It’s official – The wait is over for Toyota’s return to the small, affordable sports car market with the all-new 2013 Scion FR-S.  But does having attractive price mean sacrifice?  Hardly.  Truth is, the Scion FR-S hits all the right buttons with driving enthusiasts – 2+2 layout, rear wheel drive, lightweight, nimble, and a center of gravity as low as the Ferrari 458 Italia’s – all in a package that costs less than $25,000 to start.  The Scion FR-S was engineered as a joint project between Toyota and Subaru in Japan with the emphasis on driving feel, highlighting experience between both companies while paying tribute to Toyota’s sports car heritage.  The result is a rear wheel drive vehicle that uses a Subaru-developed, rev-happy 2.0-liter Boxer engine that produces 200 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque.  That motor, when combined with either an Aisin-sourced 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed automatic transmission (derived from the same unit found in the Lexus IS-F, sans two extra ratios) with paddle shifters, delivers a very engaging driving experience and plenty of low-to-midrange torque.

The exterior is very shapely, well-proportioned, and aerodynamic, while incorporating visual cues from legendary Toyota sports cars – such as the 2000GT, Supra, and AE86 Corolla.  Like the original Corolla GT-S, the new “Hachiroku” is perfectly balanced with a highly technical suspension setup that allows the driver to maintain incredible levels of control – whether driving on the street or on the track.

Inside, the FR-S is perhaps the first post-millennium “back to basics” sports car out there.  For example, you won’t find steering wheel mounted audio controls on the FR-S because the wheel design is all about driving feel and functionality as, well, a steering wheel – and not a remote control.  The cabin is about as uncluttered as it gets, but don’t get us wrong – that doesn’t mean that it feels “low-rent”.  There is, however, lots of style inside the FR-S.  The interior is highlighted with red contrast stitching on the steering wheel, seats, and door panel trim.  Something else that makes the FR-S feel really sporty is the blacked-out headliner, A-pillar, and C-pillar panels.  Perhaps best of all, if you happen to be in the neighborhood of about 6’0” or shorter, you’ll have plenty of headroom in the FR-S on track days – with a helmet on.  Speaking of track days, the folding rear seat opens up the rear cargo area so much that you can store a set of 4 wheels/tires to take to the track.

Now that the Scion FR-S is officially on sale nationwide as of yesterday, we can’t wait to receive a big truckload of them.  Be sure to check out the gallery we posted of the arrival of our very first Scion FR-S on our Facebook page.

Source – Mungenast Alton Toyota-Scion