Home / Posts tagged 'Scion FR-S'

• The Scion Experience: 2014 & Beyond

  In Featured / By Ari Cox / 24 May 2013

  

  Scion doesn’t have a long, rich and storied history (having been launched just over 10 years ago). Nor does it have multi-generational consumers, strong name recognition (some people still call it ‘Sky-on’) or a product lineup that’s typically discussed in detail over dinner at Morton’s (all MSRPs start below $26k). But considering the overwhelming success of the brand, none of that seems to matter.

  Scion was originally created by Toyota as an experimental product to draw Generation Y consumers into the North American sales funnel. The thought was that the folks they attracted at an early age would later enroll at Toyota College and graduate from Lexus University. And by using a fresh sales approach, innovative marketing techniques and consistent focus, Scion has capitalized on that approach and blossomed into an automotive brand more than able to stand on its own.

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• Pocket Rocket Pow Wow: Scion FR-S vs. VW GTI vs…First Gen BMW M3? [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 25 April 2013

  

  We’re all (painfully) familiar with the phrase “opposites attract,” correct? If nothing else, it might help explain why a cozy, rear-drive and Japanese Scion FR-S and a roomy, front-drive and German Volkswagen GTI 5-door find themselves together on a race track. Though if we had to guess, it’s mostly due to the fact that MotorTrend’s Mike Febbo and European Car’s Greg Emmerson, respectively, brought them both to this gunfight at the Willow Springs Corral, er, Raceway.

  But instead of having these two slot-cars-for-big-boys slug it out between themselves, the guys invite an cagey old interloper to stir the pot: A first generation (E30) BMW M3. Not only does this roughly quarter-century-old icon boast about the same size, weight and power as the two modern combatants, but it can also be bought for thousands of dollars less. So who came out on top in this Mexican standoff? You’re gonna have to watch the video to find out, pilgrim…

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• SR Auto Group Scion FR-S Bulks Up and Hunkers Down

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 26 March 2013

  

  In addition to being the new “it” car for people who love driving for the sake of driving, the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins have quickly become the darlings of the tuning world. They’re light, rear-wheel drive and relatively affordable. That last attributes means there’s likely to be more money left over for upgrades.

  This was great news for SR Auto Group and OpenRoad Scion (a British Columbia dealer with locations in Richmond and Port Moody). It meant they could really go crazy with the upgrades. However, the end result isn’t particularly outrageous

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• Review: 2013 Scion FR-S

  In Road Tests / By Ari Cox / 11 March 2013

  

  The basic formula for automotive merriment is pretty straightforward. You need rear-wheel drive, decent horsepower, a taut suspension, crisp handling, solid braking capabilities and a transmission up for the task. Unfortunately, this has been a particularly elusive phenomenon in the sub-$30,000 car market, with the exception of the Mazda MX-5, Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang. However, now, after an excruciatingly long time in the making, the reincarnated Hachi-Roku, aka 2013 Scion FR-S,  is finally here. And it was well worth the wait.

  The story of how this car came to be is a whimsical tale in the book of automotive lore, or so we would like to think. In the mid-2000’s, Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), parent company of Subaru, parted ways with GM after they sold their stake in the company to Toyota. By way of some backdoor prodding by the Japanese government, Toyota Motor Corporation and FHI began to look at ways they could work together outside of investor meetings. Around this same time, Akio Toyoda, of the original Toyoda clan and current president, declared that the company needed to build a sports car to revive the passion in its lineup of snoozemobiles. Once the gauntlet was thrown down, Japanese hop-to-it efficiency created a task force post-haste.

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• A Visit with Kei Miura, TRA-Kyoto, and the Rocket Bunny FR-S [Video]

  In Fast Forward / By Tom Anderson / 18 February 2013

  

  If you were lucky enough to attend the SEMA Show this past November, and were checking out the scores upon scores of Scion FR-Ss and Subaru BRZs, you might have noticed a stanced, fender-flared FR-S wearing plain red paint, a big ass rear spoiler, and Japanese license plates. You might have been intrigued by the decidedly old school vibe emanating from this brand new car, and just who came up with this interesting blend. Well, you’ll be interested to know that those Japanese plates weren’t just for aesthetics, for this slammed Scion is the creation of 42-year-old Kei Miura.

  Miura-san, who runs TRA-Kyoto in (Surprise!) Kyoto, grew up in an era where young Japanese men fooled around with cars and motorcycles, as there were no smartphones or any other tech toys in those days. It seems that era also shaped his taste in customizing, as the FR-S – part of TRA-Kyoto’s Rocket Bunny collection – incorporates many elements that trace their origins to the early bosozoku and drifting/touge eras. But don’t take our word for it; watch the video and read (or if you’re fluent in Japanese, hear) what the man himself has to say.

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• GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum Toyota 86 is a Supercharged and Turbocharged Temptress [w/ Video]

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 14 January 2013

  

  The small, rear-wheel drive sport coupes jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru – sold within these borders as the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ – aren’t on the receiving end of much criticism. Rightfully so, if you ask us. But one thing that almost everyone who has driven a Toyobaru asks for is more power.

  Well, Gazoo Racing has taken this criticism to heart. One of the favored tuners and competition car preparers of the Toyota factory (and not in any way connected with the little green guy that only Fred Flintstone can see and hear), Gazoo Racing has a street vehicle tuning arm called GRMN. And GRMN has given one lucky Toyota 86 – the Japanese version of the Scion FR-S – a comprehensive makeover.

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• Wald International Toyota 86 Body Kit Brings Sexyblack

  In Tuning / By Tom Anderson / 18 December 2012

  

  About five months ago, the car cosmetics experts at Japan’s Wald International released a pair of renderings of a kit it was developing for the Toyota 86, the Japanese market version of the Scion FR-S. We expected the real deal to be ready soon thereafter, and that we would tell you about it when that day came.

  Well, that day has come (albeit a little bit later than we were expecting) and, as promised, we’re here to give you the skinny. Note that we assume no responsibility for bills that go unpaid, relationships that are terminated and productivity that is lost when you start crushing on this body kit.

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• 2012 Scion FR-S Cup: Small Cars, Big Event

  In Car Events / By Staff / 18 November 2012

  

  Quick question… How do you fit over 100 Scion FR-Ss into just one small area of a parking lot? Easy, have Scion in collaboration with HPI Racing host a remote control (RC) event exclusive to the FR-S called the Scion FR-S Cup!

  Imagine controlling an FR-S zooming down a straightaway – the ground is a little wet and a turn is coming up, so you ease off the throttle. The FR-S clears the turn, but you can’t get stable. The FR-S jumps a small barrier on the track and does a couple flips. Normally this would be a major tragedy, but not when the FR-S is at 1/10th scale; it’s all part of the fun and excitement of an RC race.

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• SEMA 2012: Scion FR-S & Subaru BRZ Invade Las Vegas [45 Pics]

  In Car Events / By Ari Cox / 3 November 2012

  

  It’s no surprise that the Toyoboru was THE car this year at SEMA. With a shortage of new noteworthy sports cars in the automotive world, the Scion FR-S and to a lesser extent the Subaru BRZ dominated the show floor at SEMA 2012. We counted over 45 Scion FR-S models  around the Convention Center. And that doesn’t include the 50 FR-S owners that rolled out to Vegas in the Scion to SEMA caravan. All told, rumor has it that there were over 150 reppin’ hard at SEMA. Most were slammed on aftermarket wheels and gussied up with either the Rocket Bunny bodykit from Japan or the Five Axis aero kit. What follows is a look at some of our favorites from the show.

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• SEMA 2012: The Top 5 Emerging Trends

  In Car Events / By Tom Anderson / 1 November 2012

  

  It’s hard to believe that November is upon us yet again, but a check of the calendar (and, in less well-behaved neighborhoods, candy wrappers and/or smashed jack-o-lanterns on the street outside) indicates that that is indeed the case. And for fans of and builders of custom cars, trucks and motorcycles, their equivalent of Christmas comes every year during the first week of the eleventh month. That is when the SEMA Show sets up shop at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing with it all the chrome, carbon fiber and cheesecake you can handle.

  But one of the other attributes of SEMA that is frequently overlooked is how it acts as an instrument for measuring which vehicle modifying trends are hip or soon will be hip. Hike enough miles of exhibit space and you’ll start to see some clear patterns form. These patterns, in turn, can point to the popularity of a particular style of customization, or vehicles being used as starting points for customizing projects. Here are what we believe to be the five hot or about-to-be-hot trends on display in America’s preeminent adult playground.

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