Here's a counterpoint to the FR-S that I experienced when I took one for a test drive: it's a great car but it lacks soul.
The car itself is amazing, by God when I put the traction control to sport mode and started feeling the rear slip, my hair was standing up and I had a grin on my face. But that's about it.
The engine didn't sound bad, but that boxer oomph coming from the WRX/STi was clearly missing. The shifter was nice but the gearing was kinda iffy... 2nd gear ends exactly at about 60mph, y'all decide if you love/hate that, I'm placing myself in the hate camp. Interior is in between a Toyota and Lexus, so it's nice but not Lexus level kind of nice... funny thing is though, the dials for the AC are clearly lifted from the same parts bin as the current gen Corolla LOL.
Now lemme talk about what I mean that it lacks soul... you know how when you first place your butt in the drivers seat, turn on the engine and start realizing that this might just be the perfect car for you? See, the FR-S lacks that. There's nothing in the car that tells me I'm about to have the drive of my life, I had to take a corner, at the behest of the salesman, at about 30mph with traction control in sport, and feel that the tires are slipping to realize that I'm actually having fun but as soon as I straightened it out and started driving straight, I went back to the "it's okay" feeling I had before.
As soon as that ended I went to my Miata and took the same route as my test drive, and well... I had more fun in my Miata than the FR-S. In those corners where the FR-S slipped, I took my Miata at the same speed, without traction control as my car doesn't have it, and it was unpredictable. There were certain corners where I actually would lose grip but with a slight correction, I was exiting off the corner at 3rd gear and not have to worry about shifting since I was already on the necessary gear. With the FR-S, I had to take corners at 2nd gear just to have enough torque for me to peel out of that corner but then I immediately have to shift since I'm nearing 60mph.
Regardless, I don't really have any major issues with the car, other than the fact that it lacks soul. The thing is, I didn't even know how to drive stick before I got my Miata and I had a friend test drive and take it home, but the first time I sat in that passenger seat as he was turning it on and getting comfortable, I already knew that this is gonna be the perfect car for me, and when he started driving and taking all those corners at high speeds, I fell madly in love. There was no way I was gonna walk out of that dealership without the keys to the Miata.
That's the thing the FR-S is missing IMO. It feels ho hum until you take it into corners and actively start putting yourself and everyone around you in danger.
If the FR-S is your first RWD car, or you're first car purchase, then you're obviously gonna enjoy it a lot. But if you already have a sports car in your garage, you're gonna like it, but I'm not exactly sure if you're willing to let go of the other one for this.