (though following the break-in guide), but I think it is outstanding. I'm RELIEVED that I did not pull the trigger on the Solstice or MX-5 a few months ago. I know you all have read the positive reviews on the Toyobaru, and I completely agree.

Fast is a relative term, but it feels VERY fast to me (remember my car history consists of only a Civic non-vtec and a 318i automatic). I LOVE the small steering wheel and the seats. I'm still getting used to driving a manual in traffic; the clutch feels a little light and it seemed tough to get it into 3rd gear a few times. The "Prius" tires feel fine for now, but I'm sure I'll switch them out someday.

Also, many friends stopped by for a test ride. No one except my mother (5'1" ~95lbs.) could "comfortably" fit in the back seat. I plan to just fold it flat and figure out something for hauling the dog. I know I'm never going to want to drive the 318i anymore. I'll get some better photos tomorrow, but here is a terrible one I snapped this evening. I'll report back with more impressions once I get more miles under me.

Wow, cool--didn't realize they were coming in yet.

Awesome. Congrats!

:+1

Congrats! This car seems very refreshing in light of much out there in it's price range. Post up some pics when you have time and enjoy it.

:+1

Pics please!

That's great!

Oddly, two friends purchased BRZs yesterday, too.

OK I know nothing about this car. I've discovered RWD, 200 HP. Sounds fun, although not particularly powerful for this day and age.

I've also learned: it's a Scion which is a Toyota, but it's a rebranded Subaru, whose parent company is ~20% owned by Toyota. Phew, glad I cleared that up. :ack:

This part sounded slightly less than ideal :speechle:

Are you seriously late to this party? There are a few (long) thread here were all of these details are discussed in typical 'Mudgeon obsessive fashion.

Matt Notes version:

RX-8 with pistons instead of spinning triangles (so, better mileage, less oil burning, etc, but similar power and power delivery) and suspect tires. Two versions that are pretty much the same, one by Subaru, one by Toyota/Scion.

Although one test I read said the suspension setups were noticeably different. IIRC, the Scion was tuned for a bit less understeer.

Very neat looking car, but not what we were looking for. Otherwise I would have gotten it. :)

Awesome. Congrats.

But, that is quite possibly the worst new car pic that I've ever seen. :lol:

I wasn't going to say anything, but now that Bren mentioned it, yeah, the picture makes Stuka's photo's look brilliant

Get out in the sun and take some good shots for us!! ;)

C'mon man! Better pics, now!

Sweet!

I've been REALLY interested in these since the concept car debuted back in, what, 2009? I think it's great that you got one and I'm thrilled you like it as much as you do.


Just a point, the "Prius tires" description is a bit misleading. They are tires that can be spec'd on the Prius but they are a high performance version. Not the cheap shitty econo tires.

I promise I'll have better pics soon. I know the one I posted was terrible. I will post some better ones when I get back in town.

congrats and I am jealous, still following the twins

:+1

Geezus, who took THAT pic ?


Stevie Wonder ?!?!

:lol:

biggins took the stuka school of photography:D

Again, my photography skills are limited... here are a few more. I will try to get some better ones today.

The last pic...looks like the turbo is missing.

And why'd you take a picture of that Prius's wheels?

: ohsnap: :lol:

Seriously, looks awesome. I like the interior too.

Prius tires:p

Looks good

They are JDM Prius "performance package (haha)" tires, but they can also be found on a handful of sports sedans. They are honestly pretty decent tires for everyday driving, BUT I doubt they will be great for autocross. I'm certain I'll replace them with Hankook RS3 or Dunlops when they're done.

I'm still in the break-in period, but I opened it up a little today (still shifting at 4k rpm though) and it feels sooooo much faster than my 318i automatic. I'm really surprised how many thumbs up I've gotten while driving around: it definitely turns heads. The shifter seems to have loosened up a bit. I'm not having as difficult of a time shifting into 3rd anymore, but the clutch is very light.

[joke about walking being faster than a 318i auto]

I saw the comparo test in Road and Track today, those Prius tires made 0.92G on the skidpad.

:eek:

Just saw one on the road today!

They look super sharp in person.

I also saw a BRZ on the road today. Pearl white is not its color, though.

I saw a similar car the other day. Maybe the same car. Funny how wide and low it is, especially from the rear. And, yes, white is a terrible color. The overall shape and stance is pretty nice, but the details are sort of awful. Some other color would hide that better.

I saw a white BRZ a week ago in Marysville WA, and I saw a Scion same color as Biggins yesterday in my town.


Biggins bought a great color!

Cool car, bigs!

A few more notes and impressions after a couple weeks of driving. I will finish the "break-in period" just in time for an autocross on Saturday.

The handling is excellent. I have not driven many sports cars, but I am ecstatic at how well it holds to the road even with these tires. I will find out more after dodging cones this weekend. It felt great on the backroads of WV last weekend.

I drove the 318 automatic to softball the other night and realized the truth behind what people have poked fun at how slow it is. I guess I am truly "fighting to merge" with the pedal all the way down in the 318. The Scion just has so much more power than I'm accustomed to from driving the BMW all these years. That said, it is not going to win many drag races. I'd guess I could get it 0-60 in under 7 seconds (the BMW would take 10). The surprise to me has been the gas mileage. Despite the usual traffic conditions in this area, I have averaged just under 32mpg since delivery during the break-in. I had been expecting mid-20s.

I have only two small dislikes: the dog does not love the car because she cannot seem to find a comfortable spot (front seat, back seat, even back with seat folded flat). I wish the driver's seat had a memory spot for when I need to access the rear seat. It takes me a minute or so to get the seat position right each time.

From the numbers I've seen online, it seem white is by FAR the most popular color for the FR-S because everyone loves that it has "pearl" in it. My logic was that if I'm driving a sports car, it's meant to be noticed. I still love the orange, and it definitely gets plenty of attention.

Pearl White = Pimpmobile. Not in a good way. :D

For all practical purposes, a 7 second 0-60 car is plenty fast. That's enough get-up-and-go for all but the most ruthlessly short onramps (Storrow Drive in Boston, Rte. 22 in central NJ, I'm looking at you two).

Glad you love it!

Between break in and the newness of the power to you, you're probably not hitting it hard at all. After it's broken in and you get more used to the power, you'll probably use more of it more often. When that happens, your MPG will fall, but who knows how much.

Is the 32 MPG figure calculated by your math or the car's computer? I've read that the car reports back with a super sized heaping of optimisim compared to pad and paper (just like most cars do).

I calculate my MPG but it seems like the car's ECU should be more accurate then gas station fuel pump:dunno: Almost seems like car manufacturres purposely inflate the trip computer

The accuracy of pumps is a very big deal. If they are not dispensing what's shown on the meter, those responsible pay big fines if unintentional or pay big fines and go to jail if intentional. Fraud and theft are so easy and e erroneous so reliant on taxes the states take this quite seriously and vigorously enforce heir laws.

Car manufacturers want you to be happy and tell people how great your car is on gas.

Guess I meant more about when the pump stops and the overflow room