THE 2017 SCION FRS AND SUBARU BRZ. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Every time I talk to a fan of the GT86 triplets, they always say that they wish the car had more power. The car has sublime handling and a rigid structure, meaning it can handle more power. But it seems Toyota doesn’t want to send us a hopped-up version. It seems now, though, that the 2017 version might come with a much-needed boost in power, along with some subtle design changes.

We all want forced induction for a higher-output Scion FRS and Subaru BRZ, whether it be from a supercharger or turbocharger, but that doesn’t seem likely for 2017. Autoevolution’s sources are claiming a power increase of just 5%, putting the SAE-rated horsepower somewhere round the 208 range. More is always better, but I’ve always believed the car would excel if it had around 250 horsepower.

New suspension components from Sachs should improve the sublime handling even more, but again, don’t expect major changes here. The current car is damn-near perfect and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. One thing to note on the suspension and handling part; there are no talks of changing the stock OE tires, so the car should maintain its stock slide-y nature.

Changes to the exterior are mild, with a new front bumper with a slightly redesigned set of headlights, and a new rear bumper. The rest of the sheet metal will remain mostly unchanged, at least based on the near-production-ready spy shots we’ve seen.

None of the car’s changes are going to be revolutionary, but in fact, evolutionary. For a car as good as the FRS and BRZ, that’s a good thing. Except I’m not sure if the changes are enough to drive exponentially more sales which brings us to the underlining conumdrum.

Both Toyota and Subaru have stated specifically that they won’t consider a hopped-up version of the car until sales of the current model increase. So the possiblity of a 2017 Subaru BRZ STi are slim to none. Sales are not currently growing on the car due to a lack of a higher-power version. If there ever was a more appropriate use of the rock and hard place metaphor, this is it.

Unlike the Miata which makes due with 155 horsepower (and feels great to drive, by the way), the GT86 just feels like it can handle so much more power. I’m not proposing something ridiculous, like in excess of the 300 horsepower, but the competition for small fun cars is getting really hot, and the GT86’s power pales in comparison to something like the 345 horsepower Focus RS.

I’ve always been a fan of the slow car fast routine, which is why cars like the FRS and BRZ appeal to me. You can wring the crap out of these things and still be going legal speeds. You can enjoy all of the car more of the time, and thanks to tuners you can get more power or performance if you want it.

But unlike the other slow car fast stalwarts, like the Fiesta ST or the Miata, the FRS/BRZ always feels like it’s missing a something-something when I drive one, and I believe that to be more power.

C’mon Toyota, give us a tiny turbocharger with about 250 horsepower and you’ll have the perfect car on sale.

I’ll reserve final judgment on the 2017 until I get to drive one. Expect them to go on sale sometime next year.