With all the hype about the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, everyone is wondering how they are stacking up in class. Consumer Reports decided to put them to the test to save consumers some time and headaches. The FR-S and BRZ are both under $30,000, but how do the stack up against the Ford Mustang, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Mazda Miata, and VW GTI? Considering each one of these have their own claims to fame and are each considered affordable in their own rights.
First up was the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe R and from all the reports from multiple testers, this version isn’t really any different than the last version. It still has some manual gearbox issues and the shifter is described as “vague” which ends up causing drivers to hang a gear between gates. Tester Benson Bong says, “Peaky power delivery. it feels like there are severe induction restrictions as the boost builds.” It does offer 274 horsepower and 533 pound feet of torque.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe R Spec Engine Cover was next up and finished sixth place overall, but one tester, Pobst put it in fifth place. His comments were, “Way more controllable and sportier-feeling than the Mustang. Good high-speed car — not a lot of body roll. And the shocks do a great job on the bumps, so the car is stable. From a driver’s standpoint, the turbo gives it this surge of torque in the midrange. I said the other cars had good midrange? Nah. This car has the midrange when the boost comes up.”
The Volkswagen GTI that did come in fifth place, other than one tester’s opinion. It is being called “The Practical Fun One”. It’s known for being one of the roomier out of this collection and critics think it’s a blast to drive. Carlos Lago said, “The best grand touring car here. it would make many people happy for long distances and daily driving.”
The fourth place car in this group of tests ended up being the Ford Mustang V-6. It is the only American auto in this comparison as the 312 horsepower V6 Chevy Camaro wasn’t available although it has been getting plenty of good reviews on its own. The Mustang was ranked the highest of all the others in acceleration, turning and stopping, and was also the fastest. Tester Rory Jurnecka said, “Practical and fun. if you can’t handle something small like the FR-S, this makes a great sport coupe.”
The Mazda MX 5 Miata Grand Touring came in third, but critics are starting to complain because if feels “dated”, but this is the last version that is coming out how it’s made now, so we’ll have to see if Mazda creates a more updated feeling in the next version. Scott Mortara said, “This is possibly the most directly connected car on the road.”
The Scion FR-S came in at second place, and of course it would considering this is a comparison of the FR-S and BRZ against the other models in class. While the BRZ and FR-S are almost identical, the BRZ came in first place because it has more options, including a manual transmission and more interior extras to pick and choose through.
Source Motortrend