Who cares. Seriously. They are both drivers cars, drive both, and have fun.

I'm not sure if its good or bad, but the rx8 never became that popular.

Sadly the BRZ/FRS has a bigger aftermarket than the rx8, and it's only been out a couple months.

I'm sure in time, we'll see some people create super fast wicked, and inspirational FRS/BRZ machines. That has yet to be done with an 8.

 

^ true but I remember years ago years ago Toyota always mention coming out with the ae86 and that it will be rear wheel drive . I used to be a corolla fan way back then when I used to race them so growing up was about the ae86 and the 3tc corolla . I liked the frs but man I'm seen this car in every magazine and forum bla bla getting sick of it and is not a real complete car like our true warrior that came back rotary the rx8 . The FRS doesn't have a Toyota engine so what's the hype . Our Mazda is a true legend ROTARY . And when it comes back again it will take over again ,,, hopefully lol

 

Regardless, we are looking at a motor that havent changed in displacement in decades.... Since the 2nd Gen FC... and we can still compete?! That says something...

Also, as we all know we are comparing cars that are from different time periods... the 8 is old now... like all of us know, Camry's and Accords can destroy us... Comparing a series I RX-8 (lets say 2006) to a 2013 FRS/BRZ is going to be like comparing the 2013 FRS/BRZ to the 2017/2018 RX-7...

 

^ the new Rx7 o yessss cant wait to see that beast

 

The FRS is over priced.
It should be 20k out the door.
It has bad quality.
For 28k you can buy a much better car.

If the Supra comes out.... I'd like to see the quality.

 

If you pay $28k for an FRS, you got hosed by the dealer, considering the MSRP is $3k lower than that, and no one sane pays even MSRP any more.

 

I agree.

Yeah, but the problem is they are really popular, I believe at my local dealer its like a 5 month wait or something retarded like that to order one.

 

My local Subaru dealer took 4 months to sell their first one...

As usual, shopping around is the best bet.

 

Did they have a 5k mark up over retail price?

 

No, actually they sold it under MSRP by a couple thousand. I'd have to go back and look for the exact number. It was sitting on their lot for 4 months after all, they dropped the price so they could move it.

 

my situation right now, frs DD rx7 Weekend warrior.

 

RX8 as a base car > frs....however I feel the aftermarket will be much larger compared to the rx8.

 

I agree with most people here. We're comparing two cars in two different time periods. S2 rx8's have very minor upgrades to handling, chassis and reliability over the S1 but its still an rx8 with little upgrades at all. Comparing an RX8 to the FRS is definitely going to be biased with the newest car out there. The fact that we are both lightweight high revving coupes does make us competitors just like the RX8 and the S2000 but overall, its a much different car. We have four doors and can sit four comfortably and the FRS is a two door and really a two seat car. You have two of the largest japanese companies working in collaboration with each other to make this machine and with the rotaries, you have a small japanese company rnd'ing the rotary engine. The rx8 was not made just for street, it was made for practicality as well, we all knew that the FD3S was a beast of a car, but it only threw itself to a small portion of the market. The RX8 was meant to broaden the market and attract not just sports car buyers. If the RX8 had the same mentality as the FRS and was made to be a straight street car, i'm sure even till now, we would compete and win against the FRS just like the FD competes with many newer cars to this day.

 

It read, "thousands have spoken. The RX8 is dead." But that is because so many people don't appreciate a car like the Mazda. All they care about is 1/4 miles times and 0 to 60. Just forget that the RX8 is one of the best handling and balanced cars.

 

One thing about any reasonably priced over hyped new car is well... it's new. That alone counts for a lot of early lifecycle sales, regardless of the 'goodness' of the car compared to others past or present in the market. Plus the fanbois for (whatever brand) all line up in anticipation, plus the demand the press hype generates adds to the total. Paradoxicly, the actual demand in many areas turns out in reality to be a bit of an 'urban legand' with cars just languishing on dealer lots unsold (but that never gets into the 'ad supported press'.)

Regardless of the inherent flaws the car may have (and personally I read plenty of potentials both as a daily driver and a track car for the Toybaru pair), a blank new slate vehicle like this offers 'hope' that this will be 'the one' to 'change everything'. In a bit, the car mags glowing praise will morph into picking apart the flaws and carping about how they 'shoulda fixed that, but haven't'. If a significantly 'new, improved' model arrives soon enough, that 'new' cycle can continue. In the case of the RX-8, that never happened, the S2 was not faster, bigger, fancier, more economical, nor handled much better, so the carping didn't stop and everyone, even current owners, tired of the same old, same old, and sales tanked completely.

I don't dispair (but do get tired of waiting), for some new improved something (turbo Toybaru, RX-9, etc) will come along to give hope yet again that will offer hope of being 'the one' affordable sports car for me.

 

was waiting for someone to post this. I read this a while back and wondered if any of you dudes would read it. Yeah it sums up what we know about the FRS...its a more practical car but very cheap, lacking a lot of cool factor. It could be the new car to hate. where does that leave the 350z? hahhaha. the old car to hate.

 

I've driven several FR-S's and have about 1500 miles on my RX-8 and the only thing I've found that might be better on the FR-S is steering feel. The RX-8 is very good but the Scion is excellent, very direct, and really lets you know what's going on. Everything else, other than gas milage, the RX-8 is better.
I took the Scion sales Mgr who bought the first one, for an enthusiastic ride. All he could say after was "it only gets 17 mpg." He was upset. I told him the milage will get better when I get over taking it to 9000 rpm all the time.
He traded the FR-S for a MB C250. He suddenly thought the FR-S was tinny.

 

lol - the frs community reminds me a little of the 8 community when i first joined.

 

FRS/GT86/BRZ was 0.6 seconds quicker around the Top Gear track in the UK today than the high power RX8. Considering it's almost 200 kg lighter that's not much in the way of progress.

 

/\ Why YES...

Consider the then VR red RX-8 did it in a 131.08 (from memory?), I wonder how 'a' Series II R3 with 4.777 Diff Ratio would go?, I bet about 0.5 of a second faster?

TGUK did have a CWP R3 on a ''comparo test'' with a VW Sirocco back in 2009 from 'my memory' again?...did they ever publicize any results?, there also was a 3rd car.....can't remember what it was though!

 

the r3 was nearly 3 seconds quicker in the lightening lap so i'd imagine it could eek out more than 0.5 second's

r3 3:16.7
rx8 3:19
Lightning Lap 2011 - Feature - Page 8

 

I have been researching the FRS/BRZ for a long time and was able to take part in a test drive session, and even though I loved the car Im still after a RX8 I wanted an rx8 prior to buying my MS6 thinking it would be enough but it wasnt and im back in the hunt for a rx8! Great article btw thanks for posting!

 

Wanted to add my .02....

Was at the Washington DC Auto Show this weekend with my two sons and sat in both the BRZ and FRS.

I won't comment on the exterior styling...but I will say that the interior felt very cheap.

Additionally, there is NO WAY you can fit 4 adults in this car (period). I am 6 foot and got in the drivers seat with my two sons (9 and 13) in the back and it was much smaller than the 8, which is already small enough. I had to move my seat up quite a bit further than the 8, so that my 9 year could sit behind me.

Can't say that I would even consider test driving one with the back seats being so small.

 

Im going to buy an FRS in a few years.. its a cool car. Idk if I will sell the 8 or not.. Im pretty attached to it.

 

https://www.rx8club.com/general-auto...4/#post4424644


At 9:23 into the video he states: 5-10% of BRZ/FRSs have a bad ECU or VVTI cam gear with a 1-2 months wait for parts.

And it seems the fix to the problem may not be entirely in hand: http://www.torquenews.com/106/scion-...ftware-problem


YMMV