OK, so my last car was a Porsche Cayman S, so when it comes to luxury, power and handling I'm spoiled. Initially I couldn't help but be disappointed with a lack of power, but then I was coming out of a 3000 lb 300 hp near-supercar with 250 ft/lbs of torque.
That said, this car is a joy to drive. The handling is pretty sublime, even on the rather unimpressive stock tires. I've learned that unlike a Porsche, it isn't a car that was built to effortlessly soar past 100mph and to handle triple digit speeds without a sweat. On the other hand, I've also come to the conclusion that in real life, on the road, that isn't what me or other folks ought to be doing anyway.
The lesser torque combined with a limited slip (or torsen to be more specific) rear end means this car doesn't spin its tires easily, only tearing up the tires when goosing the gas hard in a low gear with the revs up while pulling hard in corners (Which is a blast by the way!). Combined with the fact that tires are about $400-600 a set, versus that much for a tire, and my tire budget is experiencing a comforting reduction. Gas milage of 23.5 mph overall compares with under 16mph for each of my last three cars, so its pretty easy on the wallet there as well.
As far as reliability and cost of repairs, I am hopeful and optimistic. With a newly engineered engine that has no long term durability records to look at, its a bit of a crapshoot, but Suburu has a reputation for building engines that hold up pretty well.
As a sportscar lover and previous owner of three Porsches, I can say that the FR-S is a great car for daily driving, that doesn't break the bank on consumables or gas. If you want a car with handling in the ballpark of exotics that isn't going to drain your wallet of thousands of dollars a year in tires, brakes and excessive fuel consumption, this is the car to choose, in my opinion.
