Subaru BRZ 2013 Review

Subaru BRZ 2012: Road Test

The Subaru BRZ, and by extension the Toyota 86, represent a return to the halcyon days of non-turbo, rear-wheel drive motoring, where handling is the hero, and power is merely the sidekick.

The Japanese have once again proved that you can have an affordable sports car that handles superbly and looks good while doing it. To cut a long story short, the Subaru BRZ sports coupe is a bona fide success story, and has a waiting list of around a year.

Many readers will already know the Subaru BRZ has a twin, the Toyota 86 sports coupe, which shares the same engine, chassis and brakes, with the major differences being appearance, inside and out. Both cars are built by Subaru in Japan and as such have superb steering and very good handling -- if average acceleration -- but most of all they are affordable.

While the $37,150 Subaru BRZ is priced higher than the $29,990 Toyota 86, it represents better value in my mind. For a start it's a driveaway price -- no dealer or on-road costs -- and it comes with more standard kit than the entry-level Toyota, and best of all it gets three years of free servicing, which reduces running costs.

The six-speed manual Subaru BRZ suited my driving style a little better as well, but more on that later.

The BRZ gets climate control, auto headlamps, power folding wing mirrors, cruise control, an adjustable rev limiter, proximity key with push-button starter, front fog lamps, bi-xenon headlamps, electric windows and 17-inch alloy wheels.

It's pretty clear at this stage that I prefer the BRZ to the 86 (but for the record would be happy with either) and though the differences aren't vast, it's the little things that give it the edge. The exterior design is an improvement over the 86 in my opinion, with classier nose and headlights but it's a subjective matter and certainly won't be the case for everyone.

Interior plastics are thin and cheap like the Toyota, and compared to European and even some Japanese hot hatches the BRZ leaves a little to be desired. Still, that's why it's so affordable, and I'd happily trader interior quality for handling dynamics. That said, it's not all bad. The crimson motif gives the interior character -- red seat stitching, red back-lit instruments and so on -- and the toggle switches below the stereo are a nice touch.

However the centre stack still looks dated thanks to its dull audio unit. The 1990s called, and is demanding its stereo head unit back... Ticking the box for the optional sat nav deletes the daggy stereo, thankfully.

The front seats have excellent side bolsters and are tight and body hugging as a result, just as a proper sports car should be. Our test Subaru BRZ had the leather treatment and alloy pedals ($1500) which add a touch of quality, particularly as the leather and red stitching extends to the door inserts, gear shifter, steering wheel and handbrake.

One problem I did have with the BRZ during a week of ownership was its low ride. It's ultra low, and makes getting in and out difficult especially in tight car parks as the long doors mean you can't open them fully and you must wiggle somewhat to squeeze inside.

But that's pretty much where the negatives end, because the BRZ is an excellent cornering machine. Like its sibling the Toyota 86, the BRZ is powered by Subaru's high-revving 2.0-litre, four-cylinder boxer engine. Though it's not the most powerful car (in fact it can be somewhat asthmatic at times and regularly gets outpaced by family cars in a straight line), the Japanese sports coupe's relatively light (1256kg) weight, variable valve timing and direct injection fuel delivery ensure crisp throttle response, which is a nice asset to have with such an engaging chassis.

Peak power and torque is 147kW/205Nm, about the same as the 2012 Renault Clio RS200, arguably the best-handling naturally-aspirated front-driver of its time, and like that car you need to really the wring the engine's neck to get the best out of it. The horizontally-opposed four-banger is most rapid between about 4500rpm and its rev limit, 7000rpm, and keeping the engine on the boil is not difficult when you have such a positive manual gearshift.

Not only precise, the short-throw six-speed manual has a solid feel when engaging gears and the light clutch has just enough spring that it adds to the positive feeling. It's a lot of fun to simply row through the gears at full noise. The simple things in life...

The engine sounds a little different from the Toyota for some reason. Not as noisy perhaps. Ultimately the engine lacks a certain 'sting' in the top end and the party doesn't really start until 5000rpm and this is reflected in its 7.6 second 0-100km/h time, but this new generation of dirt-cheap sports-car is fast where it counts.

Because of its low ride, low centre of gravity and tip top chassis, the BRZ is an agile road warrior and can maintain impressive corner speeds, which makes it very fast on a given stretch of twisting asphalt. By not having to ease off and slow down through corners makes this a very fleet-footed coupe, point to point.

It's also hugely entertaining.

Manual models are equipped with a Torsen limited-slip differential which helps get the power down while cornering, and the steering? Be still my beating heart! Possibly one of the best racks you're likely to find this side of Zuffenhausen.

You feel the road through the front wheels via the steering wheel, but it's not uncomfortable. Turn the wheel even a few degrees and the nose tips in with a decisiveness that inspires confidence. Indeed, the car steers and turns beautifully and conveys most of what's going on underneath you through the seat and chassis too.

The car to driver connection is pure; you form a bond with the car that may end up being detrimental to your social life. Get one of these and say goodbye to your weekends.

Subaru has tweaked the BRZ with a slightly different front-end suspension tune to the regular Toyota 86, with stiffer spring and damping rates. The rear suspension is identical to the Toyota, but the firmer front end suited my driving style more than the Toyota. I am splitting hairs here, but the Subaru feels more planted through corners and despite ride quality suffering slightly as result -- you feel errant bumps and even cat's eyes more acutely -- it's not as prone to wagging its tail.

Initial turn-in feels slightly sharper too and although the rear-end will still kick out if you provoke it, it feels more controllable. On damp roads the rear wheels struggled for grip at higher speeds, and there was the odd moment when the car wasn't clearly communicating what was about to happen, and at times like these wider or stickier tyres would have helped. The stability control is above average though and allows for some rear-end slip before touching individual brakes to settle the car.

On that topic, the brakes are acceptable, best described as progressive and predictable rather than arresting. Ride is firm but when powering along bumpy, twisty roads, the car’s composure tends to wane. Indeed, its preferred pastures are smooth hotmix with no blemishes.

On the freeway, the BRZ's engine ticks over at 2600rpm in sixth gear at 100km/h and makes a low thrum that can get a little intrusive, but is nothing the stereo can't override. Interestingly, the car felt solid and quiet when coasting around, but there were plenty of rattles and squeaks when pushing the car to its grip limit on twisting country roads.

The 2012 Subaru BRZ is not perfect, merely very, very good. Sure, there are a few foibles here and there -- limited boot space, useless rear seats, low engine torque, availability -- but at the end of the day it's a brilliant machine. For mine it sits slightly above the Toyota 86 as a sharp-apex tool, involving the driver like no other car at this price. It's an outstanding vehicle and though there's a long queue to get one, it's more than worth the wait.

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