frs or ecoboost?

[coyot]

what would you choose?

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[krazieboy]

eb

 

[TurboMetal]

Well if you like your car torque-less then the FRS is great! My brother had a BRZ, fun at first but it got boring to drive quickly. It doesn't help that I don't live in an area with twisty roads either.

 

[rgingo]

Last week a family friend bought a new BRZ and drove it over to my house. When he took a drive in my new EB he was very surprised..... his words: "this car is so sexy and elegant!" he especially loved the seats, engine torque and driving modes ("sport+"). He almost went into shock when he found out the Mustang EB was only a little more expensive than his BRZ. No contest.

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Not much of a choice. Interesting video below. One guy gets it. One guy is gay.

[ame]

 

[Evil Minion]

From someone who traded in a BRZ for the mustang, the answer is a simple formula:

Do you live very near mountains and properly twisty roads?
Yes: FR-S/BRZ
No: Mustang

 

[Tkulhanc134]

FRS (or GT86) is fast enough in eastern European roads, unless highway.

If you want lightweight car, better reliability, mostly due to naturally aspirated motor, FRS.

If you're interested in making more power, ecoboost is the better choice, cause turbo responds to mods better with less money compared to naturally aspirated motors.

 

[Simon]

I would go Mustang. Actually couple days ago I went out to get a feel for the cars I was interested in. First I went to Ford and the Mustang (it was a V6, but it doesn't eally matter in what I am about say) was great inside. Decent amount of room, the seat was comfortable and the overall interior finish quality was on high level. Unfortunately didn't get to drive it because it wasn't inspected by the dealership yet (I'll be going back as soon as that happens to take it for a test drive, and it's the only new V6 they have in stock). Next I went to Toyota/Scion to check on the FR-S. It's smaller than Mustang inside, but there is still considerable amount of room in the front (back not so much). Finish is not as good as Mustangs, but it's not bad either. 2 things that killed the idea of buying it was the 27k price tag (new with auto trans) and the seat that was not wide enough for my upper back (and I am an average person). What's nice about it is that it has a Snow mode which may be useful, and that a large screen radio comes standard. As for a test drive the guy wasn't even interested in giving me one, so why would I care. Finally I went to VW, to check out the GTI. Not the most reliable car, but I thought that I would give it a shot. I was approached and asked if I want to test drive it, and I agreed. Actually it's a very dynamic car, and it has a good grip. Finish quality of the interior is between of that of a Mustang and FR-S. Still, the GTI is slightly more expensive than the V6, and the reliability isn't bad, but it's not the best one either. So the Mustang is the winner for me.

 

[TurboMetal]

I enjoy everyday driver videos, funny thou I usually agree with the one guy and not the other. Reminds me of how my brother and I look at cars differently.

I would pick of those four: 1) EBM (obviously) 2)WRX 3)Focus ST 4)FRS

Can't believe I'd pick a FWD car over a RWD one, but yeah there it is.

 

[PRG3k]

I was deciding between the two. Ended up with the Mustang. In my opinion Toyota and Subaru want way too much for those cars. The engine is not amazing, nor is the interior. So you're paying close to 30K for power to weight and suspension dynamics. Eh, they can keep it. I live in Florida with a grid-like street setup. Not many good driving roads around so that was another problem. FRS is small and I don't know about those in a crash. My old S550 held up like a tank in an nasty accident.

Last is power. I came from a high revving, NA 4 cylinder with no torque. I was not digging the idea of getting into another. The Ecoboost has torque from anywhere.

If you're in Athens, then European roads are much tighter and compact. That's something to think about. A Mustang might be cumbersome in that city.

 

[Glenn G]

Driving a slow car fast is always more exciting than driving a fast car slow, So the FRS feels more exiting at the same pace, and on that maybe 3 or 4 % of roads like in the test the FRS will be slightly better than the EBM, The other 96 or 97% of the time the EBM Blows it out of the water.

I've had a few try to roll up on me on the autobahn, and I didn't even have to shift out of 6th to smoke them. The rest of them know to sheepishly get out of the way of just about every other sporty car that comes up behind them which is embarrassing:( . If it was 7-8k less than the EBM, I might be tempted but for more than an EBM? no contest.

The sad part is that it is a wonderful chassis, but my test drive left me feeling like the oxford dictionary should have a picture of the FRS next to "underpowered."

 

[Evolvd]

Drove the BRZ, hated it. Its cheap plastic interior, torque-less motor, and lack of decent options made this a no-go for me...and I LOVE imports. The EB smokes it, and don't assume that the EB is a slouch in the twisties!

 

[Rogues Gambit]

I feel Everyday driver used the wrong stang for the comparo; They should of had a Base EBM with PP, would of scored higher with Todd, at least 3rd

The way I see it, unless you have the $$$ to pull a turbo off, you're gonna want a EBM.

Quoting Car and Driver's 40k Long-Term Wrap up:

At the end of our 40,000-mile test, the fact that most of us still wanted to blast off in the BRZ down a winding road validates Subaru’s engineering talent and its commitment to enthusiasts. The BRZ is “100 pounds of sound-deadening material away from greatness,” noted one test driver, to which we’ll also add: a new audio system and a stonkier engine note. With a new Miata looming, and affordable rear-drive cars from Nissan and Kia potentially in the offing, how Subaru realizes the BRZ’s full potential will determine how fondly we’ll look back on it in a couple of decades. For now, though, pack your bee suit.

RANTS AND RAVES
RON SESSIONS: I love this car for its visceral appeal. Steering response and turn-in are right now, but it would be great if the car would settle down on the interstate.

ALEX STOKLOSA: More and more rattles have presented themselves, likely because the firm suspension attacks the body and everything attached to it like a honey badger.

K.C. COLWELL: I would rather have an aftermarket Alpine stereo than this garbage pile of a head unit.

CAROLYN PAVIA-RAUCHMAN: All-in-all, a noisy little guy these days. But what a head turner!

RUSS FERGUSON: Man, oh man, I wish I lived in the mountains and had this car. At first, I wished for more motor, but I soon came to realize that, like a Miata, this is just about right.

JARED GALL: This car defines great driving position.

AUSTIN LINDBERG: I found the BRZ to be a surprisingly good freeway companion; neither my back nor my knees were sore after a seven-hour trip to Missouri.

JOHN PHILLIPS: At 70 mph there's not enough illumination to avoid roadkill; worst headlights in the past 10 years.

JULI BURKE: It's okay for an in-town car, but feels lightweight and cheap at highway speeds.

KIRK SEAMAN: I applaud Subaru and Toyota for having the balls to make this car. It would have been so easy not to.

As a few peep's noted here, the price is a deal breaker, considering the competition out there: V6/EB'Stang, Current and next gen V6/I4 Camaro, WRX, GTI, FoST, FiST, Miata, Gen.Co, etc. and then don't forget the used market

There are two options that could help the Toyobaru's out, 1 is drop the price by $5k and the other is drop a detuned WRX engine in there or add a factory turbo and for a bonus, add a little noise insulation to the car while they're at it while fixing up the weird Tq curve dip

Honestly, it was a fun car, especially since my stock A4 and my sisters old TSX made similar HP, but there comes a point when you want more easily and I once read that all bolt ons and no forced induction only drops the car down to 14's down a 1/4

 

[kz]

what would you choose?

Depends on what you're looking for. FR-S with no doubt handles better and with no doubt has less power. I wouldn't mind having one as a second car to the GT.

 

[Hack]

I tried to sit in an frs - no go. I like the overall size of it better than the Mustang, but it needs at least 100 more hp and a slightly larger passenger compartment.

I don't love the EB either - I'd choose the V6 over it. However, I'm sure it's fun and at least I know I would be comfortable in it.

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