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frs or ecoboost?

Jpjr21

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I had a 2015 frs and I loved the way it handled, but had no options for the $30,000 I paid for it. I had to drive it for 16 hours from North Carolina to New Hampshire with my wife and daughter. My back was killing me by the time we got there and I'm 29 and dont have back problems. It was so uncomfortable on the long drive, and the suspension is not very forgiving on bad roads. My wife was ill because she couldn't take a nap and my daughter cried because she had no leg room...and she's 3. As soon as we got back, I traded it for a 15' mustang and haven't looked back.
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Biggdogg

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I can give a little insight in hopefully a non biased fashion. I bought my BRZ brand new when they came out. Not modded it too much, just an exhaust. I actually only bought it as a stopgap until the G6 mustang came out, wanted something fun and reasonably priced. I am a hardcore Mustang guy, fell in love with them when I was 13 with the fox bodies. Was actually the 5.0 badge on the side and have loved them ever since. I currently still have the BRZ but am looking for a MSRP deal for a Shelby. Have driven the Ecoboost a fair few times so will give my opinions.

I love my BRZ. With an exhaust it sounds great, gets 30 miles a gallon, and is so fun to drive. I never changed the tires on it because I love how playfull it is. It still handles fantastic, and IMO is a much better handler than the Ecoboost. The steering on it is by far and away some of the best steering of any car I have ever driven even factoring in price factor. The shifter has spoiled me. I have yet to drive another manual transmission that has such a solid feeling shifter. It is just an amazing car to drive, and I love it. Even as a 6 foot 4 guy that weighs 275 it is comfortable. I love my seats, they hold you in very well even in an autocross type situation. They are just fantastic.

Now the comparison. Looks are subjective and cannot be quantified, so that is purely up to you. Personally I think they both look great. The Mustang is obviously bigger, and if I had to guess has more room in the back, but I think both are basically useless in terms of back seats. For power the Mustang easily has it. The BRZ is certainly fun, and everyone talks about the lackof HP, but its really the lack of torque that kills it. There is a massive torque dip mid rpm and you really have to run it. Granted that is fun, but its not for everyone.

The seats as I mentioned are fantastic in the BRZ. For comfort and sportiness I prefer them to the mustang until you get to the recaro option. I do prefer recaros to my BRZ seats. The BRZ seats are kind of recaro light, but still not as good as them. They are heated but not ventilated.

The infotainment/stereo. I can only speak on the premium Mustang, but it wins hands down. I hate my infotainment. Its not very responsive, and the factory stereo is hands down one of the worst I have ever experienced. No bass, not much to tweak to make it sound better. It is absolutely horrible. If you like a good stereo, factor in cash for upgrades in the BRZ/FRS. The touchscreen is miserable as well. Its not responsive, and it takes a very long time for it to connect to my phone for bluetooth. I cannot comment to the bluetooth capabilities of the mustang since this is only gotten through test drives. But for responsiveness and pure sound the mustang wins hands down.

Modding. Mustang hands down. You can look on this forum and see first hand the moddability of the ecoboost. Its very receptive to mods. The BRZ/FRS motor just isnt in the same league. I have driven some modded ones and it really does make it way more fun. I cannot stress that enough, its a blast. But IMO you cannot safely mod the 2.0 with forced induction without building your motor. That leaves tune, corn juice, exhaust and such. You can get just over 200 whp with that, which does not seem like a lot, and its not. But when youre just pushing 2700 pounds it is a difference. I think it is an absolute blast. But you will not get 250+ without forced induction, and if you dont build the motor it is a ticking timebomb.

I am sure I am forgetting some things, but that is what I got. Oh mine is a 2013, and other than some infortainment changes (those still suck) its pretty much the same. Both are fantastic cars. I personally think the BRZ is the more "fun" car in terms of blitzing out a back road and hitting up autocross. I just think the lack of torque and the dip really hampers it. If they came out with a BRZ around 300-350 hp and similar torque and kept it under 40k it might be the best sports car you could buy. Sadly all there are are rumors. Ultimately you need to test them both yourself, decide what your uses will be, and go from there. The stang is faster, comfy, endlessly moddable to your tastes. The BRZ/FRS is "quicker", smile on your face fun, comfortable imo, but there are sacrifices. Good luck with your choice.
 

TexArmageddon

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If it's not a V8, an FI V8, or a FI V6/ Straight 6 I want nothing to do with it tbh.


Yet, I knew well before the car was on the market in full force the FRS/BRZ was going to flop. I can't remember which video it was, but there is a comparo of it vs an S2000 and at the very beginning of the video the Frs/BRZ gets the snot kicked out of it by a Dodge minivan from the mid 2000s... having a nice handling car is great and all, but being slower than a Minivan??!?! I'm sorry I'm not dropping 20+k on an impractical car all while being slower than a Minivan... I'm just going to save my coin and buy a Minivan along with a dedicated track car or just sacrifice handling a tad bit...


EB Hands down for me. Feel bad for the early frs/brz owners though... they had to suffer through some real teething issues on certain ones.
 

Chad11491

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If it's not a V8, an FI V8, or a FI V6/ Straight 6 I want nothing to do with it tbh.





Yet, I knew well before the car was on the market in full force the FRS/BRZ was going to flop. I can't remember which video it was, but there is a comparo of it vs an S2000 and at the very beginning of the video the Frs/BRZ gets the snot kicked out of it by a Dodge minivan from the mid 2000s... having a nice handling car is great and all, but being slower than a Minivan??!?! I'm sorry I'm not dropping 20+k on an impractical car all while being slower than a Minivan... I'm just going to save my coin and buy a Minivan along with a dedicated track car or just sacrifice handling a tad bit...





EB Hands down for me. Feel bad for the early frs/brz owners though... they had to suffer through some real teething issues on certain ones.

That was a joke video. They are NOT slower than a minivan. You can pull on v6 camaros easy STOCK. The 0-60 on them is deceiving because stock you have to shift at 58mph into third. Most tunes raise the redline 300rpm to get to 62. That alone puts the 0-60 in the mid to high 5s range. With a header and e85 and tune I was able to pull on my uncles challenger rt. They're not as slow as people make them out to be. I'd rather have one than any mustang other than the gt, which I traded my brz in on. But you're right. They do need more power.
 

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Shawnski

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Coolest BRZ (or was it an FRS?) was LS motor swapped. I saw the car, and then heard him go through the gears. That was sweet! They are otherwise popular at my local Autox club, however as a DD street car; MEH.

EB FTW as it will almost go toe to toe with V8s on the street. I have surprised more than a few 5.7L Hemi Challengers/Chargers (non SRT, 6.4L).
 

tolzer

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To me the FRS is like a hard top Miata both in size , performance and stigma . Test drove one and yes it could be fun if you like small and agile but the Mini Cooper would be the better choice given that direction.

Its slower ,very small which goes into safety ,if that's your thing and your a Toyota fan maybe.
 

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Pnasty

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Next time a GT bro tries to talk shit, ask why they didn't just get a Shelby instead :)
In case you are referring to me, I have had 2 Shelby's, thanks.
wrekttttt :headbang: but if were operating under that pretense then you prove all GT owners right. I don't have a shelby because I can't afford one right now, not because I like the GT more. Aren't all of you saying you wanted an eco more regardless of price?

Disclosure: I really like the eco and almost got one regardless of price, ended up going with a GT because my last car was forced induction w tune and full bolt on and I wanted to try out big displacement.
 

Joey_H

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I'm 6"2" and tried to get in an FRS at the auto show. It was a super tight fit, I had to really duck my head to get through the door opening. My EB is much roomier! No way would I get that FRS. Nope.
 

OldSkool65

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I'm 6"2" and tried to get in an FRS at the auto show. It was a super tight fit, I had to really duck my head to get through the door opening. My EB is much roomier! No way would I get that FRS. Nope.
I'm 6'5" 220 and fit in my FR-S perfectly. It is low to the ground though, since it is a real sports car. Wife has a '16 Mustang 6 cyl rental with leather, etc in the garage right now. I just test drove it and won't be looking further at a Mustang. Way too big and not very fun to drive around here (curvy roads with max 55 mph speed limit). I can see how you would choose this if you live where it is flat and you're running on highways all day. I also found the console and all of the controls overwhelming to the point of being comical. My base FR-S probably has more gadgets than I need - my previous 'fun' car was a Shelby Cobra replica, which didn't even have a radio. But it was what turned me on to smaller cars.
 
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Hack

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I'm 6'5" 220 and fit in my FR-S perfectly. It is low to the ground though, since it is a real sports car. Wife has a '16 Mustang 6 cyl rental with leather, etc in the garage right now. I just test drove it and won't be looking further at a Mustang. Way too big and not very fun to drive around here (curvy roads with max 55 mph speed limit). I can see how you would choose this if you live where it is flat and you're running on highways all day. I also found the console and all of the controls overwhelming to the point of being comical. My base FR-S probably has more gadgets than I need - my previous 'fun' car was a Shelby Cobra replica, which didn't even have a radio. But it was what turned me on to smaller cars.
I'm 6'4" 230 and I tried to get in one at the autoshow.

I found I wanted to move the seat back about 4-6 inches more than the car would allow and I wanted to lean back in the seat more than was available. Head room seemed ok to me, but I'm not long-waisted. I like a small car, but the FR-S was too small inside for me. I don't like having my legs curled up and knees against the dashboard when I'm trying to drive.

I also couldn't stand having so little acceleration and such poor cornering ability. Sporty IMO has to include the ability to subject the driver to G forces.
 

Childs Play

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I'm 6'4" 230 and I tried to get in one at the autoshow.

I found I wanted to move the seat back about 4-6 inches more than the car would allow and I wanted to lean back in the seat more than was available. Head room seemed ok to me, but I'm not long-waisted. I like a small car, but the FR-S was too small inside for me.

I also couldn't stand having so little acceleration and such poor cornering ability. Sporty IMO has to include the ability to subject the driver to G forces.
Agreed. I'm 6'1" and felt really uncomfortable in the FR-S. The Mustang is way more roomy for me as well as more fun to drive IMO.

Sure you can throw the FR-S into a corner and drift with your eyes closed, but that's about all it's got for me. It's slow as heck.
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