Smike

iTrader: (8)

Un·der·whelm

Verb:
Fail to impress or make a positive impact on (someone); disappoint: "Smike seemed underwhelmed by the performance of the FRS"

Too soon?



Sorry fanboys. Great concept on paper. General execution of the idea is there. Driver feel though is missing.

Exterior:
Good panel fit and finish. Car came with clear nose cover. And in red. Not too much overuse of black plastics. Rear bumper deck did have a silly SCION decal on it. You have to stand over it to rear it squarely. All other angles it come out as funny script.

Interior:
Seat covers are pretty darn soft mircofiber. To the point of "am I on a cheap couch" soft. Good bolstering and wrap the body fairly well. Not too stiff or too soft. Can't comment on if it fits all 'merican body types. Not that I am small either. Generally, I fit in most race seats. No exceptions here. Fit was fine. Coloring was a bit "dude, look at me" with its two-toned black with red accents. Sure to impress those 18 year old ladies.

Gauge cluster is not that bad. Until you get to the speedometer. Does it really have to go to 160? Can you quickly read it? Is that 6pt font? No. No. Yes. Just not easy to glance down and see it. They did include a digital readout in the tachometer. Which is OK; if you like C4 Corvettes or S2000s. I do not. Seeing a number sequence bounce around a lot in my field of view is a pet peeve of mine.

Tachometer is good. Shift lights are a nice touch. You'll be seeing them often.

Wheel, radio, dash face...sure they are leather; plastics have the look and unfortunately feel of IKEA furniture. Stylish to look at. Soon as you touch it you realize they'd last about 30 minutes. This car had the touch radio with navigation. Toughing it made me left me with more "why does it feel like this" than "turn the radio on - check". I might be an over-thinker.

Big gripe with the placement and height of the e-brake next to the shifter. E-brake sits high and shifter is low. Bad combo. More than a few times in the 30 minute drive I hit the e-brake or was touching it when close to the shifter.

Shifter. Short and clean design. Lock-out ring for reverse.

Rear seat. What rear seat? Car companies, I know its for insurance, just make them out of mashmellows or biodegradable foam that melts in the presence of water. That way we can eat it or wash it out. We wont tell the insurance companies. We promise. Don't waste your time and cars weight putting them in there. Absolutely no room in the rear seat area. Just stuff in the way. With my seat adjusted, had 1in of rear space. And I am only 5'10".

Driving:
I hope you like hearing a motor at or near redline - a lot. Poor little hamsters have to work 2 shifts and unpaid overtime in this one. No head jarring acceleration. No sensation of speed. No gut pulling torque. Lots of noises though. Almost like getting a lecture on why the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor roman from a emphysema ridden old lady. Pleasant sound? You tell me.

Shifter, when not hitting the e-brake, was clean. Sometimes the driveline shuttered, mostly on downshifts. Clutch had the feel of... Wait, clutch had no feel. Very light effort. Too light. Could not tell you when it was engaging or not. At that point, make it an automatic.

Gas pedal had the same "am I doin' something here". Light though. Which I can see being a good thing. You'll be on it often and hard to move her around.

Brake pressure and feel was good. Firm. Tight. Nice initial bite.

Street driving was lackluster. Engine and exhaust whine and drone at you more than entice and bait you to go fast, do illegal things, chase girls, and burnouts in front of Coppers.

Highway driving was OK. Could I do 500 miles in it? Maybe, if I had a good audio book or in range of a NPR station. Same as on the street. You just don't feel like going ape**** when going straight.

So I went into some curves. VSC off, didn't learn that TC needed a 5 second hold to fully turn off (thanks sales guy). Get to a curve, carrying speed, instantly neutered. Instant sad face. Even in "sport mode" it was in nanny mode. I may or may not have been on the edge of traction (payback for sales guy). Turn in was OK though the turns. You had to remember to keep the revs up at 4-7k the whole time or you'll be getting flashbacks to what its like to drive the RX8. Michelin OE tires were a bad choice. It wants to be a sports car. Don't put general touring tires on it. 215/45R17, moderate response, not much ultimate grip. I'd rip them off as soon as possible for some actual extreme summer or maximum summer tires.

Bottom line:
Just didn't pull me or push me. Or really move me. "I'll have another Starbucks espresso latte mocha frap and return to my beige house with white picture less walls." Trendy, I am sure the 18-22 crowd will love it, but deep down it has no soul. Just like gingers.

Smike

iTrader: (8)

And no. No pictures. You all know what that damn car looks like.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

...I do hate gingers.

erald01

iTrader: (5)

not a big fan of this car either, i drove one and I honestly thought an older miata had more " go factor". These cars are very underpowered IMO, will see whar STI does with their subaru version.....until then I PASS.

Smike

iTrader: (8)

I've raced Miatas. They come off as plucky and have that "lets go get them and annoy them by sticking to their rear bumper" feeling.

This felt like Brittney Spears. Pretty plastic and hotdog in a hallway.

slc-ralliart

iTrader: (2)

Smike. If you had to choose between your 04 Ralliart and the FRS, which one wins? Serious question here as I was debating selling mine and the FRS was originally on the list.

Smike

iTrader: (8)

04 Ralliart.

Way more torque and guts. Good engine note.

DeatschWerks

iTrader: (2)

There are quite a few players trying to get a turbo or supercharger on these cars quick.

...and we should have a fueling solution for them very quickly.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show...7#post37923277

Should help in the power department. Proper rubber will help with the lack of grip.

Smike

iTrader: (8)

Nothing will help its soulless gingerness.

golgo13

iTrader: (134)

Skylineracer

iTrader: (21)

well that ruined it for me cause in smike we trust. i did read how the v6 mustang beat it on the track in a price range based race. I do think its nice looking (brz) not so much the frs.

Smike go test drive an abarth

Smike

iTrader: (8)

I was not going to mention that a particular v6 sounds better, drives with heart and soul, and costs the same...

I've been in a test Abarth. But was not allowed to play with it yet.

sliqdaddy91

iTrader: (2)

isn't this offensive to red haired individuals? in before Mods get a hold of this...great review tho

Smike

iTrader: (8)

Thanks.

Disclaimer: No gingers were harmed in the writing of this review.

otter

iTrader: (14)

4G69 deserves more recognition for its torqueyness. May not be the most powerful engine but great for running around town. RA needs an LSD, though - badly.

I still look forward to the future with the BRZ/FR-S and what the aftermarket is able to do with it. I think it'll be a bargain of a car in a few years on the used market.