BMW M3 E30 vs. Scion FR-S vs. VW Golf GTI in MT's Latest Head2Head Video

Fans of affordable sports cars have a new dilemma now that the Toyota FT-86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z trio has brought rear-wheel-drive into the equation. What’s better: a front-wheel-drive hot hatch like the VW Golf GTI or a rear-wheel-drive coupe like the ones offered by the Japanese carmakers?

To find the answer(s) to this question, two editors from MotorTrend and European Car took the Scion FR-S and the sixth-generation VW Golf GTI for a spin around the track. They also brought along a third car to the playground, the 1989 BMW M3 from the E30 generation, to serve as a benchmark.

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Topless Toyota FT-86 Shown With it Roof Up Via Patent Papers

The Toyota GT-86 is quite successful in its styling, and while some may criticize bits of it at a time, the consensus seems to be that it looks good. This poses a challenge for the engineers behind the car, when turning the coupe into the FT-86, which is the soft-top convertible version.

Keep in mind that aside from the roof having to be strong, durable, not leak and not take up much space in the trunk, it must also not upset the car's lines when it's deployed.

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Scion May Move More Upmarket, Abandon its Youth-Oriented Approach

The Scion brand, a Toyota creation for the North American market, has been struggling in recent years, with lackluster sales and an ageing model lineup. Now, in the face of front-wheel drive, premium cars from Europe, officials are mulling a rethink of the entire brand, which may move upmarket and fight vehicles like Mercedes' CLA, or the Audi A3.

It seems that there is also quite a bit of pressure involved, as Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America stated to Autonews: "Everybody is looking at what direction Scion should go [...] We have to take a real hard look at what the future of the industry looks like strategically, and where we want Scion to play."

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2014 Scion tC is More of the Same, With a Dash of Aggression Through FR-S-Style Fascia

Being the brand's top selling vehicle, the Scion tC is extremely important to get right. It is a moderately-successful car, from a manufacturer which reportedly received the FR-S so as not to force Toyota to kill off the brand completely.

Now, they have improved the car for 2014 and are showing it off at the 2013 New YorkInternational Auto Show, complete with its FR-S-inspired styling makeover, which gives it some much-needed character.

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Scion Celebrates 10th Birthday with Limited Edition Versions of Entire Range

Founded in 2002 by Toyota's North American division to appeal to Generation Y (born from the mid-1970s to the early-2000s) and young (or young-at-heart) consumers in general, Scion has reached its 10th birthday since it launched its first cars into the market, the boxy looking xA hatchback and xB wagon, in 2003.

As would be the case with any other company selling products, Scion is celebrating its first decade in life with the launch of a limited edition series. In particular, the Japanese carmaker announced at the New York Auto Show that it will release a limited-production version of each vehicle in its lineup called the "Scion 10 Series".

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This is the Facelifted 2014 Scion tC Coupe, Inspired by the FR-S

The first images of the thinly refreshed 2014 Scion tC have just surfaced online, only moments before the Japanese company's schedule press conference and presentation at the New York International Auto Show. Read more »

New 2014 Scion tC Coupe Confirmed for the New York Auto Show

At next week's 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Scion will stage the world premiere of the 2014 tC coupe, which was teased today through a flyer inviting us to attend the unveiling at the Jacob Javits Center or watch the conference on Thursday, March 28, live on the Japanese carmaker's website. Read more »

TF-Works Rolls Out New Scion FR-S Coupe Project

The aftermarket industry is having a blast with the RWD coupe duo from Toyota and Subaru, which is something we expected after the two Japanese carmakers softened up the appearance of their respective production models compared to the impressive looking concepts. Read more »

We Ask Toyota and Subaru about James May's Claim that Toyota Gets 90% of GT 86/FR-S/BRZ Production

After testing the Toyota GT 86 and declaring it an absolute blast and very easy to drift even when reading a book (!), then handing it over to The Stig for the customary lap, Jeremy Clarkson sat down with the other two Top Gear hosts and discussed the news.

This is usually the less exciting part of BBC’s show. A CarScoop reader, who goes by the nickname “Uglydawg69”, though, tipped us off that in that episode during the three lads’ bantering, James May said Toyota and Subaru have agreed that the former will sell 90 out of every 100 coupes the latter manufactures at its Ota plant located 50 miles northwest of Tokyo.

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BRZ/86/FR-S Coupes Miss on New Forester’s 250HP Turbo'd Boxer Because it Won’t Fit!

Ever since the production version of the FT-Concept(s) came out in the form of the Toyota 86/GT 86, Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S trio of practically identical rear-wheel drive coupes, everyone has been asking whether a more powerful version, most likely with forced induction, was on the cards.

It made sense as Subaru, which has actually designed the all-new 2.0-liter normally aspirated flat-four with Toyota adding its unique fuel injection system, has a long history of using turbocharged boxer engines in its models.

The company’s engine design department project team manager, Nobuo Kyotoku, was asked the exact same question by WardsAuto, which named the 2.0L FA (the motor’s designation) one of its 10 best engines of the year. The answer was “yes” and “no”…

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BMW and Toyota Deepen Collaboration, will Co-Develop a Mid-Size Sports Car

After last June’s MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), the Toyota Motor Corporation and the BMW Group announced today the signing of binding agreements for the joint development of new technologies and a new sports car.

BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer and Toyota President Akio Toyoda both expressed their satisfaction in signing the binding agreements and their shared belief that this partnership will be beneficial for their groups and help them to produce better vehicles.

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VCMC’s Turbocharged 350HP Scion FR-S Reviewed by Drive

Drive’s Tuned channel is back for the 2013 season and for its first web-episode, Matt Farah drove a Scion FR-S tuned by Canada’s VCMC and Shift Autosport for the U.S. northern neighbors’ Scion Tuner Challenge.

Everyone who has reviewed the FR-S/Toyota GT86 has so far agreed that, while it handles well, it is underpowered. A turbocharger that ups power to 350-horses, 320 of which allegedly make it to the rear wheels, fixes that issue while a lighter flywheel improves the engine’s willingness to rev.

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Gazoo Preparing Unique Looking Toyota 86 – Scion FR-S Concept with 325HP Twin-Charged Engine

The 2013 edition of the Tokyo Auto Salon is turning out to be quite the event with many surprise debuts being announced as we approach closer to the grand opening that takes place on the weekend before the Detroit motor show in mid-January.

Today we learn that Toyota's motorsports and tuning partner Gazoo Racing will host the world premiere of a unique looking Toyota 86 coupe (Japan's version of the North American Scion FR-S) named the GRMN Sports FR Concept Platinum.

From the few cropped pictures we were able to get our hands on, we can see that the study will feature a unique body with different front and rear ends over the stock 86/FR-S along with some interior upgrades including bucket seats.

If the concept's name rings a bell, that's because under the sheetmetal, it shares its performance upgrades with the GRMN Sports FR Concept revealed at the Goodwood Festival in the UK this summer.

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Wald International Gets More Dramatic with New Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S Tune

As one of the hottest commodities in the affordable rear-wheel drive sports coupe segment, it's only to be expected that most aftermarket brands will develop not one, but many styling kits for the Toyota 86 and its siblings, the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.

Earlier this year, Japanese tuner Wald International released its first take on the JDM Toyota 86 with an assortment of aero parts including a front half spoiler, side skirts, a duck tail-like boot lid spoiler, and two-tone alloy wheels.

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Abflug Adds Some Drama to Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S with New Supercharger Package

Here's one more tuning proposal for the Toyota 86 sports coupe, which is also known as the GT86 in Europe and Australia, and as the Scion FR-S in North America, that comes to us from the Land of the Rising Sun and Abflug.

The Japanese tuner's Spiral 86 performance and styling package will be formally introduced to the public at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon in mid-January, with sales to follow shortly thereafter.

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Mini-Me Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S Doesn't Make the Cut at D1GP Drift Event

If you're an avid fan of the art of drifting, you can't go wrong with Japan's D1 Grand Prix or D1GP professional drift series, unless, of course, you stumble upon the wrong car.

We can't say for sure if Gazoo Racing's mini-me Toyota 86 (JDM version of the Scion FR-S) was plagued by a technical problem or if there was nothing wrong and it simply played the role of the rodeo clown, but either way, we can't say we were impressed by its entrance on the track at a recent D1GP drift event in Odaiba, Japan.

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Aww, Isn't That Cute? Gazoo Builds a Real-Life Mini Version of the Toyota GT 86 / Scion FR-S

Anyone remember the craze over the comically-looking mini supercars created with the help of photoshop and various other image editing programs from a few years back?

After a gazillion different design concepts of any vehicle you can think of, the fad passed and we all moved on, or so we thought, as someone over at Toyota's racing and performance partner Gazoo recently had a moment of zen giving it another go.

Mind you, we're not talking about a digital rendering, but a real life, working model designed to look like the Toyota 86 (in case you forgot, it's marketed as the Toyota GT 86 in Europe and Scion FR-S in North America).

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Scion Announces Voluntary Recall for 2012 and 2013 iQ Minis to Fix Safety Sensor

The Toyota Group's pint size Scion iQ is the subject of a voluntary recall in the United States after the company discovered that the front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) weight sensor cables are prone to damage. Read more »

The Scion FR-S Tunes of the 2012 SEMA Show in Pictures

One model that is more than adequately represented at the 2012 edition of the SEMA show is the new Scion FR-S, which to be frank, was something we anticipated since the Japanese carmaker's sports coupe did not make in time to participate in last year's event in Las Vegas.

Simply put, describe the type of tuning program you are looking for the FR-S, and SEMA has it, from subtle to extreme and everything in between, be that for its looks or mechanical upgrades.

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Scion's SEMA Show-Bound FR-S Tuner Challenge Builds in the Flesh

Earlier this week, we told you about and showed you renderings of the three FR-S project cars that Scion plans to bring to the 2012 SEMA Show, which opens its doors on October and runs through November 2.

Now we have the details as well as real life pictures and even videos of the FR-S Tuner Challenge cars.

The FR-S concepts were created as part of a competition in which Scion gave three custom car builders the opportunity to put their talents to work while imposing a $15,000 budget and a three-month time-frame to complete the transformation.

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