#TBT (Throwback Thursday for those who don’t know)

1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454. One of my favorite classic muscle cars.

Photo: zeroto60times.com

Ford Escape…the poor man’s Range Rover Evoque?

Is it just me or does the Ford Escape look similar to the Range Rover Evoque? Maybe it’s just me.

Who wore it better…Car edition

Whenever my father and I watch TV and a car commercial comes on, my dad always says “All cars look the same nowadays.” And, in a way, it’s true. A lot of cars today have the same basic shape and similar paint colors. That’s what happens when one company owns many car manufacturers. But there are also cars that are almost identical. So what makes them unique? What will make me want to buy car A over car B?

The Scion FRS, Subaru BRZ and the Toyota 86 are all identical cars. On the outside they look the same, with only noticeable difference between them being the front bumper (even then the 86 and FRS have the same bumper). Interior wise they are not very different. Through various upgrade packages, you can make the interiors all look the same. So they must all be the same, right? Not exactly. Let’s start off with why this cars are identical, I’ll keep it short. Back in 2009, Toyota and Subaru announced their partnership to build a new modern sports coupe. Out of that came the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86. Scion is owned by Toyota, and is aimed at customers in the US, primarily younger customers. In an effort to spice up Scion’s car lineup, the FRS was introduced for the US market only. The BRZ is available in the US, Japanese, and European markets. The 86 is only available in Europe and Japan. The engines were done by Subaru, hence the use of the boxer engine (common with other Subaru vehicles). The design of the car was done by Toyota.

The difference between these cars does not come from design or even engine power. Both cars produce the same amount of power under the hood. So the difference comes from the handling. Experts say that the Subaru BRZ has more understeer, meaning that the car does not turn as sharply. The Scion FRS on the other hand, has more oversteer, meaning that car turns sharper and the back wheels tend to slide out when going through a turn at high speeds. Of course to actually feel the difference you must be traveling at high speeds. In the US, the BRZ starts at $25,695. For the FRS version, the car starts $ 25,670. So the difference is minor, although with variable extras, the price can change. It is more common to see the Scion FRS over the Subaru BRZ, at least here in the US. But honestly, both versions are good. Plus, in the end, does it really matter which version you get? Because you will look cool in both of them.

Photo Credit:

Left Photo: stillen.com

Right Photo: motortrend.com

Bottom Photo: motortrend.com