Just sold my FR-S and bought my second series 2 RX8. I think it is a good time to share some thoughts about how does our beloved 8 compare with the hyped toyoburu.

The steering in FR-S feels a little heavier than 8, and the suspension feels much tighter comparing with the stock 8. The shifter is extremely short. The best part about the FR-S is the ergonomics. The sitting position is the best I have ever experienced in any car at this price range.

Aside from the above, the cabin feels incredibly cheap, the one I had come with the factory touch screen but the materials used in the cabin give you a sense of Toyota's cost-cutting at work. Highway noise is much louder.

FR-S is easy to drive, it has good visibility and sitting position. Clutch is light, but I am not a big fan of light clutch on sport-oriented cars. Brake feels soft even I had them upgraded to Stoptech pads and rotors. The chassis is extremely forgiving, I autocrossed it in an event with the semi-wet condition on early April (40 degrees) and it was easy to correct it from oversteer.

Why did I decide to go back to the 8? I just got tired of going to the Toyota dealership. I got the FR-S with 33k miles and factory extended warranty, and the notorious CEL problem started to hunt me at 34k. I went to the dealership for countless diagnostics, TSBs. They had to change the ECU and Cam gear. After the long wait from Toyota Corp, they went through and gave the car back, I took it to an autox and got engine oil spilled all over the place. Fortunately, there was a dealer 10 minutes away so I drove it there immediately without the oil light came on. It turned out that the valve cover on the passenger side cracked and got a hole on it! The car spent a total of one month in dealers! Luckily I got everything fixed under warranty, but I just couldn't stop thinking that something is going to break at some point on that FR-S, and I hate myself if I can't drive the car like it is supposed to be driven. I also found cooling is another major issue on these toyoburus if you drive it hard because it does not come factory cooling and the aftermarket solution seemed to be a hit and miss depending on your tune and other mods. I decided to get rid of it and move on.

I test drove the Miata, S2k and MK6 GTI but decided to go back to the 8. To me, the 8 is a perfect combination of performance and practicality, the MPG won't matter that much if you are cruising at 80mph or doing spirited driving on back roads. With some suspension upgrades, I think it will be the "perfect" car for daily and occasional track days.

Here are some photos of my last 8 and the current one.

 

Drove it back to PA from Boston, installing StopTech Slotted rotors and Hawk HP+ on the second day



Ignition upgrades arrived!



Changed the spark plugs after the day I did brakes



New coils and NGK wires, don't know if they are comparable with the Magnecor wires

 

Beautiful 8s! Congrats on your new one! Black is sexy but oh so hard to maintain. My 8 is also a black S2. I was thinking of getting an FRS before buying my 8 as well, but didn't because of the crappy engine sound, awful rear seats and slow acceleration. But I think in the end it came down to the engine noise. It doesn't sing like the rotary, and it sounds worse with an exhaust on.

Since you've driven both, which is faster around corners?

 

Funny, I was looking for FR-S as well!

I went with the 8, however, due to the lower price, more practicality, and rarity. It was worth it.

Nice black RX-8, btw. Seems like there are quite a few black S2s out there.

 

Welcome home.

I too, prefer, more reliable cars, and at 40K miles without having any issues of consequence, I have not been disappointed. Of course the real reason I love my car is its unique smmmooooth and agile quality that no other car I've driven can deliver.

 

Thanks! The sound was a big factor for me as well. Stock to stock, FRS is faster in chicanes, but the 8 will catch FRS in long corners.

 

I guess FRS/BRZ is over hyped on media, but the 8 will be a more rewarding car in the long term. I saw two so far, it would be interesting to see if there's any S2s in my area.

 

i got attracted to the FRS cause of its handling capabilites in part cause i was comming from an RX7...BUT WHEN I TEST DROVE AN FRS it felt like the cabin was cheap and noisy... also kinda clunky...then i looked about the RX8 and fell in love with it...I guess im really a rotorhead then LOL

 

Long live the rotary!

 

I bought the only S2 for sale in my area, haha.

I wasn't planning to buy the S2 actually, but all the S1s I went to see are not exactly in their most prime conditions. The S2 just seems to be a better deal.

RX-8 is designed to be a Grand Touring car, and the Grand Touring trim comes with a lot of goodies, which I like as my RX-8 has almost all the functionalities my Accord has. Very sporty, yet has a bit of luxury feel as well.

For the BRZ, I really don't like how sunroof is not even an option. It's really awesome to have a sunroof in the summer.

Besides, my RX-8 turns more heads, which is fantastic.

 

I actually ended up with a 2010 GT model...I drove the R3, while i like the 19" Wheels it felt like the R3 was decontented and harsher ride...I went with the GT cause it has. more features than the R3 and i figured I can always add the R3 features on the GT but there is no way you can add the GT features on a R3...not easy anyway