The Dream isn't Dead.

Today was a pretty special day for me. I had a slot for 1:00 pm to test drive the new Scion FR-S (sister of the BRZ and internationally known as the Toyota 86/Toyota GT86) at Mayfield Toyota in Edmonton.

The car would only be available for 5 hours for demo's and test drives and all of them were pre-booked. It's the first time anyone in the city will have seen the car in flesh. The Edmonton Autoshow had a BRZ on display, but was on a pedestal and locked out.

The one they provided was perfect. It was in Whiteout (Satin White Pearl in Japan for the 86) and a 6 speed transmission. If I were to buy one, that would be the one.

For ages, it seemed the dream was dead. That no manufacturer could make a light weight, rear wheel, small displacement vehicle that would put a smile on your face around every corner, through every bend and in every straight. I grew up admiring all these legendary vehicles, but sadly I was born a decade too late and when I was of age to purchase these cars, many of them had already become clunkers. Since then, most automotive manufacturers have shifted gears and started producing cars with more convenience, better fuel economy and in the end, everyday, liveable, boring cars. But not any more. This car symbolizes the beginning. Although this car is an end product, it's just the beginning of the re imagining of this dream. This car is proof, that the dream isn't dead. It's still out there and after the successful launch of this vehicle, hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit. They will realize what they have been missing all these years and come to their senses.

I met up with my dealership friend and we were waiting for the car to arrive. Looking through the glass of the dealership I saw it come by into the lot. It's remarkable. The pictures show the car having quite a bit of wheel gap and sitting pretty high, especially when its tossing around in corners and accelerating. However, seeing it in the flesh the car sits extremely low, looks extremely wide and I'm thoroughly impressed with the road presence it provided. The curves and angles of the car are indescribable. It looks like nothing in a Sub 30k price range. It's honestly one of the prettiest cars I have witnessed and in my opinion looks much more agile, graceful than any car up to a 50k range. STi's, Evo's, Genesis, RX-8, 370z. The FR-S of course cannot be compared to these cars in terms of performance, but for looks, I feel the FR-S takes the cake.

I was up next and the rules were that you only got 15 minutes with the vehicle.

After I got behind the wheel and starting my route, it's indescribable. The car sit's so low and you feel so connected to the road. The pavement feels like it's flying by right under your ass by inches. The steering is ultra responsive and there was no lack in power. The torque band felt super flat and we constantly kept speeding up.

My friend took the car out after and with Him, the extra tall sales person and myself, the car still went up to 160-170km/hr without any hesitation. It felt like the tip of the iceberg at those speeds.

After getting out of the car, I knew that was the vehicle I'd eventually purchase. It could be in days, weeks, months, half a year or a whole year. But this would be the car I would eventually purchase. No other company had anything remotely close in the works.

If I'm getting it eventually, I might as well get it now, right? I put a deposit down and now we play the waiting game.