If you want an Audi A5, S5, or RS5 coupe, you might want to hurry up, because these two-door models aren’t returning to America for 2025. Nor are the cabriolet variants, leaving the Sportback five-door liftback the only body style on sale next year. Another automaker has exited the coupe game entirely, and that ought to make us all sad for two reasons — Audi has a history of brilliant coupes, and the slow death of the coupe bodystyle says something about the light in our collective eyes.
With a choice of turbocharged four-cylinder or twin-turbocharged V6 power, the A5, S5, and RS5 coupes are somewhat left-field alternatives to the BMW 4 Series and M4. Sure, they might not have the sharpness of the BMW’s chassis, but they’re conservatively handsome, feel like they’re made of lovely stuff, and feature the traction of all-wheel-drive as standard. That last point is an Audi hallmark, and the car that made it legendary was an absolutely legendary coupe.
Going back to the 1980s, the one Audi that really put everyone on notice was the Coupe Quattro. This rally-bred four-wheel-drive coupe with locking differentials was unlike anything else on the market when it came out, and it changed performance cars forever. Sure, other manufacturers from AMC to Jensen had experimented with all-wheel-drive passenger cars before, but none with the same competition success and ferocious performance as Audi.
Fast forward to 1995, and Audi put the world on notice with another coupe, this time a concept car. Unveiled at that year’s Frankfurt show, the TT concept was an achingly pretty little two-door liftback, and it caused enough of a sensation to enter production in 1998. While a few incidents involving dodgy high-speed handling put a spot on the record of early cars, the public and the press both went bananas for this sporty little thing. This was David Tracy’s childhood dream car, a testament to how captivating the form of the TT was and still is.
In the 2000s, Audi did it again — twice. See, Audi stopped offering a compact executive coupe in 1996, but it returned in roaring fashion with the A5 and S5, two absolutely gorgeous BMW 3 Series competitors that are still pretty cars today. The S5 even featured a thumping-great V8, enough to cement immediate desirability and get namedropped by the likes of ScHoolboy Q and Freddie Gibbs. For decades after the 60 Minutes debacle, Audi had been a third-choice behind BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but with the first S5, the transformation to a pop culture force was complete. However, it wasn’t even the most jaw-dropping Audi coupe of its time.
Yep, that would be the R8. Mix one part Lamborghini, one part RS4, and one part pure styling genius, and you get one of the most iconic entry-level supercars of all time. No matter that it initially used a V8 compared to the V10 in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8 was dressed to kill, priced within a stone’s throw of a nice Porsche 911, and drew a line in the sand. It rewrote paradigms, earned supporting roles in everything from “Iron Man” to “17 Again,” and snatched up just about every award not already claimed by the Nissan GT-R. The R8 wasn’t just a great car, it was an inspiration. A true halo for Audi.
Sadly, good things all come to an end. The final TT rolled off the line in 2023, while the last R8 exited production earlier this year. With the A5, S5, and RS5 coupes disappearing from Audi showrooms, pretty soon the brand won’t offer a coupe at all. It isn’t the only one thinning the herd. Mercedes-Benz has discontinued the C-Class, E-Class, and S-Class coupes, the Chevrolet Camaro is dead, and a whole roster of coupes both aspirational and affordable have disappeared from showrooms over the past few decades.
In the ’60s, ’70s, and even the early ’80s, coupes weren’t just everywhere, they were some of the most popular vehicles in North America. The original Mustang broke sales records, the Personal Luxury Coupe was an entire segment of car, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was at one point the most popular car in America and a ton of them were coupes. Even in the 2000s, coupes were still relatively common. Your NASCAR mum or dad might’ve driven a Monte Carlo, sporty parents drove Mustangs and 3 Series coupes, smart empty-nesters rolled around in Toyota Solaras, and college graduates splurged on Honda Civic Coupes, Acura RSXs, and Toyota Celicas. Driving a coupe said you’re willing to sacrifice a little practicality to have fun. Why? Because fun is fun to have.
Fast forward to 2024, and most of those cars I just mentioned are dead. Sales numbers dwindled as consumer tastes changed, with a simulacrum of a coupe emerging as the predominant replacement — the “coupe SUV,” as it’s often called. While still a compromise in practicality over a crossover utility vehicle, these things aren’t really coupes, yet Audi currently offers two of them, and that says something about the state of the collective psyche.
See, the coupe SUV is the minimum possible concession to the pressures of reality. Cars are seen less and less as things of joy and escape, and more and more as catch-alls for our always-busy, always-connected, no-downtime lives. We’re worried, we’re tired, we’re all hanging on a “what-if?” in the backs of our minds, and our buying power isn’t what it used to be. What if we need to move something bulky? Renting a U-Haul takes time and money, two things many of us are stretched short on. Getting our offspring buckled into the back of a two-door car? We often just don’t have the energy for that. Work doesn’t end at 5:00 p.m. anymore.
This latest coupe discontinuation is sad, but it isn’t our fault. We’re often doing the best we can, it’s just that the best we can do often no longer includes room for the impracticality of two-door cars. It’s not just that the world is changing, it’s that we as a collective are merely trying our best to keep up. Maybe someday, two-door coupes can thrive again. Until then, if you already own a coupe, hang onto it. Keep a little bit of two-door fun in your life if you can.
(Photo credits: Audi)
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In a world of (mostly) free shipping, count me among those who’ll call bullshit on ‘being able to carry bulky items and two kids’ as a valid reason to eschew smaller cars.
The reality that I see is that automotive companies are more accurately marketing companies that happen to sell personal conveyances, and they’ve successfully convinced a large swath of the buying public that they need ‘tough, brawny and capable’ vehicles to accomplish the same banal tasks that people from decades ago did with cars, merely because said companies have bigger margins in bigger vehicles.
Looking at it in another way, why in the hell is my sister’s Explorer ST $11K more expensive than my Mustang GT? Perhaps I’m a simpleton, but that seems really off in my head.
I agree 100% – these car companies know exactly what they’re doing: that junk BMW pulled with Seat-Warmers-as-a-service? GTFO! And no coupes b/c life and children? We aren’t all breeders. C’mon now.
However, I must admit you might be the simpleton: how much larger is that Exploder vs the ‘Stang? Is all that material free? Not to mention, now that we’ve been coerced into feeling like we need these Land Yachts, they can rake us across the coals.
True, more materials = higher cost, but…$11K more? In light of the fact that Ford sold almost 187,000 Explorers last year (according to Ford Authority) and less than 60,000 Mustangs, I find that extremely hard to believe.
Raked over the coals, indeed.
So true! When I graduated school, I did travel therapy, where every 3 months I moved somewhere new. You know what I toted ALL my belongings in? A Boss 302! People vastly overestimate how much space they need.
I think attributing the end of the coupe to some form of reason or practicality (i.e. (hard to put kids in the back) is being too generous to the average car buyer being reasonable.
People have been convinced by advertising of Safe (4WD!!!!), Tough, Big, Independent, screw-your-neighbor-and-nature trucks and suvs, and this has become the desired style of vehicle and a necessary fashion accessory for both men and women to feel like they fit into their social class.
Maybe at some point this will change. It might be gas prices, or it might be the fact that “it’s your mom’s car and it’s just not cool” … just a few more years, right?? ????
I think it’s related to the spending power of the middle class being reduced/gutted. So nobody has money. The reason crossovers and SUVs still sell well is because a lot of young families, well, the mom is in charge of financial decisions, and they just NEED to have a new vehicle to keep their kids SAFE.
Nevermind a used volvo is safer than their new car, but whatever, they NEEDED it guys. So they finance it and over leverage themselves and justify it based on safety.
Meanwhile, if you’re an actual car enthusiast, why even buy a new car? There are so many cool/fun cars on the used market, and most of them offer superior experiences to new cars anyway due to less mass/greater visibility.
Because even boring used cars are now expensive. I could blame it on the traditional nostalgia curve, but I think it’s something else, I think even non traditional car people are realizing how much new cars suck (and are getting worse) and want to have something simple to operate and repair that isn’t an iphone on wheels to cruise around in when they’re not stuck in commuter traffic. The only non-basketcase used cars that seem to be sort of a decent price are crap nobody would ever consider to be fun to drive, like Corollas and that ilk.
Car enthusiast does not equal car mechanic
A few years ago, I simultaneously owned three coupes and a Grom. 17 Mustang GT and two E36s, one of them a vert, the other a drift car. It was a fun, but wildly impractical combination of vehicles.
We are entering The Second Malaise Era.
Damn, you just may be right. Oh well, don’t want and can’t afford anything new and performance oriented. I don’t think I’ll ever buy anything newer than my 17 Mustang. I just want space to have like 8 of my username lol.
I think we’re in the same doom-loop that broke up the Soviet Union.
“For the investors” is interchangeable with appeals to “For the proletariat,” a convenient faceless mass (which all of us are a part of by default, promoting self-censorship) the top-heavy managerial cartel, public and private, references when finding new ways to steal some more value from the nation and the people and amass more power for themselves.
Not much difference from where I’m standing.
I had the opportunity to get the Coupe and I got the Sportback for my S5. It’s just so much more practical. If the Coupe had the hatch, it would have been a much harder choice.
If the coupe had a hatch, it’d be a shooting brake. ????
The loss of the convertible is a way bigger deal than the loss of the coupe. My partner has one (her second, a B9 S5 following a B8 A5), and the choices are dwindling. I don’t get it, convertibles are dope, I wish people would buy them.
“Cars are seen less and less as things of joy and escape, and more and more as catch-alls for our always-busy, always-connected, no-downtime lives.”
I’m going to go a step further. Based on anecdotal observation, cars have become storage lockers. People need all this space to hold on to crap they can’t decide to get rid of. The number of times I see SUVs loaded with crap and I ask about where it’s being taken and the answer is “oh, nowhere. I’m just carting it around I guess”. We live in a population of hoarders and ‘I might need it’ someday. Probably related to the same psychological condition of preppers.
I have several neighbors who do this. Granted, we live in 1100 square foot condos, but seriously?
I know they’re not terribly well-loved, but I had a 2003 Acura RSX, (type s) and loved it. 2 door with a liftback, it was reasonably light and fast, handled great, and with the liftback, could fit a ton of stuff, or easily a bicycle. I put 289K miles on it, absolutely fantastic. I think if my BRZ had a similar rear hatch, it would be damn near the prefect car.
One of the really odd things here is the complete death of the Convertible. Even living in Minneapolis we have two convertibles and a CUV in the house, one is an A5 and my wife loves it.
The death of the coupe except for sports cars and grand tourers is a loss for everyday drivers in some way. It may be as inevitable as the death of the manual right now but I’m sad about it all the same.
Tbh, I’m not too worried about this. Although I do wish Audi would bring the RS3 sport back to the states. My B6 S4 Avant was practical and fun to drive with a 6spd manual but the mpgs were not on my side. I’m a bit annoyed to see this cross over trend, it is nothing more than a hatchback with a lift. Stupid gimmick but hey if it sells who cares, right? SUV/CUV everything for the DINK’s! ???? Now I gotta deal with these automakers making everything EV, more rubbish. ???????????? ????
BRZ is my Dad car currently, but realistically is only possible since we only have the one kid.
I’d personally rather have a 2 Series, but it’s still sad. Audi is drifting further and further away from their roots and I think it’s one of the reasons why they aren’t selling. Audi used to mean something. Now all the name conjures up for me mentally is a sea of indistinguishable white over beige crossovers…
It’s no different for any other automaker, sadly. BMW is not BMW anymore, Benz’s are no longer built like tanks, Ford doesn’t even make cars anymore. Don’t even get me started on Subaru, Mitsubishi and Nissan. Some of this is just poor management, but I think most of it is them being backed into a corner by consumer demand. Automakers have to walk a very fine line and try to figure out what’s going to sell, and with the current EV situation and demand not being what everyone thought it would be resources are pretty thin. If people are not buying A5 coupes but are buying A5/Q5 sportbacks, it only makes sense to drop the one that isn’t selling and invest in the one that is.
I actually don’t know that I agree with the BMW is not BMW anymore take…although I’m a card carrying BMW enjoyer and guy own two Audis, so we may not see eye to eye.
I think that BMW’s current flagship products (XM, G70 7 series, iX) are an embarrassing disgrace, and they’ve certainly made some puzzling design choices…but then again, BMW has always made weird design decisions so I’m not sure why people are surprised, although some of the recent ones are indeed pretty egregious.
But at the end of the day there are still products that stay true to what always made BMW great. The 3 series is as good as it’s ever been and remains a lively rear wheel drive sedan. I think in M340i guise it’s class leading and, of course, still has that straight 6 goodness.
The 2 series coupes are still rear wheel drive based and offer multiple 6 cylinder engines. While manuals aren’t that important to me personally, they are to a lot of enthusiasts, and the M2, M3, and M4 all still have them as their default transmissions. They’ve now got a manual Z4 M40i, which I might argue is one of the purest expressions of BMW-ness in the last 10 or so years.
The X5 is as good as ever. I could keep going. Do I think BMW is the top down enthusiast company it once was? Absolutely not, and their pandering to the conspicuous consumption crowd really annoys me. Their highest end offerings are laughably overwrought…and the days of being able to get a base 3 series with a straight 6 and manual are gone.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some great enthusiast offerings on their lots, because there definitely are. I think rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. I also think a lot of folks get hung up on their dumber decisions and sometimes miss the fine print.
I think a lot of people gloss over the fact that Audi still makes some great cars. They’re still cranking out 5 cylinder batshit insane RS3’s and twin turbo V8’s in cars that maybe don’t win on paper, but are easier to live with day to day. After living with two I’m willing to give up winning hypothetical races and concede my car doesn’t have the class best Ring time for something that’s still a hoot and very comfortable. I’m just not sure what’s not to like about cars such as the RS3, (R)SQ7/8, RS6, S8. Hell even the S3 is a 320hp AWD pocket rocket. The Q7 4M platform is very aged and still very competitive, which tells you what a class leader it was when it came out. The only real miss right now is the B9 platform because it’s so old, but it’s getting replaced next year. And the best part is these drivetrains are tried and true. The kinks have been worked out and they’re solid (caveat: alternators on the mild hybrids, but that’s a supplier issue). The designs aren’t overwrought, they’re cleanly styled and handsome mostly without gimmicks.
You’re not wrong, but my family and I have had such wretched luck with VAG products that I’m not really in a rush to give them another go anytime soon
Understandable. After all, they are just brands and for the most part all sell the same recipe. I defend Audi a lot because I love mine, but I have no brand loyalty. I’ll go buy whatever car I like regardless of the badge. At this moment in time it just happens to be VAG products. When the time comes I could definitely see us replacing my wife’s Q7 with a Genesis.
And, you know…that’s your experience. You’ve had a really good one and it’s okay to talk about it. Your personal experiences have been great, mine have been a nightmare. I’m also critiquing from a place of love because I grew up around Audis and want them to find their way again.
This is not consumer demand. The consumer can only choose from what the Manu. sticks in our faces. Consider subaru impreza v. subaru crosstrek: there will be a squintillion crosstreks on a lot in every color under the sun, and maybe 3 imprezas. We’re clearly being ushered to choose one over the other.
The a5 and q5 were both on sale in 2023 and audi sold 17k A/S5 and 55k Q5. They’re the same car but one is an SUV and Americans bought 3x as many Q5 as A5. How is this not consumer demand. I bet of those A5’s only a few thousand were coupes.
Hey now! Audis are a diverse group of colors. Some of them are even white over black! And they have plenty of shades grey with fancy names like “Lunar Magnesium” and “Cryptonized Graphite” you can choose from as well. Rumor has it, you can even order them in dark blue…
They are not beige. They are gray. Everything is gray now and it’ sad.
The last gen A5/S5/RS5 was a real home run for styling, IMO. I wanted one bad, but just cannot get myself to sign up for the VW/Audi ownership experience.
The current one is not as attractive. Even worse with that blackout package in these photos.
3 years into A6 ownership, and even with an APR tune, it’s been the most reliable and problem-free car I’ve ever owned.
It’s not the Piech era anymore. I have two and they’ve both been incredibly reliable. My 18 S5 (IE tuned) needed an oil filter housing gasket in the 3 years I’ve owned it, and the 17 Q7 (APR tuned) has needed a Kessy antenna in the two years we’ve had it. Combined that’s about $75 in non-routine maintenance because I did the work. If you look at the Carfax for both of them prior to my ownership, they only ever had routine maintenance at the dealer. For 7 and 8 years old, that’s a great track record.
This does make me sad. The RS5 with the V8 was always top of mind when I started looking for fun cars as a daily driver, but worries of reliability always got in the way. Then my neighbour bought an S5… so I have a daily reminder of how amazing that car is to add to the dissonance pile I keep for the cars not purchased.
How did humans become so boring and compromise adverse? I can remember 20 some years ago when people talked about SUVs as a thing that “I can see in traffic much better.” But somehow that’s graduated to the need to get the thing that does it all… even though “all” is only experienced two weekends a year.
I’ve never understood the reverence for the original TT. It always looked dumpy to me, not sporty. And I never really warmed to the R8, performance cred notwithstanding. I don’t know what it is but it strikes me oddly.
I think the original TT is a very pretty car but it lost its luster to me when I learned it’s just a Golf underneath. If I’m going to spend the money on a luxury coupe/roadster it’s going to be RWD…not an up badged GTI.
I just want the baseball glove seats.
ABC ya! I’m Audi 5000!
Along the lines of Thomas’ philosophical musing, I think part of the death of the coupe is that interest in driving as an activity is dropping, mostly due to more activities from which to choose.
There were several really insightful comments in the Rant at the Autopain, er “Autopian Asks” the other day on what got you into cars that spoke of the freedom and the thrill that came from exercising it through driving. Back in the day, driving somewhere was an activity it itself for a lot of people; the phrase “go for a drive” was a lot more common than it is now.
And coupes, to varying degrees, were about focusing on that activity to the minimization or exclusion of others (like transporting people or things).
But now, with a virtual world at our fingertips all of the time that offers many other activities – a lot of them easier to do – it’s perhaps no wonder that outside of our community here, that helps translate into less and less overall interest in coupes.
For most people, vehicles are now about transportation, not driving. Sad, but I’m glad to at least have all of you!
My 18 year old daughter and her friends go for drives all the time, started as a way to get out of the house during COVID (with me driving) and has continued for her every day. I have some hope that this will continue, even if not too commonly.
If coupes are supposed to be purely “fun” cars, I’m not sure I see much of a point without a stick shift for the “fun” part. I’m not convinced an automatic, fast sport coupe would be more fun (especially on public roads) than the manual Skoda Fabia I flogged the crap out of years ago over many, many passes on a Dolomites trip.
The B8.5 and B9 coupes are so damn good looking. Easily better looking than the sportbacks, but I still went for the sportback for my S5. Having four doors and a crazy usable cargo area is just too tempting. The amount of stuff I can fit in my car is amazing. If I was single, sure, I’d get the coupe. But with two dogs, two kids, a house and hobbies, my “dad car” can go to Costco and Lowe’s, while also running 11’s and provide AWD surefootedness in any weather. The B9’s (2018+) are a crazy deal right now as used car prices drop. The interior is flat out gorgeous without massive screens, touch controls or gimmicks, they’re not as hard edged as a BMW so much more comfortable to daily, and the screen is mainly only car settings and media. Everything else is a button or a knob. So while I’m sad we’re losing a body style to fat “coupe” crossovers, the liftback body style really is superior and gives up nothing for all of its benefits aside from being slightly not as good looking as a coupe.
I’ve always felt the B8/8.5 A5 was peak Audi design. I wanted one badly but I’m too tall for it. The B9 cabrio sort of works for me due to no roof, however I went B9 A4 allroad which in my mind looks better than the B9 A5 Sportback for the most part, but then again I’m a hapless wagon fanatic and needed the headroom too (can’t fit in the B9 sportback either).
The someroad is very tempting. I love them. And yeah the B8 is great looking but they really polished it up for the B8.5 and I too think it’s peak Audi. That car will never go out of style.
Don’t worry, the R8 is coming back as an EV crossover.
Maybe it can even get it’s own sub-brand!
Mercedes still has the CLE, which replaces the C and E-Class coupes. But yeah, just having two doors on a car is too much of an indulgence these days when many people cannot afford to even have one normal car.
People having fewer kids than ever but also buying fewer coupes and convertibles than ever is one of those trends that I wouldn’t have predicted.
Why do so many DINK couples need to *both* drive compact luxury CUVs?
Because of the need to ‘do everything’. DINKs also have lifestyles that require fairly practical boot/interior space. Like cycling or surfing or whatever is trendy these days.
You would still only need one CUV in the family to be able to do that. Are they both going cycling or surfing (they are not) separately?
Yes, separately. I know many DINKs tend to have their own weekend lives away from each other.
Truthfully, you don’t even need a CUV to go catch waves. I have a friend who used to transport his gear in a Caterham!
Pretty easy to throw a bike/surfboard/lemon tree/parent/luggage in the back seat of a convertible…
Ask me how I know.
Dodge is bringing back the 2 door Charger. I wonder how many they will sell in 2 door format.
We have a kid now, but back when we were in the DINK category, we had small Audi/BMW wagons, so not too different from your CUVs. I thought about getting something like a BMW 1M as a fun car, but had near zero use case for it. I wouldn’t take it skiing/hiking/climbing, camping up dirt roads, etc. I also wouldn’t even want to use it to commute, considering how much road debris and such I encountered on a regular basis. Given the state of public roads and limited time with other activities, I probably would have had to go out of my way 1-2 times a month to even drive the thing, so really wasn’t worth it. A coworker who still has a pristine E46 M3 hardly ever drove/drives the thing, and is mostly afraid to take it out of the garage and risk damaging it.
Maybe if a used pickup truck was more affordable, I could justify having a daily with less utility.
We’re DINK’s, with a dog. We have a 4runner to transport them, do outdoorsy stuff, etc.
Then a MachE my wife commutes in.
When I need to get my next car, we will likely be dogless, and I will go back to a sporty coupe.
Dogs. Don’t need all the space, but a hatchback is helpful.
There aren’t many hatchback choices outside of the SUV offerings.
Sure, but do you need two CUVs was the question.
I have a dog too, but only own one vehicle he’s able to travel in.
No. But I don’t determine what’s available from manufacturers.
I do need AWD (not necessarily for two, but at least for one). I would very much like a manual transmission. Options for anything remotely practical with a hatch are the GR Corolla or VW R. Both are too hardcore for daily commuting (at our age, at least).
Going front wheel drive brings Mazda 3 into the conversation. Maybe the GTI if it’s still manual.
I would hate buy a WRX Hatch / wagon if they made one.
“For decades, Audi had been a third-choice behind BMW and Audi”
I… um… what?
Great. Now my comment makes NO sense.
I was just thinking about this the other day. Considering they seem to have given every sports sedan the profile of a coupe it seems kinda pointless to have coupes.
I think the big appeal of coupes is that it has two doors only. It screams “I bought this car purely for my own enjoyment, not for anyone else”. A sort of flex, if you will.
Absolutely. It also speaks to a purity of pursuit, ironically refusing to compromise by actually compromising (on space, vision, etc.)
Which is why I still hate 2+2’s as a concept.
I like 2+2’s. It makes it a lot easier to live with than a 2-seater. In a pinch there’s room for a dog or a person without legs or groceries. I used to put my luggage in the back seat of my FR-S because it was easier to fit than in the trunk with its weird opening.
I mean, you make a good point, but at the same time you use the “in a pinch” qualifier, to my mind indicating it’s not as good at those things as a 4-door. And of course, “a person without legs” also is how I usually think of those back rows too…
I can forgive the few vehicles that have a rear “shelf” row, but if they’re actual seats with seat belts and the like…they’re just worse at having utility than a 4-door.
Plus, I assume if there’s a rear shelf row, you get the side benefit of being able to recline if you need a nap…
I respect your opinion, but to me if I’m looking at a “sporty” car, I want one that’s unapologetic about it with 2 seats only, like a Corvette or Miata. With just the minor exception of having utility space but not passenger space.
I owned a Miata and an FR-S at the same time. I have used both to carry things that most people would not. The FR-S was a lot better at Costco runs. Moving bulk packs of toilet paper or paper towels in the Miata means separating the packs which looks weird in the parking lot and is more of a hassle to unload at home.
The one thing I could never haul in the Miata was a third human.
The benefit of the rear seats over a cargo shelf (besides using them as seats) is noise reduction. The car was noticeably louder inside with the rear seatback folded down. I’m not sure a simple trim panel would reduce the noise as much.
I really liked the cockpit of the FR-S. I feel like it would have lost something for me with more open space and windows behind. The +2 seats really didn’t compromise that too much, and still allowed for a low roof line.
I like not having a B pillar almost alongside my ear. Didn’t have a coupe for over 20 years and now that I have one again, I forgot how much I prefer it, though I bought it largely because it’s one of the few cars available with a manual, has the least amount of safety BS of any new car and doesn’t require a touchscreen for pretty much anything one would use when driving, and it was cheaper than the overpriced Civic hatch.
What did you get?
GR86
Nice. I very much want another one but I have to clear some space. I loved driving the FR-S. I’ll love it more with some more power (and less silly tail lights).
I won’t be buying one right now, but I have always liked the styling a lot, and definitely thought about getting an S5 or RS5 as a fun driver.