I’m suddenly confused as the sound from the gentle rumbling of the engine is replaced by the roar of some sort of screaming banshee and we must have just been shot out of a cannon or something because I am pinned in my seat and all I can smell is burning rubber and I am wishing I was wearing some sort of adult diaper because holy crap we are flying through the air.

Oh. No cannon. We’re cool. That’s just hot laps with Ken Gushi.

Ken Gushi is a legend in drifting circles. He was drifting his fathers Toyota AE86 by the age of 13, and won his first race before he even had a drivers license.

By race I mean a drifting race, which aside from quadruple digit horsepower and disintegrating tires bears more resemblance to March Madness and figure skating than NASCAR.

Drivers in the Formula Drift series race head to head in a bracket style competition. Each driver is given a score by judges based on optimum line, angle and style. The highest scoring driver moves on to the next round until one remains.

Wait, back it up. What exactly is drifting?

Yea. Now take your Dramamime and check out my view from the passenger seat.

Pretty bad ass. See it in person this weekend as Formula Drift kicks off their 11th season on the streets of Long Beach, California.

HOLLYWOOD, CA- Though I’ve observed the Scion brand for years I’ve enjoyed very limited interactions with the cars themselves. This all changed last week on assignment for MANjr at the luxurious W Hotel in Hollywood, CA. Members of mainstream auto and lifestyle media descended upon Toyota’s Scion Experience to learn about and drive the 2014 versions of the tC, xB, xD, iQ and the sporty FR-S.

Scion gives their customers exactly what they want. The “Pure Price” philosophy gives the buyer one price for each model. There is no bundling of features, no trim levels, no interior packages. One car, one price. No haggling, no sneaky sales techniques. Which is not to say that the Scion cars are homogenous in any way. Whether online or at the dealership each individual buyer can tailor their new car to exactly the features and specs they want and can afford. The dozens of options available have the potential for countless variations and customization, all done in a simple, straight forward and accessible way.

If only ordering cable was as satisfying of an experience.

The ever changing nature of Scion’s buyers make them very nimble in their marketing. What was once a brand focused on hip hop and graffiti evolved quickly with it’s customers to adopt dub step and retail art. Authentic relationships have been forged with young artists, producers, clothing and shoe designers to continue to not only reinforce the brand’s place in the youth marketplace but to also learn from and adapt to the shifting economics and desires of Generation Y. Flash has been replaced with practical. Transporting people has become transporting things, premium sound systems become standard, fuel economy becomes paramount. Though the Scion brand is proudly associated with the boxy xB, they go beyond the square with these three models in 2014.

2014 tC

The best selling car in the Scion flock, this sporty coupe comes loaded with features and drives great. You sit low to the ground and feel wider than you are thanks to numerous design accents. The steering wheel fits around you, bolstered seats hold you in tight. Like all Scions, it comes with a banging sound system with bluetooth and aux input standard. The tC has tight handling and rides smoothly. It accelerates quickly and efficiently to the top end of city driving and does it without jerking you forward and back as the engine shifts up and down. At about $20,000 you get a lot of new car for your buck, with Kelley Blue Book’s top 10 resale value, you retain that buck over the life of the car. Check out some of these standard features

• Panoramic Moon Roof
• 18” Alloy Wheels
• 8 Speaker 300 Watt Sound System with 6.1” Touchscreen Display
• 2.5 L 4 cylinder engine
• 172 HP
• 31 highway MPG
• $19,965 MSRP or $189/MO 36 month lease

2014 iQ

If we’re giving out awards for the launch, most surprising would have to go to the little Scion iQ. This diminutive car is so small you can fit two in one standard parking space and do u-turns on residential streets. Parallel parking is so simple it feels almost foreign. Here’s the surprising part. This car, on the inside, doesn’t feel tiny at all. It has a reasonable amount of legroom, decent headroom and an acceptable amount of cabin space for a driver and his passenger. The little engine showed some spunk at city speeds and navigating through Hollywood and Koreatown’s congested streets made for a simple and fun drive.

• 6 speaker 160 Watt Sound System with 6.1” touchscreen display
• 37 combined MPG (best non hybrid fuel economy)
• 50/50 split fold rear seats
• 2 Year, 25,000 mile free maintenance program
• 11 Airbags, including an industry first rear window air bag
• $16,420 MSRP or $139/MO 36 month lease

2014 FR-S

Here’s the car everyone’s asking about. The FR-S represents the culmination of a partnership with Subaru to design and engineer a front engine, rear wheel drive sports car for both brands. This car could quickly become a cult classic. Front engine rear wheel drive cars make great track cars for drifting enthusiasts and Scion knows it. Knows it so well in fact that one of the demonstrations made sure to mention that 4 racing tires could be fit in the back with the seats folded flat. Shifting and gear management was made easy thanks to the engine’s growling internal sound creator. The car has some fire in it’s belly for sure, the low center of gravity and tuned suspension gave it great handling in and out of the winding roads of the Hollywood Hills. The car has a good push off the line and gets up to speed quickly and efficiently. Stay tuned for more on the FR-S, we’ve put in a request with Scion for more time with this little beauty.

• 2.0L 4 cylinder 16 valve DOHC VVT-i D4S injection boxer engine
• 200HP at the top end of 7,000 RPM / 151 FT. LBS of Torque at 6400 RPM
• Macpherson Strut front/ Double wishbone rear suspension
• 8 Speaker, 300 Watt sound system with 6.1” touchscreen display
• $25,255 MSRP or $293/MO 36 month lease