secretariata wrote: I think the main reason the BRZ isn't selling is the price. I can get an new WRX for $4k less which has more power, AWD, and is infinitely more practical (if you're into that...)
Wha? Where are these new WRXs that are selling for ~$22K?
z31maniac wrote: What's the point of 2+2 smaller than the BRZ? The seat in the back of mine is already useless and I'm only 5'8"
I suspect it is to qualify for different classing under Japanese motor vehicle regulations. The first generation RX-7 had a useless back seat in the Japanese market. It might related to insurance as someone already pointed out.
z31maniac wrote: What's the point of 2+2 smaller than the BRZ? The seat in the back of mine is already useless and I'm only 5'8"
One of the things that turns me off about the FR-S/BR-Z is how incredibly wide it is.
Type Q wrote:z31maniac wrote: What's the point of 2+2 smaller than the BRZ? The seat in the back of mine is already useless and I'm only 5'8"I suspect it is to qualify for different classing under Japanese motor vehicle regulations. The first generation RX-7 had a useless back seat in the Japanese market. It might related to insurance as someone already pointed out.
Insurance-reducer rear seats are always a good idea if there's room. Worst-case, the car has a nice parcel shelf that you can legally transport children in.
a few notes, why not cut the hood to accommodate proper round headlamps. I'm of the opinion that the front would be more appealing as such. I'd prefer a 1.3L DI turbo over a 1.5 NA motor, Toyota has a healthy little twin cam 1.3L already in their stable ready for this development. Lastly it better have a 6 spd manual with a limited slip in the rear.
rcutclif wrote: I don't mean to shatter hopes and dreams, but I think this thing is truly ugly. Inside, outside, front, back. Not a fan. I'll pay more and take my ND please.
Amen, brother
I'm waiting for the SR-F.
Seriously Toyota there are more than 3 letters in the alphabet.
Swank Force One wrote: I wonder if this is actually on the ND chassis. There was a rumor going around that Toyota was working with Mazda to use it.
That's an excellent point. I wonder if anyone has superimposed the side view over the ND to see how it lines up. From what I found on the interwebz the wheelbases are not the same, not sure about track width.
I love the color, they could call it "tennis ball".
classicJackets wrote: Oh they'll produce it, but it won't be available in the U.S...
I think this is IDX 2.0.
Whenever I see a interesting concept now I start with thinking "never going to be built" lol.
MCarp22 wrote:secretariata wrote: I think the main reason the BRZ isn't selling is the price. I can get an new WRX for $4k less which has more power, AWD, and is infinitely more practical (if you're into that...Wha? Where are these new WRXs that are selling for ~$22K?
Where are BRZ's priced at $26k? I'm using numbers from last year because that's when I was looking. Cheapest BRZ's I could find new were about $28k out the door. A good friend bought a 2014 WRX brand new last summer for $23.4k out the door and got $500 from Subaru corporate because the dealer had agreed to the price via email and then when he showed up to close the deal they started adding more to the price. He took a cab home and immediately called Subaru's US HQ to complain about how he was treated. 2 days later the dealer delivered the car to him at the previously agreed upon price and 2 or 3 days after that he got a check for $500 from Subaru. So his actual cost was $22.9k.
secretariata wrote: Where are BRZ's priced at $26k? I'm using numbers from last year because that's when I was looking. Cheapest BRZ's I could find new were about $28k out the door. A good friend bought a 2014 WRX brand new last summer for $23.4k out the door and got $500 from Subaru corporate because the dealer had agreed to the price via email and then when he showed up to close the deal they started adding more to the price. He took a cab home and immediately called Subaru's US HQ to complain about how he was treated. 2 days later the dealer delivered the car to him at the previously agreed upon price and 2 or 3 days after that he got a check for $500 from Subaru. So his actual cost was $22.9k.
Wow, that's like 4K under MSRP.... I don't think you should use that experience as a metric for how much the average person might expect to pay for a WRX.
Sort of along the same vein as the OP car:
I wonder how strong the market is for a no frills, compact sedan or wagon with four actual seats and room for groceries? No frills as in manual windows, locks, bare minimum nannies, etc.
I bounce between GRM and ecomodder and on that forum there are quite a few DIY types who are building their own cars either from kits or from scratch with maximum efficiency and simplicity in mind. I often daydream about producing a small RWD wagon similar in size and appearance to this:
Except it would be RWD, with better visibility, a manual transmission, small D.I. 4 cylinder (or maybe the three cylinder from the SFE Fiesta), a sloping rear roof line and small barn doors...or possibly a sloped hatch that attaches further forward on the roof...and definitely not a GM in any way, it's just the rough shape I like. Very utilitarian in nature, pulling down low to mid 40's highway mpg, maybe flirting with 50 if driven sensibly.
I guess sort of like the '15 Mirage DE except not a Mitsubishi and again RWD with no frills and for under $10,000, ideally.
This smacks of Elio, I know. 
In reply to The_Jed:
All you want is a Miata drive train in a first generation Scion xB. Get cutting. See Nohome's build thread to figure out how to go about it.
More interesting things to note that have been released/leaked about this car for the Japanese model:
Estimated price ~$10k equivalent LESS than a base miata
Aisin 6-speed Manual transmission only... no automatic transmission to be offered
The 1.5L I4 motor is a 2NR-FKE (corolla) unit with revised head
And I did a photo edit to see what a white one would look like...I think I'd want a white one REALLY badly:
I kinda dig it. I really dig that Sports 800 and this is a nice throwback to that timeless shape. Too bad we're probably not going to get it here although Kei cars are seemingly picking up interest here which bodes well for the future of small cars in the US.
Plus it has a loud color and I like obnoxious colors on cheap cars.
The0retical wrote: Plus it has a loud color and I like obnoxious colors on cheap cars.
Get a mirage.
The0retical wrote: Too bad we're probably not going to get it here although Kei cars are seemingly picking up interest here which bodes well for the future of small cars in the US.
Why does everybody keep comparing this to a Kei car? It's larger than a Miata.
The grill is about 200% too big, but I love the idea.
This also looks interesting
Autoblog said: As intriguing a concept as the S-FR may be, it's not the only thing Toyota's got in store for the Tokyo expo. It's also prepared the Kikai concept, a sort of Japanese take on the hot rod with a McLaren F1-style 1+2 cockpit that puts the driver up front and center. The Kikai is packed with eye-catching mechanical details: from the outboard suspension (visible through a window by the driver's seat), to the analog instruments.
bgkast wrote: The grill is about 200% too big, but I love the idea.
Oh the simple things you can do to a grille...
In reply to Vracer111:
Give it braces?
pointofdeparture wrote: Why does everybody keep comparing this to a Kei car? It's larger than a Miata.
Because 'Murica! Don't you know anything smaller than a Ford Explorer is a Kei car?!?!?
The stock paint makes the grille look inches taller and wider than the actual opening. I suspect that re painting the black grille surround to match the body color would make it look a lot smaller!
pointofdeparture wrote:The0retical wrote: Too bad we're probably not going to get it here although Kei cars are seemingly picking up interest here which bodes well for the future of small cars in the US.Why does everybody keep comparing this to a Kei car? It's larger than a Miata.
Because, although it's packing 2x the displacement of a Kei Car, I have Honda S660 on the brain. So therefore Kei car!
I get your point though.
I like it, but I like the Honda S1000 more. I'm still hoping they bring that mid engined turbo two seater to production, and then the U.S.
I would like to buy one. My kids are still small. There is plenty of room in a BRZ back seat with how I have the drivers seat adjustedx so I bet this would work.
You'll need to log in to post.
