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Jerry
Jerry HalfDork
8/5/13 8:07 a.m.

That's a lot of letters.

I read from Scion over the weekend they have no plans for any performance version of the FR-S. No supercharger, no turbo, no sweet TRD or Release Series with moar-power goodies.

Today I heard Subaru plans an STi version of the BRZ. Can Scion do anything else to shoot themselves in the foot besides physically shoot themselves?

pres589
pres589 SuperDork
8/5/13 8:12 a.m.

In reply to Jerry:

How many buyers does this actually impact? These are already low volume cars, and what price would they put on a hot FR-S? $30k base? $32k? I can't see Subaru's STi variant flying off the lots.

If it really bothers you, I bet you can buy the few badges that are different between these two cars and turn a hot BRZ into an FR-S for not much money.

mtn
mtn UltimaDork
8/5/13 8:43 a.m.

My guess, which is nothing but a guess from a dude on the internet, is that Subaru gets the turbo, and Scion gets the convertible:

NOHOME
NOHOME Dork
8/5/13 9:04 a.m.

My guess is that it is a moot point...I dont see the twins lasting beyond their 5th birthday.

For a while now, I have been observing the number of people on line at the Frisbee Forums and it has been on a pretty steady decline.I suspect this also reflects the sales numbers. I would put the overall tone of the sites as "Close but no cigar". There is even a group of proponents who claim the car is "Cursed"! Was that even an option?

Maybe Nissan will get it right?

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/5/13 9:06 a.m.

Cursed? how so?

NOHOME
NOHOME Dork
8/5/13 9:14 a.m.
mad_machine wrote: Cursed? how so?

Accident magnet.

z31maniac
z31maniac PowerDork
8/5/13 9:32 a.m.
NOHOME wrote:
mad_machine wrote: Cursed? how so?
Accident magnet.

Probably would have nothing to do with the typical buyer, would it?

yamaha
yamaha UberDork
8/5/13 9:59 a.m.

In reply to z31maniac:

Oh absolutely not.......

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy PowerDork
8/5/13 10:06 a.m.
NOHOME wrote: Maybe Nissan will get it right?

yes, they will. I feel optimistic today.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
8/5/13 10:20 a.m.

They had an FR-S at Costco this weekend. Sadly, I could not pop it into my cart and walk out with it. Damn wife!

yamaha
yamaha UberDork
8/5/13 10:29 a.m.

In reply to pinchvalve:

Was it on the 4th shelf up and in a back corner?

Ian F
Ian F PowerDork
8/5/13 10:39 a.m.
NOHOME wrote: My guess is that it is a moot point...I dont see the twins lasting beyond their 5th birthday. For a while now, I have been observing the number of people on line at the Frisbee Forums and it has been on a pretty steady decline.I suspect this also reflects the sales numbers. I would put the overall tone of the sites as "Close but no cigar". There is even a group of proponents who claim the car is "Cursed"! Was that even an option? Maybe Nissan will get it right?

Great theory, but in general, forum users do not represent the average car-buying public.

Personally, I gauge their success by the number of cars I see on the street - which grows every week. Most of them are Scions.

mtn's theory sounds logical: Scion gets the 'vert; Subaru gets the performance version. It just seems more in tune with how the two brands are marketed.

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 UberDork
8/5/13 10:52 a.m.

My worthless opinion: Toyota is far more concerned with selling appliances to the mindless masses than figuring out how to woo a handful of performance-minded buyers.

1988RedT2
1988RedT2 UberDork
8/5/13 10:54 a.m.
NOHOME wrote: Maybe Nissan will get it right?

Not sure that putting a CVT in it and making it ugly qualifies as "getting it right."

alex
alex UberDork
8/5/13 11:14 a.m.

According to Jalopnik, at least, the convertible is also off the table.

rebelgtp
rebelgtp UltraDork
8/5/13 11:15 a.m.
Ian F wrote: Personally, I gauge their success by the number of cars I see on the street - which grows every week. Most of them are Scions.

Around here I have actually ONLY seen the BRZ in the wild. Granted this is a smaller college town. One red one blue.

If I had the cash to spend I would love to get one.

Alan Cesar
Alan Cesar Associate Editor
8/5/13 11:15 a.m.

I'm betting that was in their contract from the beginning.

The convertible version has been nixed officially. It's not gonna happen for either brand. Too expensive to be competitive with the Miata.

Javelin
Javelin GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
8/5/13 11:16 a.m.

FWIW, we had more BRZ's at the last autocross than Miatas. Granted, Perrin is in our town, but still...

lovelett
lovelett New Reader
8/5/13 11:21 a.m.

I work for a Toyota store and it is tough enough to find buyers for the regular ones in the mid- upper 20's. I can not imagine a 32k one flying off the shelf. We have been discounting deeply just to move them. You take something which is already supposed to be a Halo car more than anything else and than put it more out of reach.

bravenrace
bravenrace UltimaDork
8/5/13 11:28 a.m.
rebelgtp wrote:
Ian F wrote: Personally, I gauge their success by the number of cars I see on the street - which grows every week. Most of them are Scions.
Around here I have actually ONLY seen the BRZ in the wild. Granted this is a smaller college town. One red one blue. If I had the cash to spend I would love to get one.

I see on average one a month...And it might be the same one.

Swank Force One
Swank Force One MegaDork
8/5/13 11:30 a.m.

I see 3-4 a day around here.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
8/5/13 11:32 a.m.

Down in these parts I see more FR-Ss running around than BRZs. It's pretty close, but the Scion seems a little more popular. I'm seeing more and more of them on the road, which makes me happy.

I haven't had a chance to drive the BRZ, but from what I've heard, the chassis on the FR-S is more lively. (less understeer) For that reason alone, I'd probably go with the Scion.

I have no brand loyalty, and could care less if a flat-brimmer doesn't think I'm "cool" because I'd be driving a Scion. I think they are fantastic machines- regardless of the badge.

racerdave600
racerdave600 Dork
8/5/13 11:43 a.m.

I went test driving on Saturday, and these were on my short list. My observations from a local point of view. Subaru can't keep BRZs on the lot, while the FRSs hang around forever. First, the Subaru I think is the nicer car. The interior is worth it alone. It feels more upscale where the FRs feels cheaper. More to the point, you can get the nicer BRZ for about 3k less than Scion wants for a no option FRS. They still think people are forking over tons more than list to buy them and they won't deal at all. Subaru was dropping $1,300 off MSRP and pre-selling them as fast as they could get them.

From a driving perspective, I liked the Subaru better, but didn't drive it at autocross speeds.

Ian F
Ian F PowerDork
8/5/13 11:49 a.m.
Swank Force One wrote: I see 3-4 a day around here.

Same here, at least. There are more Toyota/Scion dealers around here than Subaru dealers, which may be the reason for the disparity in numbers.

Looking at the local region auto-x results, there are quite a few frisbz's running. One member (with a severe case of AADD - 112 cars and counting) bought one of the first ones and then prepped it all-out for STX. He's put it up for sale after Nationals @ $33K (fully prepped). I wish I could buy it since he spares no expense when prepping his cars for auto-x (over $10K in mods, not including labor).

sethmeister4
sethmeister4 HalfDork
8/5/13 11:53 a.m.

There are a bunch of both around here. There were probably close to 10 at Cars & Coffee last Saturday, and a mix of Scion and Subaru. There's even a hot pink plastidipped one...

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