It’s the classic twin tale: two individuals viewed as a single entity, each vying for their own attention yet seeking their value relative to their rival sibling. But this story involves two hot and highly sought-after new cars, one each from Subaru and Scion but of virtually the same design -- the difference comes in the approach each company takes in selling its own sporty rear-wheel-drive coupe. And now, yet another difference is that Subaru sweetened the deal slightly for its BRZ customers with a $400 cash-back offer during the month of June, all while Scion’s FR-S was rolling off the lots without incentives. 

Note, though, that the Subaru BRZ costs $1,315 more than its Scion FR-S twin when comparing base model to base model. Jointly developed by the two automakers (well, more specifically by Subaru and Scion's parent company, Toyota) and built in the same Subaru factory in Japan, both cars use Subaru’s new 2-liter, 200-horsepower, 4-cylinder boxer engine. But while Subaru sells two variants, Scion only offers one standard trim with automatic (sticker price $26,030) or manual transmission.

The sticker price for the BRZ Premium base trim is $26,245 with a manual and $27,345 for the automatic, and includes high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights and a nav system; the pricier Limited model ($28,245 for the manual and $29,345 for the automatic) provides leather seating, automatic climate control and a proximity key. These amenities are not available on the Scion FR-S, although it does have options like Sirius XM satellite radio, exterior trim and wheel locks. 

The result so far is that Scion was ahead in sales last month, with 2,684 FR-S models sold to Subaru’s 818 BRZs during the same time frame. And while the rivalry may help pad your pocketbook by about $400 at a Subaru dealer, don’t expect it to be easy to get your hands on either model: both companies are rolling the popular coupe off the lots as quickly as they're delivered.

[Source: Autoblog, USA Today]