Fiat 500 Abarth or Scion FR-S?

[cali yaris]

I'm thinking about my next street car.

The Question: If it were going to be one of these two, which would you buy?

I'm not including a "neither" choice because I'd like opinions from people who would consider these two cars also. I know there are other good cars out there these days, but these two "grab" me. So here we go....

Fiat 500 Abarth

http://image.motortrend.com/f/34882394+w786+ar1/2012-Fiat-500-Abarth-front-three-quarters.jpg

Scion FR-S

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/04/2013-scion-fr-s-2d.jpg

[CTScott]

I love the Abarth, especially after seeing some really nice ones in Europe, but I think I'd buy an IQ over it, so for me between these two it would be the FR-S.

[suckerface]

To an extent, I agree with Scott. The Abarth, while an amazing little car, doesn't really grab me. Something about it's design doesn't do it. Same with the iQ and ForTwo.

The FR-S reminds me of the Tiburon, which I've always had a thing for. That, and with it being RWD, could lead to being MUCH more fun.

[fnkngrv]

When you say street car Garm are you referring to leaving it be for the most part and not attempting to triple the HP/torque that it comes from the factory with? I guess the reason why I ask is because before I would make a determination it would hinge upon how upgrade friendly it would have to be. We all know how much Toyota locks things down, etc. From what I have seen there are already a lot of nifty things that you can do with the Abarth that don't have to be particularly crazy yet yield great improvements and the fun factor.

[tk-421]

I think the FR-S is way more mod-friendly (Scions always are). Plus RWD takes the cake IMO.

[Jason@SportsCar]

The amount of goodies coming down the pipe for the Scion/Subi are ridiculous. :thumbup: Looks like a fun car with a lot of possibilities.

The Fiat... Do you really need a slower egg? :thumbdown:

[Tamago]

FRS. RWD!

[johnny_vitz]

Definitely FR-S

[Thirty-Nine]

The Fiat... Do you really need a slower egg? :thumbdown:

My thoughts exactly. If you already had a "sports car," then I might say the Fiat. But since you've already got one hellofa fast hatch, I'd go with the Scion.

[Golddeenoh]

FR-S is an awesome Toyota, and the aftermarket will be similar to the aftermarket of the tC or other Scions. plus it drives different and will be more fun to drive. The Fiat is over priced garbage that isn't really worth you getting unless the criteria for the car is the "Micro" factor, but you can always include the FR-S into that group as it isn't a big vehicle. plus the space under the hood will make space for good turbos. the FR-S also reminds me of a simple little supra puppy that just wants to go play.

[jpmck03]

You already have a hot hatch that is a labor of love... no need to buy another...

I sat in an FR-S last week when I went to the Toyota dealership (little sister is getting a new Yaris!). Let me tell you, just sitting in it inside the showroom and I was already drooling by the time I sat down...
:drool:

[Kioshi]

FR-S.

I'm subscribed to JapanParts and....the ridiculous amount of aftermarket parts coming out from Japan for the Toyota 86 & Subaru BRZ is insane.

FR-S all the way.
New line, new experiences, and new meaning to driving.

[Klink10]

Street meaning daily driver? The Fiat. Another to modify? The FR-S.

[cali yaris]

Thanks everyone. I did mean daily driver. And I'm trying to think of it independently of also owning the Yaris, even though that's difficult.

13-0. Wow.

[Yaristeve]

You already have a hot hatch that is a labor of love... no need to buy another...
:drool:

FRS. RWD!

RWD FTW!!!!

Oh, BTW, I plan to buy an FRS next year (waiting for new car bugs (if any) to be sorted and "gee whiz" dealer markups to subside). I don't see any point to buying the Fiat since you (I) already have a Yaris.

[vten]

Or sell the Yaris to me and get the fr-s... Lol

I test drove the fiat , less impressed other than the exhaust note. I'm comparing to my supercharged Yaris off course .... Can't imagine compare to your white devil .

Saw the fr-s in person yesterday, took a couple pics ...but I'm too afraid to get into the car , even though the owner gave me his permission ..... I'm afraid I would go to the dealership to get a hold of one .

The owner said the handling is amazing ... It'll be a good dd for you , Garm.
And if you starting to itch , coming from the joining world of Subaru and Toyota, the mods would be abundant !!

Just my .02cent

[suckerface]

17-1...I think you have your answer.

And use it as a DD? Garm? I don't believe that for a second. I'm expecting 350+ whp on that thing within a year of your purchase. ;0)

[why?]

From what I've read everyone that has one is madly in love with the FR-S. Handling is almost too aggressive from what a lot of people are saying, especially with the Prius tires.

Plus there are constant rumors of factory boost coming.

[thebarber]

Factory f/I FTW.

[Shroomster]

From what I've read everyone that has one is madly in love with the FR-S. Handling is almost too aggressive from what a lot of people are saying, especially with the Prius tires.

Plus there are constant rumors of factory boost coming.

Prius tires?

@Garm:
if we were getting the unfiltered abarth ss, I'd say go with that for DD....but we are not.....

[why?]

Prius tires?

@Garm:
if we were getting the unfiltered abarth ss, I'd say go with that for DD....but we are not.....

The tires the FR-S comes with are very thin 17's that originally were on the Prius as a sport option.

While I don't think they are low traction eco tires, they are nowhere near as grippy as the top of the line tires most enthusiasts would choose.

[Shroomster]

Oh gotcha.

[thebarber]

Fr-s has 215-45-17....not exactly narrow for an OEM tire. Miatas only have 205 17's

[fnkngrv]

FR-S Limited Slip explained:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/21/scion-explains-the-fr-s-coupes-limited-slip-differential/

[toad]

The tires the FR-S comes with are very thin 17's that originally were on the Prius as a sport option.

While I don't think they are low traction eco tires, they are nowhere near as grippy as the top of the line tires most enthusiasts would choose.

i've read somewhere that they intentionally put those tires on so that the car can more easily get loose. i don't know - maybe that's true or maybe they just had a lot of prius tires laying around? either way i vote for the fr-s! :thumbup:

[eTiMaGo]

Or maybe they know that 95% of owners will put on some new wheels and rubber anyhow :D

[craigq]

Oil change on the FR-S will be dead simple compared to the Abarth :biggrin:

[cali yaris]

^ Well that does it right there! :laugh:

[craigq]

^ Well that does it right there! :laugh:

Glad I could be of help :thumbup: :laugh: Honestly though, there's nothing like difficult or moronic maintenance to make me hate a car (how difficult can it be to engineer the vehicle for simple maintenance :confused: )

I guess I would have to test drive both to see which one I prefer. Neither would work well for me, as having 2-doors and kids can get old quick :frown:

[TPA5]

Doth thou even need to ask?

FR-S. The Abarth is cool, but that FR-s is just so sexy.

[why?]

Fr-s has 215-45-17....not exactly narrow for an OEM tire. Miatas only have 205 17's

Depends what you compare it too. Stock wrx wheels are 235, genesis 225/245 f/r. I think 215 is a good size though, my Viggen had 215's. For the power they are a good choice. And they are cheaper since they are on other vehicles.
i've read somewhere that they intentionally put those tires on so that the car can more easily get loose. i don't know - maybe that's true or maybe they just had a lot of prius tires laying around? either way i vote for the fr-s! :thumbup:

They did. There is an article where the Toyota engineers explained it all. The wide tires of today are good for high horsepower cars, but the wider a vehicle the harder it is to make the car handle. Just look at how some of the autocrossers on here are doing against some really expensive cars.

[detroiter]

Being from the Detroit area, I see TONS of cars that are unreleased, testing, etc all of the time from all of the manufacturers. I have to say that I'd go FR-S on this one. There's a person who drives an Abarth at my work and it looks good in person but it just doesn't do it for me. And the power just doesn't make up for it.

The FR-S needs about a one inch drop AT LEAST and it would be unbelieveably clean and smooth looking. My only gripe is the stealership markup. I watched a recent dyno and the FR-S is only putting down about 150hp or so, which after powertrain loss, isn't too bad. I hear rave reviews from some local owners about how it stays flat like no other in the corners and it basically does what you want it to, very controllable almost like the Rx8 (but I don't think it's as forgiving and easy to drive as that car).

I'd do FR-S if you can get a reasonable price.

[tk-421]

Hot FR-S on Jalopnik today: http://jalopnik.com/5927164/sunset-on-a-scion-fr+s

[markitect]

I went with an FR-S. It handles great stock, and stays nice and flat. It is a little tail happy, but it is some amazing fun.

[toad]

^nice! VERY jealous right now.

[cali yaris]

^ Markitect, is that you with a helmet on?

[ChitownY@Ris]

For the sake of argument, I'd say get an FRS. But back to my opinion, the styling is extremely boring and conservative, and would never stand out to me in gridlock traffic. With a hideous front that resembles a Tiburon without makeup, and a rear that looks like an s2000, styling wise, it looks very been there seen that.
When I sat in one in the showroom, I was appalled at how cheap everything looked and felt. Was really surprised that I was sitting in a $30K car.
Obviously though after Garm is done modding it, it will be a far cry from stock, lol.

[markitect]

^ Markitect, is that you with a helmet on?

Yup, that is me going around Waterford Hills.

[auxmike]

Dare I say I like the Fiat better? The Fiat stands out looks wise and appears to have lots of goodies already installed from the factory. The FRS looks kinda like a Hyundai. Not a very exciting design. Also, living in the Northeast rear drive is pretty much a no go in winter. I'm sure the Fiat is probably not very reliable, and there's only one dealer in my county I'd be stuck using..... I'm thinking Fiat will last 2-3 years more max since they just don't seem seem to sell well at all as compared to the Minis...... Remember the Daewoo Lanos, Nubria, and Leganza??? Daihatsu Charade and Rocky? Or perhaps the Yugo GV? All gone!