2013 Scion FR-S “Bringing Sport Back” Commercial: Shut Up and Drive [The Ad Section]

I like this commercial. I like it because it's simple, edgy, and exciting, just like the car it advertises. It makes me want to get in an FR-S and drive it. Not just own it, but drive it. How many commercials these days make you want to do that? Not many. Sure, there are plenty of ads that use carefully chosen words, exquisite locations, and beautifully choreographed tracking shots to make you lust for a car's silhouette, options, and status, but this commercial isn't about that stuff—it's a simple celebration of the sheer fun of hard driving. Like an old-school sports car, the FR-S gives you just what you need to have fun: Two-hundred horsepower, adequate torque, rear-wheel drive, great brakes, and a clutch pedal, all at a price that's pretty damned affordable. There's a reason it made it onto our 2013 10Best Cars roster. I like that this spot is raw and visceral, with no plot or spoken words. Just good, old-fashioned thrashing around an isolated country road, steering wheel in one hand and shift lever in the other, with enough driver's point-of-view shots to give you a sense of what it's like behind the wheel. The music is appropriately pumped and fitting for the youngish and male target audience, but not overpowering like, say, the Soundgarden/Paw/Hammerbox tracks on the old Road Rash game for PlayStation, Sega Saturn, etc. (for those of you who remember), and you can hear the tire squeals and 2.0-liter boxer-four's song throughout. The exterior product shots all look terrific, and the instruments are made to look as if they were lifted from something more expensive. I also like that there's no copy, just punchy minimalist supers that culminate in a closing title that lingers long enough to register where to go to get more information. 2013 10Best Cars: Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ Comparison Test: 2013 Scion FR-S vs. 2012 Porsche Cayman S Instrumented Test: 2013 Scion FR-S Automatic Since the FR-S is also sold as the Subaru BRZ, I was curious to see how the latter company advertises its version of the car, but all I could find were some Japanese spots (aimed, interestingly, at women, not that there's anything wrong with that), and a 60-second Canadian commercial entitled "Scorched," in which a BRZ that's parked in a commercial garage is so hot, it blisters the paint on nearby signs and sets off the sprinkler system. It definitely grabs your attention, but it's so heavy on pyrotechnics and drama—I kept waiting for Megadeth to emerge from the cloud of smoke—that it totally lacks the human connection that makes the Scion ad work so well. Yeah, it's cool to be hot, but in the end it's the sheer fun of driving that makes the BRZ and the FR-S—and Scion's commercial—so appealing to us enthusiasts. Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad's rating is depicted via the shift pattern at the bottom, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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