We're starting to get just a little excited about impending U.S. launch of the Toyobaru twins: the 2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Scion FR-S. We've taken more than a few longing looks at each of these cars since their announcement, Subaru's pre-order page is already up, and now (thanks to the EPA's fuel economy web site) we have an idea of what fuel economy you can expect, should you chose to make one of of these vehicles your daily driver.
The Subie and Scion feature identical 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer engines that make use of a novel combination port and direct-injection system that Toyota has dubbed D-4S. We already knew that the output would be 200-horsepower. Now we also know that both sports coupes will get 25 mpg when driven in the city and 34 mpg while freeway cruising with a combined estimate of 28 mpg. That's according the the EPA test cycle and provided you chose the six-speed automatic--which no self respecting sport compact driver would willingly do, right? Choose either model with the standard six-speed manual gearbox and you'll actually lose efficiency across the board, dropping to 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and a 25 mpg combined score.
While those estimates are not bad, they're not great, either. (The estimates for the six-speed manual are particularly disappointing for an enthusiast like me.) A quick comparison reveals that the BRZ and FR-S are consistently a few mpgs ahead of the likes of the Mazda Miata and Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T--the two vehicles in the "around $25,000" range that immediately spring to mind for comparison. However, more than a few of you are probably already poised over your keyboards, ready to point out that a 2013 Ford Mustang V-6 is only 2 combined mpg short of the Toyobarus' marks, but with much, much more power.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S had better be two pretty sweet rides, because they'll hit the market next month in the company of some pretty stiff competition.
[Source: FuelEconomy.gov pages for 2013 Scion FR-S and 2013 Subaru BRZ]