Nov 28th, 2011 by Ross Edwards
Toyota has officially revealed the Scion FR-S to Japanese media members and the rear-engine sports car looks very impressive. With gorgeous looks and a 200-hp engine, the Scion FR-S looks to be the true successor the legendary and still popular Toyota AE86 Corolla.
The Truth About Cars spoke with the 2012 Scion FR-S chief engineer Tetsuya Tada and he told them that when they were designing the FR-S (called the Toyota GT-86 in Japan) they looked very hard at Toyota’s miniscule superstar, the Corolla AE86 from the 1980s. When asked about the pricing, the chief engineer would not reveal any specific numbers.
“30 to 40 years ago, there was an AE86, and the price of this car was 1.5 million yen. At the time, that was the starting salary was for a university graduate. We kept that in mind when we priced the car. In the meantime, there has been a rise in prices, and the starting salaries rose also.”
TTAC points out that the starting salary for a university graduate in Japan is currently 2.5 million yen. With the Yen very strong against the US Dollar right now, that would put the price at $32,000. Here’s to hoping that Toyota finds a way to get that price a lot lower for the U.S. market, because at those prices, the 200-hp four-cylinder in the FR-S is definitely overpowered by the American sports cars it will be competing with.
One of the reasons the AE86 was so popular in the 1980s was that it outran the competition at the time thanks to its light weight. The Scion FR-S will weigh just 2,667 lbs, which is less than just about every other sports car out there, but not light enough for a 200-hp car to contend in a race between the lights with most of the sports cars available today. Toyota says that the 2012 Scion FR-S will go 0-62 mph in six seconds. The 2011 Ford Mustang V6, which starts just over $22,000 does 0-60 in 5.1 seconds.
Protect your vehicle with an extended warranty! Get a fast free quote on affordable extended warranties for used and new cars here! 
Don't forget to factor insurance costs into your research. Get accurate insurance rate information on any vehicle and shop for the best deal.
Get real price quotes from local dealerships. Don't buy a car without checking the price first! Pit dealers against each other to get the best deal possible!
{/literal}