New Subaru BRZ to retain sub-$40K entry price

Australian pricing and spec details have been announced for the 2022 Subaru BRZ line-up, which officially goes on sale today in limited numbers.

Due to arrive in Australian showrooms from January, the second-generation Subaru BRZ is priced between $38,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level manual and $43,990 for the top-shelf BRZ Coupe S automatic.

For reference, the outgoing BRZ was last priced between $38,520 and $46,680 plus ORCs.

Both the 2022 Subaru BRZ and the BRZ S come with an identical 2.4-litre naturally-aspirated flat-four, but they are differentiated by subtle spec variations that Subaru says it will “confirm in the coming months”.

Although the entry price of the BRZ is only slightly up in Australia – unlike the US, where it has decreased – getting your hands on the new model could prove difficult.

Subaru Australia is now taking online orders via its public website for the first 500 new BRZ to arrive Down Under via a fully-refundable $1000 deposit. Beyond that, there is no guarantee of further stocks arriving imminently.

Subaru Australia general manager Blair Read said he couldn’t provide any more certainty around how many BRZs will arrive in Australia next year.

“The global supply chain is challenging at the moment. We’ve limited the first allocation so we can provide confidence to our customer and dealer network,” said Read, referencing the ongoing semi-conductor shortages and factory closures that are gripping the industry.

“Once we have confidence in our vehicles beyond that we will begin to open up the secondary allocation followed by further allocations,” he said.

“In terms of a full year stock prediction for 2022, it’s something of a month-by-month proposition at the moment. There’s still a level of uncertainty for all the manufacturers.

“Our whole focus is ensuring confidence and communication to dealers and customers in the current pipeline.”

The new Subaru BRZ – which continues to share its underpinnings with the second-generation Toyota 86 that has also been delayed locally – adopts a more powerful 2.4-litre boxer -four that generates 170kW and 250Nm (up from 152kW and 212Nm).

Australian vehicles will be available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission for 2022, the latter including a revised Sport mode.

The new BRZ boasts suspension changes including increased use of aluminium components, revised spring and damper rates, increased sway bar thickness and mounting location.

Standard features for the 2022 Subaru BRZ include 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, self-levelling automatic LED headlights, daytime LED running lights, body-coloured door mirrors, dual-zone climate control and a leather-clad steering wheel and gear shifter.

The higher-spec BRZ S upgrades to heated and suede/leather-accented seats, at least.

Infotainment for both models is controlled via an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio and satellite-navigation.

On the safety front, the 2022 BRZ range incorporates the car-maker’s latest Vision Assist suite comprising blind spot monitoring, lane change assist and rear-cross traffic alert.

However, only automatic versions of the BRZ will be fitted with Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist suite including autonomous emergency braking, which is likely to preclude the model from retaining its forebear’s five-star safety rating in Australia.

Blair would not be drawn on whether Subaru would lose its five-star safety rating, declining to comment while ANCAP carried out its testing.

Subaru officials hinted that a flagship tS variant of the BRZ was likely to follow in due course, while a catalogue of dealer-fit performance parts was also in the pipeline.

“The previous generation had a TS variant – and we’re in constant discussions with the factory,” said senior product manager, Goran Popov.

“At this stage we have the current line-up discussed, but we will continue to work with the factory.”

Subaru says the second-generation BRZ will offer greater driving performance than before while retaining its competitive pricing.

The BRZ’s new body has about 60 per cent greater front lateral bending rigidity and 50 per cent more torsional stiffness, which is claimed to bring improved steering response, more nimble handling and better stability.

The BRZ is available in seven colours for 2022: Crystal White Pearl, Ice Silver Metallic, Magnetite Grey Metallic, Crystal Black Silica, Sapphire Blue Pearl (new), Ignition Red (new) and WR Blue Pearl.

How much does the 2022 Subaru BRZ cost?
Manual – $38,990
Automatic – $42,790
S manual – $40,190
S automatic – $43,990

*Prices exclude on-road costs