In this week’s episode of TFLcar’s video series TFL Leaderboard Hot or Not, Roman Mica and Paul Gerrard take two affordable rear-wheel-drive sports cars around the track and around town to see if they are hot, or not.
The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata has achieved icon status as a modern take on a classic British roadster. The latest version is one of the best yet, as it shed some weight and became an even better driver’s car.
The 2016 Scion FR-S is a newcomer to the sports car landscape – and thankfully will be renamed the Toyota 86, the name it’s known by in most countries besides the U.S. It’s an homage to the famed mid-80s Corolla AE86, sold as the Trueno and Sprinter in Japan and as the Corolla GT-S in the U.S.
Both cars go about their task in a similar way – low on weight, low on power, high on balance and without the aid of any forced induction.
The Miata is a roadster, unlike the FR-S, which is a coupe. The Miata is 400 lbs lighter than the FR-S, but also makes less power: 155 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque vs. the Scion’s 200 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. Interestingly, both cars’ engines displace 2.0 liters, but the Miata’s is an inline four while the Scion’s is a boxer developed in conjunction with Subaru.
As usual, Paul takes both cars around the track and Roman lives with them for a week, then they both decide if the cars are hot or not. The track test includes a 0-60 run and a hot lap around IMI Motorsports Park in Dacono, Colorado. As a twist, Paul will try to guess his lap time before getting the official time from Roman.
So are the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata and the 2016 Scion FR-S hot or not? Watch the full video above to find out.
