Subaru Owner Goes Berserk Upon Seeing New 2013 Scion FR-S [Video]

Some of us may have been slightly disappointed by the conservative transition of the original Toyota FT-86 and Scion FR-S from concept to production, but there's a lot of enthusiasm out there, especially from young buyers looking for an affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe. You can see that from the interest shown in all three derivatives of the collaborative project between Toyota and Subaru, despite the fact that the BRZ, 86 and FR-S are virtually identical sans for some insignificant styling and trim differences. In the States, the plan is to bring the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S (instead of the 86 / GT 86).
To see just how enthusiastic some potential buyers are, take a look at the reactions of a driver of what seems to be a 1990s Subaru Impreza and his passenger after spotting a Scion FR-S somewhere in California, in the video after the break.

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2013 Scion FR-S: This is the Final Production Version

The third chapter of what has turned out to be a very long saga came to an end tonight with the official presentation of the new 2013 Scion FR-S, which follows the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ introductions at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier today.

The name Scion chose for the North American version of the Toyota 86 stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport. The 2+2 coupe is the fifth model to join the Scion family and will go on sale in the United States and Canada in the spring of 2012.
“Serving as a laboratory for Toyota, Scion is always experimenting with new things,” said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. “The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will no doubt serve as the halo car, expanding Scion into a new dimension of driving performance," he added.
When Scion impressed us with the sleek concept version of the FR-S at the New York Auto Show back in April, we had some slight hope that Toyota's youth brand would follow a different road applying the same styling treatment to the production model.
Sadly, as you can see for yourselves, this didn’t happen with the FR-S being an identical twin to the Toyota 86. Makes you wonder why Scion even bothered showing us a different concept in New York in the first place…
Under the Toyota 86 body you'll find the same mechanical hardware and layout you've obviously heard and read about so many times, including the Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system that incorporates both direct and port injection. 
 
The naturally-aspirated flat four churns out 200 ponies and 151 pound-feet of torque, and is linked to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
The FR-S will be offered with 17-inch alloy wheels and ventilated disc brakes on all four corners as standard.
At least in base trim, it appears that the FR-S won't come with the "Start" button nor the cool aviation-style rocker switches under the a/c controls featured on the JDM Toyota 86 as well as the European Toyota GT 86 and the Subaru BRZ
We'll no doubt hear and see more on the FR-S in the coming days/weeks, so stay tuned.
By John Halas

PHOTO GALLERY

New Toyota 86 from First JDM Test Drive [Video]

Our coverage on the production version of what we came to know as the FT-86 in concept form but which Toyota decided to name GT 86 for the European region and simply '86' in its home market of Japan, continues with two fresh videos that depict the rear-wheel drive sports car in action.The first clip is from a quick spin around the Fuji Speedway racetrack, while the second video includes a more comprehensive test drive from a Japanese car magazine that provides us with a more in-depth look at the sights and sounds of the 86 as well as in a wider palette of colors.
Toyota is highly optimistic about the '86', which it describes as an "entirely driver-focused sports car, designed to recapture the fundamental joys of motoring".
The Japanese firm's recipe includes a 200HP naturally-aspirated engine mounted up front matched to a six-speed manual (or 6sp automatic) and a limited slip differential driving the rear wheels, and a near-perfect 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution.
By now you already know that the '86' will give birth to the global Subaru BRZ and the North American market-only, Scion FR-S.
For those of you thirsty for more information on the '86', you can check out our comprehensive post that includes all the initial specs and details along with the first pictures of both the European and Japanese market models.

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