Scion FR-S Price Released; Subaru BRZ Fuel Economy Reported
And a cool video, to boot.
Today saw several pieces of news regarding the Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ sports car. A leaked memo to dealers pushed Scion to announce official pricing of the FR-S from $24,930, and fueleconomy.gov reported that the Subaru BRZ will return 34 mpg. Also, an awesome video of Ken Gushi throwing the Scion FR-S sideways around the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, Calif., hit the Internet courtesy of scionracingtv at YouTube.Earlier in the day, FT86club.com published an email purporting to be one sent to dealers announcing a starting price of $24,200. Later, Scion.com went official with the the $24,930 price (seen below), which includes a $730 destination charge (note that some areas may charge a bit more), keeping the eagerly awaited sports car just under the $25,000 mark. There's also an official mini configurator that allows for a bit of customization, though option pricing isn't included.
Subaru's version, the BRZ, returns a maximum fuel efficiency of 34 mpg highway when equipped with the 6-speed automatic transmission, according to fueleconomy.gov. Combined, the 6-speed automatic delivers 28 mpg, with a 22 mpg rating in the city, while the 6-speed manual delivers 22 mpg city/30 mpg highway for a combined rating of 25 mpg. According to the site, manual drivers can expect to shell out around $2,450 per year in fuel costs, while those with automatics will spend a couple hundred less, at $2,200. And, with no explanation necessary: the FR-S laying down rubber and kicking up smoke around Laguna Seca.
TXMX, I'll agree, it probably is fun to drive just as it is. I just love getting shoved back in the seat when I hit it. Considering you can buy plenty of V6 family sedans that'll run the 1/4 in the 14's, that just seems a little slow to me, relatively speaking.
And it's not really overkill...granted, you don't need all that power just putting around town, but it makes merging on the highway effortless and alot of fun!
My '00 Firebird runs mid 13's (great in '00, but average today), and I absolutely LOVE hitting it on a nice uphill onramp.
And honeslty, it seems to me that having a car that handles really great is what is overkill on the street. Anytime you're going fast enough to really exploit the handling abilities of the car, you're now speeding and in danger of getting a ticket, or worse.
On the other hand, as long as I don't roast the tires doing it, there's nothing illegal about getting up to 60mph in 4 or 5 seconds.
Interesting info on the gear ratios. I guess with rev limits as high as they are they can handle running at such high rpm on the highway, but that's gotta take a big hit out of fuel economy. I'm used to LSx cars... with a 3.42 rear and 6spd, a LS car such as a Vette or F-Body is barely turning 2k rpm at 80mph....which is why they get such great highway mpg. And my auto LS1 Firebird has a 2.73 rear, which equates to about 1,800rpm at 70mph.
I'm just used to cars like this, which is why I have a hard time getting excited about cars like the BRZ.... I just really love torque.
Yes, that will be $24,930 sticker PLUS $5,000 added dealer markup due to.....well, because they can and will!
Any dealer that tries that would get in hot water with the Scion corporate office. Scion implements the Saturn no-haggle pricing model, and my understanding is that Scion is pretty harsh against any dealers that try to mark up models.
However, you can certainly expect a hard sell on any accessories instead of the classic mark up approach.
The reality is that dealers are independent businesses and can sell a product for any price they want. Any attempt by the manufacturer to control retail pricing at the dealer is illegal. Collusion and price fixing are frowned upon.
I think Scion does it through contract law. It is in the franchising contract, and getting caught marking up is a breach of the franchising contract. Everything I have read indicates that the price on a Scion is pretty fixed and there is no room to haggle either way. However, they are still free to do the usual funny business with financing and accessories. Again, pretty much the same way Saturn handled things.
I don't see the collusion and price fixing angle. There is just so much competition right now in the automotive market. As an example, consider my recent shopping experience. I have a budget of around $22k-$26k. I like the Scion, and it's in my budget. However, there is a markup and it bumps it out of my budget. So I just walk out and go to Mini, FIAT, VW, or Honda. They aren't quite what I want, but they are very close. Close enough to be acceptable.
my understanding is that Scion is pretty harsh against any dealers that try to mark up models.
The reality is that dealers are independent businesses and can sell a product for any price they want. Any attempt by the manufacturer to control retail pricing at the dealer is illegal. Collusion and price fixing are frowned upon. This has already been litigated at the federal level. So, don't be surprised if you see dealers slapping on a few extra thousand for these limited production vehicles at Toyota and Subaru dealerships across the country.
On the other hand, as long as I don't roast the tires doing it, there's nothing illegal about getting up to 60mph in 4 or 5 seconds.
I just feel that ~6s 0-60mph and 14's 1/4 mile is a nice happy medium for street use. My idea here is that FR-S = daily driver that is some fun, but I will never ever modify it beyond better tires, and it will never see a day of track in its service with me. My '86 RX-7 = track monster and mostly legal street hot rod. That will be the one I will molest and play with. The FR-S is meant to serve me day to day for the next decade or two. That's my general idea here.
Considering you can buy plenty of V6 family sedans that'll run the 1/4 in the 14's, that just seems a little slow to me, relatively speaking.
In my opinion, family sedans are starting to get a little out of hand, considering some of them are now faster than some of the more common muscle cars of the 60's and 70's. Personally, I think gas prices are going to reign that in a little just like they did before.
Interesting info on the gear ratios. I guess with rev limits as high as they are they can handle running at such high rpm on the highway, but that's gotta take a big hit out of fuel economy.
DING DING DING! You get it! That's why these high-revving sports cars always get pretty good mpg ratings in the city, but are disappointing on the highway. The automatics tend to have a lower final drive as a marketing gimmick. The logic is that people who go out of their way to buy a manual transmission these days are probably focused on the performance. The people who buy automatics aren't so focused on performance and probably keep a closer eye on the fuel economy figures so they give the automatic a more tame final drive. I think that logic is probably pretty sound.
You guys dont get it this is a "RWD" sport car... a basic, light weight, coustemizable, driftable, high mpg, reliable sport car. $25K is almost perfect (should be $22K IMO) but we havent had something like this in the market for a while
Mazda Miata.
The Miata starts at $23,500 and it is a convertible. There no reason why the Scion should start above $20k or $21k.
$25K is almost perfect (should be $22K IMO)
Which is it? You say $25 is almost perfect, but then say that you think it is $3k overpriced. $3k is a big difference.
I don't think you will see that much dealer markup. And even if you do, it won't last long. Anyone who is patient enough to wait 6 or 12 months will easily get one for sticker or lower. Keep in mind that it may not be dealer markup so much as it might be people offering more then sticker to get ahead in line (see Dodge Challenger). There is nothing Scion can do about that.
However, the ONLY problem I have with the car is the sticker price. $25k is a lot of money for a car that should be $20k. With that said, anyone who doesn't mind over paying will probably be very happy.
I think the fuel economy is about on par for a car of this caliber. Thank God it's a Toyota though. If a domestic car had numbers like that, people would be tearing it a new one.
However, the ONLY problem I have with the car is the sticker price. $25k is a lot of money for a car that should be $20k. With that said, anyone who doesn't mind over paying will probably be very happy
I think what may help justify the price for some is the exclusivity it buys. Aren't there only going to be about 6000 made for each brand?
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