If they can get production up and going to meet demand as planned and keep the price as advertised it will be a total win for Toyota/Subaru.
I just bought an FR-S because of the following reasons: 1) I have been thinking about maybe getting a miata for a loooong time (at least since 2004) but only fit in the NC and do not like convertables 2) For the past couple years I've seen the AE86 was going to make a comeback and the promise of a 'lightweight', RWD coupe/hatchback with good handling was right up my ally. 3) All the reviews from the past 8 months have basically made it car of the year if not decade, with special mention by everyone that this car's philosophy of design was 100% driver oriented 4) Aesthetics... gorgeous exterior styling...like a mini Maserati Grand Turismo meets and Aston Martin Vantage V8 and the interior is no-nosense yet very good quality. And finally 5) the Test Drive...
I've never bought a brand new car before, always have gotten used "economical" performance orientated cars and modified them for autocross/track - '90 Integra GS > '98 Camaro V6 > '90 Integra RS. The '90 Integra RS being the best one overall on track and to autocross and crazy on the street with ~2300lb weight (full tank) on Nitto NT-01s and Hawk HP+ pads. The V6 Camaro was good overall once I got the weight down (totally stripped interior except for dash with 8lb racing seats and still came in at just over 3200lbs with full tank), changed out the horribly vague stock 5-speed shifter to a Hurst Competition unit, and redid the suspension with Koni's, massive hollow anti-roll bars front and rear, and tubular linkage/panhard bar with spherical rod bearings. The one place it was phenominal was in braking... with Hawk HP+ pads and Nitto NT-555RII track tires it was just insane how it could come to a dead stop from speed... when taking an Evolution Phase II course Andy Hollis even had to remind himself how this car slowed down after the first few times...otherwise it could easily over-brake and you could literally come to a stop on course. The Camaro didn't compare to the dynamics of the Integra though...there is no substitute for lightweight when it comes to quick transitions and turn-in.
So I've tracked and daily drove a heavily altered Integra that was a limpet on the backside of Lotus Elise's and Corvette Z-06's in the turns and technical sections of MSR Houston and a heavily altered Camaro that would pop out your eyeballs when decellerating... and that hasn't prepared me for driving a stock Scion FR-S that I still haven't revved past 4k rpm yet...
Turn-in and transitional response... And the steering feel and precision that gives a nimbleness the Integra just can't match... How can a nearly 2700lb+ car be this good?!?! It has to be this car bends the laws of physics....on stock tires that are optional Prius summer tires!
While deceleration is no where near the G-inducing event my V6 Camaro gave, the sensitivity of the braking is other-wordly... I think its even more sensitive than the accelerator pedal! Get a nice pad compound that complements the sensitivity while increasing the brake force and it should be awesome!
Suspension just smooths out the harshness and provides just enough firmness to keep a nice planted feel - feels as planted as my brothers 2005 Impreza RS on Hankook RS-3's...
Best seat's ever award in a car retailing under $25k...seriously, everybody loves the seats and man are they comfy while also securely holding you in place. Seats are my main area of contention in most cars, which is why I have a Recaro Ergonomic in my Tacoma. The FR-S stock seat is every bit as good as the Recaro Ergonomic seat in comfort while more securely holding you in place when things get curvy... win-win!
Fuel mileage - yes she takes premium because of the high compression ratio, but I recently filled up for the first time and seemed to average just over 30mpg in mixed driving conditions including "having fun in turns..." Haven't even cruised on the highway yet....I believe the high 30's mpg people have reported getting, with near maximum torque just past 2k rpms it's no torqueless Honda, and you can be in 6th at ~38 mph without bogging down and with somewhat decent acceleration...
Once I get past the initial 1k mile break-in I will be going to MSR Houston for a track day to she how she is and finally rev past 4k rpm for the first time...
The only thing I need to get used to is the attention this car commands. You can't drive anywhere without cars scrambling to get along side or slip in behind and stay. And in parking lots you get lots of people coming up and commenting on it and asking about it...
I can say without a doubt this FR-S the first car I've truly fallen in love with... could just be the 'asphalt' color though...