2013 Scion FR-S

Marianne Sauls Photography

For the past few years, I've found myself admiring the FR-S as they drove by. Whether it was factory-stock or heavily modified, the car has always grabbed my attention. Being a fan of the original 1980's AE86 (Hachi-Roku) Corolla, I had to give one a shot. Long story short- I'm glad I did.

I made a call to a friend of mine, and my old employer, Brian Bennett at Legacy Toyota in Tallahassee, Florida. After a few emails and phone calls, the car was lined up- 2013 Scion FR-S in Firestorm red equipped with a TRD Borla exhaust system. A color I would highly recommend for anyone looking into this car. 

Marianne Sauls Photography

When I arrived to Legacy Toyota, and after mingling with former co-workers, I was taken to the car. While a 6-speed manual would have been my first choice, as I love changing my own gears, this car was equipped with a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters. Different, I thought, but I was intrigued as to how Toyota and Subaru would keep the sportiness of the car with an automatic transmission. 

Marianne Sauls Photography

With the turn of the key and a rumble from the Borla exhaust, I pulled out of Legacy and onto the streets of Tallahassee to see what this car was made of. Immediately, I turned off all assists, put the car in sport mode, and moved the shift to M so I can give the paddle shifters a try. While the cars 200bhp does not seem like enough, its plenty to have fun with. The lightweight chassis give you the nimble, yet exhilarating driving experience. The motor feels great throughout the RPM's and the Borla exhaust gives the car just the right tone from its flat 4-cylinder boxer motor. The best part about this exhaust was the blip you would get between gear changes. 

Marianne Sauls Photography

Taking this car down several winding roads showed me just how agile this car was. The car felt very planted through every turn and it almost begged for it to be pushed harder. It probably could handle it, but being that these cars come equipped with Prius tires, I knew it wouldn't take much more for the rear end to kick out (not saying I wouldn't love to do this). The suspension was firm, yet forgiving and allowed you to feel everything the road had to offer. There's also something enticing about changing the gears with the paddle shifters as opposed to a manual gearbox as I was going down these curvy roads. With the flick of the paddle and a blip of the exhaust, I was in a different gear without having to take a hand off the wheel.

Marianne Sauls Photography

The interior of the car is very simple.The seats hold you in very well and were very comfortable considering they are styled as racing seats. Being that I'm 6'5, I tend to get back pain from like-styled seats, however, throughout my five hours of driving my back never once bothered me. The steering wheel is simple with only the paddle shifters and cruise control located on it. The 8-speaker Pioneer audio system sounded great and the touchscreen fit very well with the dash layout. The only downside I had with the interior was the rather useless rear seats, which is expected for a small car, and the road noise. While the road noise did not bother me at all, to some this might be bothersome. 

Marianne Sauls Photography

For an affordable, fun, compact, sport car, you can't go wrong with the FR-S. I'll even go far enough to say that while a 6-speed manual would be fun, I am happy I tried the 6-speed auto. A huge thank you to Legacy Toyota and Marianne Sauls Photography.