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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Ashland Firewise hosts free yard debris dropoff Saturday Police Reports 10 things to know for Wednesday Education Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day From AHS to paradise: Ashland High alum Wolf runs successful snorkel tours in Maui Official hopeful whooping cough case at John Muir contained Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Environment Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Business Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Ride & Drive: 2015.5 Volvo V60 Cross Country From AHS to paradise: Ashland High alum Wolf runs successful snorkel tours in Maui Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Council wants changes to agreement with ODOT for I-5 welcome center Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable State News Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Death Notices Deborah Joan Note Norma Lee Nicholas Cheryl Ann Orr Cecil L. (Mike) Michael Shareable Sports Latest Stories Brent St. Germain: It’s risky to draft QBs early Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel Playing through the pain SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor Fantasy Sports: Injury bug still biting Toronto’s Reyes High school Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race Grizz softball team keeps rolling AHS girls edge Roseburg Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Southern Oregon University SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor SOU swept, but gets help in playoff race For Raiders, a homecoming Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Voices Latest Stories Our View: Raises raise eyebrows Letter at Length, April 22 Granlund cartoon: Minnesota ISIS Our View: Close gun-sale loophole City looking for ways to create a healthy Ashland for all ages Editorial Our View: Raises raise eyebrows Our View: Close gun-sale loophole Our View: Help fill empty bowls in Ashland Our View: Jackson County should say yes to Circle of Teran rehab request Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Letters Letter at Length, April 22 Letters to the Editor, April 20 Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 11 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Columns City looking for ways to create a healthy Ashland for all ages Chris Honoré: Faith-based rejection of vaccines Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Herb Rothschild Jr.: Spreading the risk of vaccination Matthew T. Mangino: Mass incarceration enters the national consciousness Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Poetry events and calls for submission Community blog: Go to the poetry reading at the library on Sunday Community blog: Poems for parenting A tale of two plays at OSF Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Theater Ticket Availability Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Do you go to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival shows? Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' Movie review: Based-on-fact ‘True Story’ asks, ‘Who’s fooling who?’ Movie review: Lots of monkey business in ‘Monkey Kingdom’ Russell Crowe discusses WWI and being a first-time director 'Cinderella' revisited is stunning, magical Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event Tammy Kelly: The South’s favorite side dish — slaw David Murdock: Toward a modern mythology Page H. Onorato: Did you really eat that? Lost in Suburbia: Ashes, ashes, we all fall down Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event ... Ticket Availability ... Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' ... Ashland gardeners help make Spring Garden Fair an iconic event ... Ticket Availability ... Free film fest celebrates OSF 'raconteur' ... Silvio Calabi: Scion FR-S is a budget sports coupe By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 @ 6:46 am By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 @ 6:46 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> TV commercials aside, Toyotas — even the new Camry — really aren’t exciting. Solid and reliable, sure, but we don’t covet Toyotas; we buy them by the millions because we need Toyotas to get through life. That’s precisely why Toyota rolled out the FR-S, as in Front-engine, Rear-drive Sport, a niche vehicle jointly hatched with Subaru: Let’s get some lust going here! Still, maybe to keep such a fringe item at arm’s length, Toyota sells the FR-S as a Scion, the brand it invented for Millennials who reject being middle-aged Toyota owners. To some, the low-slung FR-S, particularly in Firestorm Red, has just enough sex appeal to suggest “Italian exotic!” I know this is so because women curl their upper lips when they see me in it (At your age?) while younger eyes swivel to follow the car. But the FR-S is much more Miata than Ferrari, a sports car that relies on sharp handling, a shrink-wrapped cabin with tightly contoured bucket seats, and a motor that makes more noise than power. Under the hood of an FR-S is a Subaru “boxer” engine, its cylinders set horizontally, two on each side, instead of in a vee or upright. Such a low-slung, flat motor helps lower a car’s profile and also its center of mass, which improves the cornering. It’s tuned for 200 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque — which may not be all the power we want, but in a car that weighs only about 2,800 pounds, it’s sufficient. It won’t overwhelm young drivers, or scare away insurance companies either. Another benefit is fuel efficiency; we averaged 28 mpg of gas overall. Because now even some car writers can’t operate a clutch, our FR-S came with a six-speed automatic transmission. Say what you want about slushboxes in sports cars, this at least is a good one. It has three settings — snow, normal and sport — and can be shifted manually with the stick or with paddles on the steering wheel. As an automatic, it’s rarely off-balance; in Manual mode it clings to each gear until the driver calls for the next one, and a rev-matching blip of the throttle comes with every downshift. The quick, high-effort steering wants both hands on the wheel, so the shift paddles are useful. Just pretend it’s a sequential racing transmission — or get the six-speed manual gearbox and learn to use a clutch. Like the steering and brakes, the FR-S’s ride is firm. No, it’s hard; every ripple in the pavement comes through, but this is communication, not mere harshness. The payoff is sharp turn-in, lots of control through fast corners, and a pleasant feeling of knowing what’s going on underfoot. For 2015 Toyota stiffened the front suspension slightly and re-tuned the rear shock absorbers for even less body roll and more feedback. The FR-S sits low, but the driving position is excellent and the view ahead is Corvette-like, over a long, low hood that drops away between the fender bulges. The windshield pillars are relatively skinny (another benefit of light weight), so the quarter-view is good too, except to the rear. The interior is surprisingly spacious, deep and wide. There are back “seats,” complete with safety belts, but they’re mostly just padded package shelves. There is a real trunk, and if you fold down the rear seatbacks there’s enough cargo room for a short snowboard or two. Just like boring cars, modern sports coupes have to meet all sorts of safety standards, so the FR-S is stuffed with airbags and electronic nannies — ABS, VSC, TRAC, EBD, BA, SST. They’re there when we need them and unobtrusive otherwise, and if we wish to indulge in anti-social behavior, the stability control can be switched off. The FR-S is also up-to-date in other ways, with things like LED taillights, halogen reflector headlamps and the sort of hands-free connectivity features that Gen Y cannot live without. If you’d like to see how much more power the FR-S can handle without getting twisted out of shape, click on Jay Leno’s Garage to see (and hear) the Scion-approved Speedhunters “Maximum Attack” 300HP FR-S, with custom trim and beefed-up suspension. Impressive, especially for a Toyota, but of course much more expensive than a stock $26,000 FR-S. Likes - Sharp handling - Driver Feedback - Fine platform for performance upgrades Dislikes - Fiddly touchscreen - Exhaust sound less than tuneful Silvio Calabi reviews the latest from Detroit, Munich, Yokohama, Gothenburg, Crewe, Seoul and wherever else interesting cars are born. Silvio is a member of the International Motor Press Association whose automotive reviews date back to the Reagan administration. He is the former publisher of Speedway Illustrated magazine and an author. Contact him at [email protected]. By Silvio Calabi More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Silvio Calabi More Content Now Posted Apr. 20, 2015 @ 6:46 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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