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Two days after the official unveiling of the all-new BRZ sports coupe at the Tokyo Motor Show, Subaru invited a small group of select U.S. journalists for a quick test drive of the 2013 Subaru BRZ at the Subaru Kenkyu Center (SKC) two hours north of Tokyo.
After revealing that the BRZ name stands for Boxer Rear Drive Zenith, and plying us with all manner of technical specifications, Subaru P.R. released us on a short course that included a high-speed oval, twisty handling track, and a section of broken tarmac. We were given a few 15-minute stints with two U.S.-production models: a high-spec BRZ Limited equipped with the optional six-speed automatic transmission and a base model BRZ Premium with the standard six-speed manual.
BRZ Limited with 6-Speed Automatic
When the start button mounted just ahead of the gear selector knob is pushed, the BRZ comes to life with a growl that settles into a smooth, burbling exhaust note. But when the car is opened up on the banked oval, the note coarsens into something more animalistic. However, it's not the braaap-braapp flatulence you might expect from, say, the WRX STI. This is a bit more sedate, yet pleasant in the way it resonates throughout the cockpit. Credit goes to supplier Mahle for piping the boxer engine note through the bulkhead in a manner similar to what Ford engineers did with the Mustang. At wide-open throttle, the pipe brings in a pleasing roar, loud enough that you'll be shouting to your buddy sitting next to you, "SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT?"
The steering wheel is small, just 14.4 inches in diameter, and the smallest of any modern Subaru. But the shape and diameter is just right - thick enough given the small size, but oversize and doughy like the ones in recent BMW M cars. The steering wheel is covered in black leather with red contrast stitching to match the dark interior. An obviously Toyota parts-bin cruise control lever hangs off the right side of the wheel, and there are no other controls, giving the wheel sanitary look that compliments the center stack and instrument panel.
Feedback from the tiller is immediate and natural, which is a relief since it is an electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system. The feel is not as light as an MX-5, yet provides none of the artificial heft of Audi's Dynamic mode (thank goodness). It's just clean and organic-feeling. It is not as precise or direct as one of the handling targets (Porsche Cayman), but it's close enough to its boxer brethren to be mentioned in the same breath. The same cannot be said of everything else in what Subaru claims is the BRZ's competitive set: Mini Cooper S, Civic Si, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Miata MX-5, and of course Scion FR-S.
Outward visibility is excellent, even though the driver sits low in a package not much longer than a Mazda MX-5. The FA20 engine, a 2.0-liter flat-four variant of the new Impreza FB family, is mounted as low and as far back as possible in the chassis, which improves everything from handling to outward sightlines, thanks to the low hood and cowl heights.
The optional Aisin-derived six-speed automatic trans is good enough, but surpassed in shift speed and response by today's dual clutches. Up- and downshifts are appreciably quick for an automatic via the steering-wheel-mounted paddles (metallic painted plastic) or slotting the shift lever towards you and toggling back and forth. But the car won't always give up a downshift upon demand; instead, a beep-beep warning is heard.
Still, the overarching sensation through the hands, butt, and inner ear is superb balance. To keep the center of gravity (CoG) low, BRZ engineers put lighter, higher-strength steel high up in the body. Moving from the oval to the winding track reveals the benefits of both low mass and CoG, as there is little brake or accel dive and almost zero roll when cornering.
That is not to say push is entirely absent. Apparently, for safety reasons, understeer is the default condition when you get sloppy. It's easy to induce through early turn-in, which causes the front outside tire to roll over and howl unhappily as the nose plows.
As a credit to the BRZ's balance, oversteer is a cinch to find as well. Flick the wheel while adding too much throttle, and the back end will break away in a progressive, predictable fashion. Yes, BRZ will dorifuto, but more on that later.
An early surprise is how aggressively the stability control intervenes in normal driving mode. The car has been criminally smooth until this point, but once the tail begins to get unsettled, things get a bit rough. In normal mode (all traction and stability controls left on), the primary response is the quick and noisy application of brake to the inside rear wheel. Dragging this tire helps kill the initial rotation and brings the car back in line, albeit in a noisy, staccato fashion. BRZ engineers say the secondary response is reduced throttle response, but that is harder to sense.
Traction and stability control algorithms are governed by three buttons mounted just behind the shifter in 6AT-equipped BRZs. (Manuals lose the center Sport/Snow button.) With one touch, the left button partial turns off stability control; when held down for 3 seconds, it turns off completely. As you'd expect, the latter is a must for wannabe drifters.
In automatic BRZs, pushing the sport/snow mode rocker switch forward turns on a yellow SPORT light in the instrument panel and sharpens the throttle map and shift algorithm, resulting in quicker shifts and lower gears held to higher RPMs. What sport mode doesn't affect is EPAS or throttle response. Toggling the rocker switch back to snow mode starts the transmission in second gear, reducing wheel slippage in low-grip conditions.
Punching the rightmost button engages Sport VSC mode. This activates a combination of stability/sport indicator lights on the gauge cluster and lets you hang the car's tail out a touch, via steering angle, yaw rate, and lateral G sensors that forecast the vehicle's position. If that future looks too sideways, brake and throttle cut precautions engage. In practice, it's the best mode for spirited road courses like the SKC handling track. This twisty second/third-gear course had several tight low-speed turns and a couple of nasty mid-corner bumps that conspired to unsettle the BRZ. Sport VSC caught it every time, with a more progressive engagement of stability control over the normal mode.
BRZ Premium with 6-speed manual
As good as the BRZ auto is (and it's very impressive), I'm glad I drove it first, because the Premium model with the standard six-speed manual is the purist's delight.
But check your purists preconceptions at the door, because this ain't no stripper model. Perhaps as a nod to Scion's content-cramming technique, all BRZ models come standard with a limited-slip differential; cruise control; eight-speaker audio system with navigation and XM radio; leather-wrapped steering wheel, shift knob, and e-brake handle; soft-touch dash; and black fabric trim. Step up from base Premium spec to Limited, and you get leather/Alcantara seats and surfaces, 17-inch wheels with summer tires (instead of 16s with all-seasons), vented 11.6-inch disc brakes up front, and vented 11.5-inches at the rear.
But back to how it drives. Ergonomics play a bigger factor in the manual as your right hand must frequently leave the wheel to engage the six-speed trans. Shifter position and feel is excellent, lighter yet tighter, and far less rubbery than the WRX STI's hand-built gearbox (the two share the shift knob and lever arm). To be fair, the latter is built for the abuse of a much heavier, 300-hp rally racer. In terms of weighting and crispness, the BRZ is mighty impressive, though I'd still give the Mazda MX-5 the nod in terms of near-perfect positioning.
Why do we still love manuals so much? Because direct control over the transmission allows the driver to really ring out the RPMs and fill the BRZ's cabin with arguably the best exhaust note a Subaru has ever produced. It's loud and not particularly smooth, but completely beguiling and perhaps the beefiest-sounding 200-horsepower four-cylinder engine note around.
Manuals also encourage drag launches and other hooliganism. With VSC Sport on, one-two shifts near the 7400 RPM redline will loudly chirp rear tires. The two-three shift gives only the faintest pip, and not all the time (remember, there are only 150 lb-ft of torque). Wring it out all the way through sixth gear and you can enter SKC's 43-degree banking over 120 mph. At that speed, the BRZ feels stable and planted -- perhaps due to the number of aerodynamic doodads (rear diffuser, double bubble roof, deck wing [Limited only]) that help the car achieve a 0.27 coefficient of drag. We didn't attempt VMAX, but Subaru engineer say a 7450-rpm fuel cutoff limits top speed to 220 kmh -- which is approximately 136.7 mph. To be honest, that seems a bit low.
On the handling course, you can drive the manual BRZ differently than the auto -- upshifting and rev-match downshifting at will -- but you don't have to. Though relatively low on torque, the FA20 is quick to rev and pulls the 2800-pound chassis around with no real flat spots in acceleration. I left it in third gear for two laps of the road course and never felt the need to downshift, except for the tightest of hairpin corners. Staying in second meant bouncing off the 7400-rpm rev limit or repeatedly snicking the fantastic transmission.
Just before I headed out to track for my second stint in the 6MT, a BRZ engineer let slip that the lateral acceleration target is 1.0g I tried to validate this claim on a giant circular skidpad using my patented belly fat accelerometer, but gave up after about 90 degrees in favor of practicing my best Keiichi Tsuchiya impersonations.
As I said earlier, yes, the BRZ will drift, and it is a beautiful thing. The combination of low mass, low center of gravity, and rear-wheel drive creates a neutral-handling vehicle that needs only to be flicked into a corner to get the rear tires breaking sideways (no clutch kicking or other abuse needed). With just enough torque available low in the rev range, and a reasonably high redline, BRZ can keep its tires spinning while the exploratory "dabs of oppo" can be dialed in. This very different from the Miata/MX-5, which is only beginning to break sideways at the top of its rev range before you must shift and kill any sideways momentum.
But it's not quite ready for Formula D just yet. While it has the snap to transition quickly from side-to-side and drift-to-drift, the BRZ needs more power to sustain the kind of high-speed drifts that win head-to-head battles. However, it would make a killer track day or autocross racer right off the lot with just a stickier set of tires (and Subaru says you can do that by folding down the rear seats and stuffing the 6.9-cubic-foot trunk with spares and tools. Try that in your Miata.)
Final Thoughts
The BRZ delivers as promised. Handling is as sweet as Orange Tang, but far less artificial-tasting. Power is not neck-snapping, but the car has just enough to make it exceptionally responsive. My frequent Mazda MX-5/Miata references are no mistake; the BRZ is definitely in that Zoom Zoom category of vehicles that deliver grins from pinning occupants to the side bolsters rather than seatbacks. The low mass, low center of gravity, and lack of dive and roll combine with direct steering and excellent outward visibility to create an exceptionally focused and pleasurable driving experience. With the BRZ, instead of adding speed with the gas pedal, you can refrain from subtracting speed with the brakes. The car is about carrying speed and momentum, and will surely be snapped up by auto crossers and track day enthusiasts alike. Our drive was brief, but the takeaway message is that the BRZ is a scalpel in the current rear-drive knife fight.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ will be available in seven colors (black, pearl white, silver, dark grey, dark blue, world rally blue, and red) when it goes on sale in May 2012. Expected volume for the BRZ is in the neighborhood of 3600-4000 per year and the cars will be built alongside the Toyota GT 86 and Scion FR-S at Subaru's Gunma Main Plant. Prices are said to be "very close to the WRX" for base model (Premium), so expect $24,000 for Premium models and roughly $27,000 for the BRZ Limited. As precision surgical instruments go, that's a pretty good deal.
Kuzu City, Tochigi, Japan—It’s rare we get to test a new sports car aimed directly at those who want a sports car but don’t have Porsche money in the bank.
This one is, of course, the long-anticipated Subaru BRZ, as in Boxer, Rear-wheel drive Zenith (as in peak, not the television set). Jointly developed with Toyota (and to also be sold as the Scion FR-S in the U.S.), the BRZ was mostly engineered by Subaru and mostly styled by Toyota, with companies tweaking the other’s efforts to personalize the machine somewhat.
Getting right to the driving—look out, Miata. With the exception of the brief, unfulfilled “Solstice interlude,” Mazda has owned the small sports car market and with good reason. Great car, the Miata, and Mazda has never taken its eye off the ball when it comes to keeping it pure and honest.
Strong Off the Line
Mazda finally has real competition. From the start, the 2.0-liter flat-4 pulls smoothly, and is flexible enough to drive off at 1500 rpm in 6th gear. It’s more fun, of course, to be down a few notches in the smooth, lightweight 6-speed manual transmission. The engine pulls strongly from 3000 rpm to the 150 lb.-ft. peak at 6600 rpm. Redline is 7400. Subaru says the BRZ hits 60 mph in less than 7 seconds with the manual gearbox. Along the way, you’ll find the exhaust to be as exuberant as the engine.
Considering cars of this ilk, I think of a road that connects Highway 1 with 101 in Northern California, a twisting, climbing-then-falling two-laner among the redwoods. What you want there is a machine that not only handles with ease, but also has the sort of torque character that means you aren’t shifting every other corner. In 2nd gear? No problem, stick with it. In 3rd? That’s okay too. Instead, enjoy the drive, the even turn-in—there’s just a bit of confidence-inspiring understeer—and the good balance even when the road might dip into a rut in the apex.
The ride is a proper match to the handling, isolated for both quality and sound, and yet not separating you from the driving experience. On a straight highway where exhaust sound and handling aren’t important, shift up to 6th and the exhaust falls away for a reasonably calm highway ride. Keep going and we’re told you could top out at more than 135 mph. Overall, it’s a good dual-character machine that’s fun on the weekends but won’t beat you up during the week. Early mileage estimates peg the BRZ at 30 mpg on the highway.
Do It Automatically
At risk of sounding heretical here, you can have just as much fun with the automatic. Paddle shifters are standard, and when you shift the mode from D to M for manual, the mapping tightens up. Nice rev-popping to match downshifts and, again, the torque minimizes the amount of shifting you’ll be doing.
The Miata does get points for being a roadster, where the BRZ is only a coupe. We’d put money down that at some point there will be a soft top BRZ, but don’t hold your breath.
Besides, it’s a very handsome coupe. The Subaru and Scion are basically the same design, and hint at a sort of 7/8th-scale modern rendition of the original Datsun 240Z...and we mean that as a compliment. The Subaru and Scion share the same taillights, but the Subie gets HID headlamps. Unfortunately, both designs have the non-functional grille at the tops of the front fenders. The roof is a “double bubble,” not in the classic Zagato sense, but “flat bubbles,” taller on the sides for added headroom and stiffness.
The roofline’s side curve peaks right about where the driver gets in, so entry and exit for anyone around six feet is easy. You’ll snuggle right into the well-bolstered seats, which should be as comfortable for long runs as for tight corners. Outward visibility—with a minor exception in rear view—is quite good for a car of this size.
Inside Line
In this day of hard interior plastic/low-cost interiors, Subaru has done a reasonable job of making certain everything you touch has a comfortable feel to it. There’s leather on the shift knob, emergency brake handle and steering wheel, the last adjustable for rake and reach.
Three gauges are straight ahead, the center a tach with a digital speedo, the analog speedometer to the left, fuel and temp on the right. HVAC controls are in the center stack, configured with knobs and levers that are large enough that you can easily operate them, even with gloves. No mysteries, no fiddling around.
There are two possible negatives inside. Subaru may call this a 2+2, but that’s being optimistic. It’s more like a 2+ kids. Subaru points out, howevever, that with the folding rear seatback you can fit a pair of golf bags or four racing tires, helmet and tools in back.
The other area of concern is the radio/navigational system. Kudos to Subaru for making navi standard at this price, but the system is clumsy and requires a lot of time with eyes off the road.
Tech Basics
We’ve already written about the technical basics of the BRZ. The 200-bhp, 2.0-liter, fuel-injected flat-4 that sits well back and low in the chassis, all the better to lower the center of gravity and reduce the polar moment of inertia. You can have either a 6-speed manual or the aforementioned 6-speed automatic gearbox, and a Torsen limited-slip differential is standard as are 17-in. wheels and tires. Front suspension is MacPherson struts; the rear is a double-wishbone layout with Impreza roots. Steering has electric assist with a ratio of 13.1:1 through a 14.4-in. steering wheel.
Price? Nothing final, but we believe the $25,000 sports car ball has just been lobbed into the Miata’s court.
Toyota Already Planning More Powerful, Supercharged TRD 86?
By Mike Magrath | December 2, 2011
This is the rumor we've been expecting since the minute we learned that the 86, FR-S and BRZ would come to the market with a naturally aspirated, 200 horsepower boxer four: Autocar is reporting that Toyota is currently evaluating a higher-horsepower 86 and prefer supercharging.
200 horsepower was sufficient for a sports car in 1991. Sure, this one doesn't weigh a lot, but even so, 200 horsepower isn't enough to make this one fun for people who don't understand the phrase "conservation of momentum." Supercharging should fix that...
Speaking with Toyota Chief engineer Tetsuo Tada, Autocar is reporting that not only is Toyota considering a supercharged 86, but that test mules are already being evaluated by TRD.
And that's where this one goes from wild rumor to real possibility. TRD already sells supercharger kits and has since '98. The most popular being the one for the US market Tacoma which kicks power from 233 to 301. An additional 70 horsepower sure would help this little car run with the big boys even if it does add weight.
TRD offering a supercharger is a great idea, but it leaves Subaru a little behind. They'll either need to figure out an aftermarket system of their own, or offer a factory turbocharged BRZ. Subaru fanbois simply couldn't cope with the idea of a supercharged, rear-drive Subie.
rotrex are better then roots this is one reason Jackson racing stopped using roots blows this is why hks uses them
speed is what increases boost thus why people use pulleys
at full song the bleed valve is shut in less cracked open a little to control traction in certain gears ect like the cobalt ss with it's lack of traction or at idel when just sitting or putting around with lots of vacuum
as for pumping action that is funny a properly balanced turbo system is by far hands down better
this is why most cars made today are all turbo and the charger's are dieing out
the only plus side of a super charger kit is dealer ship's can install them rather quick and make a buck by saveing time.
I am pretty much down explaining this there not much more to be side
Quote:
Originally Posted by Over9K
Actually, centrifugal superchargers are the worst ones out there...
/face fucking palm.
Turbo's are not free power...piston has to work harder to push the exhaust gasses out as there is back pressure in the system (turbocharger.) AKA, pumping loss.
Or you can mess with the bypass valve to increase boost... They're adjustable.
Electro magnetic clutches will eventually fail.
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The Mad Scientist reinventing the wheel every day
92 Toyota supra highly modified (The ice cream will never have a chance to melt)
89 exo cage Toyota truck (so many gears to choose from)
I had some girl come into the busser station the other day trying to make out with every staff member and then pull down her pants and asked for someone to stick a dick in her (at least she shaved).
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1exotic
Vtec doesn't kick in on Reverse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma
its like.. oh yeah oh yeah.. ohhhh yeah... OOoooOohh... why's it suddenly feel a bit better... ohhhh yeahh... ohhh...oh..fuck... it probably ripped.
No sooner have we seen the real car at the Tokyo Motor Show, than reports emerge claiming that Toyota is working on a faster version of the 86 sports coupe. Autocar reports that Toyota is investigating a supercharger for the 86’s 2.0-liter Boxer-four engine.
The stock engine in the 86 (and, by extension, the Subaru BRZ and U.S.-market Scion FR-S) produces 197 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque. Those figures are certainly adequate for a compact coupe weighing a tad less than 3000 pounds, but Toyota still plans for more oomph.
Toyota chief engineer Tetsuo Tada told Autocar that his company is evaluating supercharged versions of the 86 engine. Developed by Toyota Racing Development, the superchargers apparently provide better throttle response than if the company used a turbocharger. The upgrade could boost the GT 86’s output figures to about 250 hp. Tada also said that Toyota is considered suspension upgrades for a hotter version of the car.
The Toyota 86 is factory-rated to run from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, so we can safely expect a supercharged version to slip below the six-second barrier. TRD already sells aftermarket superchargers for the Toyota FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Sequoia, Tacoma, and Tundra. For its part, Subaru has shown a concept version of a higher-performance BRZ STI with carbon-fiber parts, stiffer suspension, and other upgrades — but it’s unknown whether that car would have more power than the factory rating of 197 hp.
It’s been a long two years for Toyota enthusiasts, with the brand having initially teased its FT-86 concept way back in 2009. But the wait is almost over — after numerous concepts and pre-production cars wearing the FT-86, Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ names, Toyota has taken the wraps off of its rear-wheel drive project with Subaru and given it an official name (at least for Europe): the GT 86.
Toyota says the name GT 86 is a nod to the brand’s GT days in Europe when the Corolla GT (or Levin) AE86, was winning British Touring Car championships and rally events in the 1980s. The GT 86 is taking the stage at this week’s 2011 Tokyo auto show, roughly two years after the first concept took the stage at the 2009 Tokyo show. At this point it’s unclear if the FT-86 name will be used at all, we’ll know more shortly.
In European-spec trim, the GT 86 outputs 197 horsepower at 7000 rpm, and 205 Nm (151 lb-ft) at 6,600 rpm from Subaru’s updated 2.0-liter Boxer four with a12.5:1 compression ratio and Toyota’s D-4S injection technology added on to help better deliver power across the rev range.
The engine will be mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a limited-slip differential will help put the power down to the rear wheels. So far we don’t have any official performance estimates, but the car is rumored to be able to hit 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds.
I tired explaining this to you but you have a one tracked mind that does not want to look any furth then his own nose.
There are both pros and cons on both forced induction units
witch you have not explained at all besides jibber jabber
open you eyes and stop focusing on one point and look at it as a hole.
what bothers me the most is I bet the brz will sell more then Toyota will in both boosted and n/a models
because they look alike to much what will cause some issue's and if subru does go a head with the turbo they will have the upper hand in the tuner market
I just wish they treated it like the eclipse and talon were like and at least made them look different as possible.
ya never know I may like this car sure but I don't like how Toyota handle it to were it is now.
there is one neat thing that did come to my mind was if both units did comes this way
I would just grab both induction units and then make them into one compound setup (:
but now i am just being silly
Your missing a few points. When people think Subaru they think of tree hugging hippies and AWD cars that are good in the snow. Second thing is price. If 2 cars look alike the cheaper one will sell more, horsepower is not everything. I bet the Toyota/Scion models will outsell the BRZ.
__________________ Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.
If 2 cars look alike the cheaper one will sell more, horsepower is not everything. I bet the Toyota/Scion models will outsell the BRZ.
Matrix vs Vibe, same car, very different stories
Pontiac discounted the Vibe, and it still didn't sell as many as the Matrix. Likewise I agree with you, the Toyota will outsell the Subaru just cause its a Toyota.
rotrex are better then roots this is one reason Jackson racing stopped using roots blows this is why hks uses them
speed is what increases boost thus why people use pulleys
at full song the bleed valve is shut in less cracked open a little to control traction in certain gears ect like the cobalt ss with it's lack of traction or at idel when just sitting or putting around with lots of vacuum
as for pumping action that is funny a properly balanced turbo system is by far hands down better
this is why most cars made today are all turbo and the charger's are dieing out
the only plus side of a super charger kit is dealer ship's can install them rather quick and make a buck by saveing time.
I am pretty much down explaining this there not much more to be side
I have a 297whp 1.6L Rotrex supercharged Miata at 15PSI. Rotrex > PD Superchargers.
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FOR SALE: 14'' MR2 MK1 wheels with 90% rubber $130, FD RX7 Transmission $200, Hitch Mount Snowboard/Ski rack w/ THULE clamps, locks $200. PM me for details!
S owners who love their S when they finally drive the GT-86/FR-S will love the car. there's something familiar but not familiar about the car.
the engine sweetspot like i've said before all the media write ups is between 3k and 6500k, there's really no need to push it beyond 7k. in fact when i first drove it the cut-off from what i remember was at 7900-8k rpms and recently the pre-production was cutting sooner at 7600rpms. when you do feel the 2nd cam kick in at 3k its very linear and then tapers off past 7k. the car doesn't need to shift as much as the S entering and exiting into corners. powerwise how does it compare to the S? comparable, but the S is stronger up top. they could've given it a bit more power but there's a reason why it has 200hp.
cool feature that they learned from the LFA. they pumped engine noise into the cabin, at first your going to roll down the window thinking its better to hear but in actuality its better to hear it when the windows are up. the sound is like a subie at idle through 3k but not from 4-7k, weird. in fact that's the only reason the push it beyond 7k just so you can hear the engine. it sounds great on 4 to 3 to 2nd downshifts.
shifter is not S-like but what is. it's direct with a little bit of notchiness entering the gates but not like the 350z more miata like in feel. the pedals are perfect for heel and toe for my 10.5 feet. also the throttle pedal is mounted to the firewall like your pushing down a button, its not a j-arm or floor mounted like some supercars. great driving position for all drivers even for those who are above 6'3". plenty of seat travel, there's height adjustment with a tilt and telescope wheel. also even with the seats set to the lowest setting along with the wheel, my 5' 10" frame could still see perfectly out where the doors and dash wasn't above my shoulders. also, the alcantara red stitched seats are well bolstered on both the torso and thigh area. if you can get people in the back they're also treated with "rear passenger" sport bucket like seats.
the suspension is actually better than the S. driving it on LA freeways compared to the S is a lot more forgiving but you would think that would affect the handling, not! its fluid, agile, direct and super responsive to inputs. in fact a lot of people will probably hate it when they read it, its actualy a little better than the S. the best and easiest way i can say it. if you've ever driven the 3rd gen mr2 or miatas and then drove the S, that's what it feels like. the S though is a little flatter during constant left to right transitions where the FR-S has a little more body roll but not by much.
i wondered after getting in the S how the car would do if it was fitted with stickier summer tires with a staggered wheel and tire set-up, thought-thought-thought.... it will actually ruin it. it will understeer more whereas it transitions so easily and when the rear breaks loose its very progressive, unlike the S. even new rwd drivers with enough seat time will learn how to control this car right away. its off-flick-gas-opposite-super wide grin, and....... its not scary, you and it is very-very much in control. everything from the power, the chassis, the suspension and its michelin primacy mxm4 tires works in perfect harmony.
only gripes with usdm FR-S. the interior materials (dash, door sills, front seats, steering wheel) are of very nice quality and that's because it is shared with GT-86 and BRZ. the a/c controls were lifted from the corolla, tc, yaris, xb parts bin, where the GT and BRZ has digital dials with toggles. also we won't get the smart key with push button start but these features might make it with RS series. tms fought hard to keep them but we want to undercut the price of the BRZ when its avialbale stateside, and we are still negotiating final price with tmmc.
if your looking for a 2+2 S or even a car that similar to the S but you can't get a new one, the FR-S is it. another huge plus will be the price point for a lightweight fun to drive rwd coupe.
nice power, that must be alot of fun in a light car like a miata.
I would love to see a TRD kit for the FR-S/BRZ. Look at the kits they have for the other Toyotas, you get a perfectly fitting kit with a warranty, installed by the dealer, and can roll the cost into your purchase so it only costs you a few extra bucks per month on your payment.
granted they aren't the highest hp gains compared to aftermarket, but sometimes all you need is a simple bump in power.
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88 Toyota Supra Turbo.... maybe ready to drive soon.
05 Subaru Legacy GT - for sale
04 Volvo V70R
The Japanese giant is set to rediscover its sporty mojo.
Two more sports cars could be developed by Toyota, including a spiritual successor to its cult car, the Supra. The man responsible for the development of the company's new 86 sports car, chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, says there is room for a three-tier sports car line-up in the Toyota range, with one car sitting below the 86 and one above it.
If they were to be made, the three new sports cars would return Toyota to its former two-door glory days, when sports cars were as important to its line-up - and as iconic - as the LandCruiser.
''Right now the 86 will be a mid-size sports car,'' he told Drive through an interpreter.
''I would like to have one smaller and one larger. One would probably be a Supra follower. Nothing has been decided yet. It would [be] like a Supra successor.''
He said the car could be another joint venture with Subaru, which co-developed the 86 (or BRZ as the Subaru is known) but it would depend on the concept.
Subaru has a chequered history with two-door sports cars. The wedge-shaped Vortex of the 1980s and the chunky, expensive and oddly styled SVX struggled to find buyers in the 1990s.
Toyota's sports car history is more comprehensive, encompassing the Celica, mid-engined MR2 and flagship Supra. Each was successful but they have all been discontinued in the past decade. The Supra was an iconic sports car that Toyota produced from the late '70s to 2002. Powered by an in-line six-cylinder engine, it was popular in Australia in the early '90s - although it was discontinued here in 1993 - and fast became a favourite of car tuners.
Grey imports (sold through small importers, not Toyota dealers) were common and gave buyers access to relatively affordable, sleek-looking, high-performance sports cars. Even today the Supra is a popular coupe with enthusiasts and those looking for something different. Modified Supras can still fetch more than $30,000.
It's not yet known if any Supra successor would use the Supra nameplate. Many expected the new coupe to adopt the Celica label but Toyota instead chose to name the car loosely after the AE86 Corolla/Sprinter, which was a favourite of drift enthusiasts.
Heritage counts for plenty in the sports car world - Porsche's 911 is the most iconic, even leading to a buyer uprising when word spread of plans in the 1980s to shelve the rear-engine coupe and replace it with a more conventional front-engine V8 - but all-new models can also squeeze their way into a market segment that's more about image and branding than outright sales. The Audi TT is one example.
Toyota is trying to shake off its reputation for building dull but dependable cars and the 86 is a key part of the company's push to have cars that are ''fun to drive''.
Toyota adopted the catchphrase ''Fun to drive'' in the 1980s but discontinuing sports cars such as the Supra, Celica and MR2 has taken lustre off the brand in recent years. Under president and car enthusiast, Akio Toyoda, the company is looking to return to its sports car roots.
''Personally, I love the smell of gasoline and the sound of an engine, so I hope that this type of vehicle never disappears,'' he told the media at the Tokyo Motor Show this week.
''I hope that motor vehicles will continue to provide dreams and inspiration to people for all eras. I believe that if it is not fun, it is not a car.
''I truly believe that no matter how advanced cars become, it is important to retain this feeling.''
Tada said Toyoda was keen to have a Supra replacement if the numbers added up.
My guess is this project will largely depends on the success of the 86/FRS.
If the FR-S does well, and if the Supra is a success, Toyota should revive the "sport" 4-door RWD sedan in the North American market under a Toyota/Scion nameplate, ie. reviving the Chaser. The IS is still available, but I'd rather have the Chaser.
A couple of years ago we passed the point at which there were no more truly bad cars. If someone asked us, "Which car should we definitely avoid," it was hard to give a categorical answer. Sure, there were cars we didn't (and still don't) like, but no matter how personally averse we might be to even some current cars, we can't name one that's objectively awful.
Naturally, then, if everything is decent then the only place to go is... better. That's how you get to a brand like Subaru deciding to make a sports car and using, as a guide, the Porsche Cayman. And we do mean literal guide. During testing, Subaru engineers took a white Cayman on their international travels. We don't blame them. When the brief is to build "a pure handling sports car," where better to start than with the company that practically wrote and constantly revises the bible of handling, Porsche?
As a brief for a company like Subaru to have – a company not known for sports cars and that hasn't sold a two-wheel-drive car in the U.S. since the last millennium, which were front-wheel-drive wagons – that's impressive enough. What's more impressive is that they actually did it.
Subaru head of Corporate Communications Michael McHale started off his presentation with these sound bites: "The type of engine and where it is, those are the two things about the car. Everything else comes from there... The engine is as low down and far back as it can possibly be," and "We didn't start by saying it had to be rear-wheel drive, we started by saying it had to have the engine in a certain place. Handling first, RWD second."
The result, as we know by now, is the BRZ – B is for Boxer, R is for Rear-wheel drive, Z is for Zenith, as in the best. The quest was to "get a new level of driving confidence," and that resulted in traditional sports car themes: low, with short overhangs, a compact engine and a low center of gravity. The CoG is lower than a Ferrari 458 Italia, and at 18.1 inches it's also lower than the Cayman, the Mazda Miata and RX-8, and the BMW M3.
Low weight was also a priority. Subaru said the target was 2,700 pounds, and according to the numbers we were given, they beat it by about half a sack of potatoes, coming in at 2,689. Although that's 100 pounds less than a Civic SI and 600 less than a Mustang, it's better to judge the BRZ against a more natural competitor: the BRZ is 10 hp and 73 lb-ft down on the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but is about 600 pounds lighter.
The engine is an all-new design called the FA, with a perfectly square stroke of 86x86 and a variable-valve control system that Subaru calls AVCS, for active valve control system. The FA was developed for and only used in this car, "at least for the time being." On the required premium gas, Subaru's numbers are 200 horsepower and 150 pound-feet, with reps at a loss to explain why Toyota rates the same engine – that Subaru builds – at 197 horsepower. The FA is smaller than the Impreza's FB engine, achieved with items such as a shorter and lower intake manifold, a shallower bottom on the transmission, and revised, more compact lubrication system. Subaru then placed components in different places to get the engine further back in its bay, like making the intake manifold front-facing and placing the crankshaft 60 mm lower. The induction system was shorted to reduce overhangs, and the radiator was tilted 17 degrees to improve the center of gravity. Compared to the Impreza, the BRZ's engine is placed 120 mm lower and 240 mm further back.
And that's why there's no turbo, and no plans to include one – the engine occupies the space where Subaru would normally bolt one on. They moved so many things around, we don't know why they couldn't have been just as creative with some forced induction, but the company's traditional placement of the intercooler atop the engine simply wouldn't have worked. Subaru plans a longer life-cycle for the car, six to seven years instead of four to five, and it was strongly hinted that we would see a power bump during a mid-cycle refresh – but not a turbocharged bump. We were told as well, though, that this engine will be the base of Subaru's next-generation turbocharged engine.
The engine placement necessitated changes to the front suspension: the MacPherson struts needed to be revised in order to maintain the low profile of the aluminum hood and keep the desired stroke, and the A-arms are reversed, pointing forward. The mounting point has been strengthened by adding an aluminum box section. That aluminum hood saves 15 pounds over the Impreza hood, and of the 400 materials used for the body, there is more high-strength steel on this car than on an Impreza in order to keep weight where it's wanted.
The final numbers: overall height is 50.6 inches with a ground clearance of 4.9 inches, length is 167 inches and wheelbase 101.2 inches, the width is 69.9 inches with a track of 59.8 inches in front and 60.6 inches in the rear. Balance is estimated to be around 53 percent in front, 47 percent in the rear. The company doesn't have official numbers on gas mileage but predicts 30 on the highway.
It's a good looking car, its most poignant ornamentation being the two bulges over the front and rear wheels, its stretched (and non-functional) hood vent a nice touch. The lightweight aluminum wheels are about the only visual cue that strikes us as a little off, or rather, the 245/45 R 17 tires: They're so skinny. Other markets will be offered 16-inch wheels, but we'll only get the 17s. We were told that the BRZ can handle 18-inch, 45-aspect-ratio tires, and we won't be surprised to see them quickly bolted on. On the matter of bolt-ons, though, Subaru won't be offering much alteration to the car off the dealer floor, but we were informed that the STI division is already at work on a host of parts.
The rear wing is optional, part of a performance package that also expands the underfloor treatment. Yet another reversal on this car, the spoiler is only for aerodynamics, not to reduce lift. With the wing in place, the coefficient of drag is actually reduced by less than a point, to 0.27.
Subaru has plenty of experience making the most of black plastic, and the BRZ cabin doesn't let down, with various textures and minor bits of trim like metal-look finishing on the center console and (Legacy) door handles, and contrasting stitching on the shift boot and (Legacy) handbrake handle being enough to break things up. On top of that, the seats are excellent. Large bolsters hug the driver properly, and the canted, adjustable headrest doesn't jut into the back of your head. Specifically designed for this car, they save 2-3 kilos compared to the seats in the Impreza. Base spec will be cloth, which really means cloth bolsters with a "sporty fabric" on the facings, and leather and Alcantra, with leather being on the bolsters. Both of them are nice to behold. The BRZ is classified as a 2+2, and even the back seats are serviceable for passengers of decent height, due to the smaller, saddle-shaped fuel tank they sit atop – if you must, you can fit a front-facing child seat in the rear.
You can also lower the rear seatback, making more room for the 6.9-cubic-foot trunk. With the seats down the cargo bay will hold two standard golf bags, and with the front passenger seat down as well the BRZ can hold a set of racing tires, a helmet and basic tools. Another concession to racers: the instrument panel was designed so that a roll cage could be installed without having to cut through any metal.
We got short stints behind the wheel of both the six-speed manual and the automatic at Subaru's Test and Development Center in Tochigi prefecture, two loops on the high-speed oval (limited to the middle lane) and a couple of blasts around the handling course. The handling course, as one might expect, is tight, and so not really made to show off the BRZ, which we were told was designed for high-speed corners. There was also a short section with two different surfaces imitating American roads, one a typical highway and one a California highway.
We bemoan the lack of manuals in high-end sports cars, but this price segment is wonderfully thick with them and many are delightfully good. The BRZ is no exception. The transmission is from Aisin (the automatic, too), but 80 percent of its components were swapped to enhance feel and quicken shifts, and it was given triple-cone syncros on gears 1 and 3. It has shorter spacing and quicker throws, and runs through its six speeds smartly. Another nod to manual operation is that the pedal rake is different for either transmission, and the pedal throw is shorter on the manual to make heeling-and-toeing easier.
We pulled out onto the oval and worked up to speed. Two hundred horsepower is enough for the sub-2,700-pound coupe, with the urgent-enough grunt, plentiful road feedback and engine noises making it feel like things were happening, but we wouldn't complain about more, a fact which shouldn't surprise you (the BRZ GT's 300 hp, anyone?). We aren't alone: One of the engineers, when asked what how he might alter the coupe, said "For the handling there's nothing to do, but yes, maybe a little more power."
The MT BRZ also sounds like a sports car – it's what the English would call "rorty," with an engine note that fills the cabin whenever you call for action, getting a little help from the sound amplifier. When you get into the meat of the power band beyond 3,000 rpm, the boxer four is asking for attention, at 4,500 rpm it's intense, at 5,500 rpm it's telling you "We gotta make something happen here," and at 7,000 it's a 12-banshee wail. With one hand on the shift knob and the accompanying acoustics, you'll never wonder what gear you're in. Even so, it is mild when you're not pushing it, whether that's puttering around a parking lot or cruising at 90.
In spite of what McHale said were the two handles for getting a grip on the car – "What kind of engine and where it is" – we think the BRZ only needs this one, another McHale statement: "It's about handling." No, make that three: handling, handling, handling. Engine compactness and placement might be how they got to it, but what the BRZ meant to us was the way it dealt with the road.
The stiffness of the BRZ's body and low center of gravity allow the suspension to focus on dealing effectively with the tarmac while also not killing the ride quality. Side benefits of that stiff body, and the help it gives to the suspension, are in details like the tires, which don't need ultra-stiff sidewalls to fight cornering forces. That helps general comfort, too.
There is but a tiny amount of body roll when making quick lane changes at 70 mph, and when in the middle lane of the banked corner at 100 we felt the entire coupe settle – thanks to centrifugal force – but there was no sensation of the passenger's side taking a dive. More telling was lapping the oval in the bottom, flat lane, where we could do 100 miles an hour just as easily as on the bank. The electronic power steering is sorted, with a dash of give so you're not constantly tweaking the wheel but also not sloppy in the least; without the assistance of the banking the steering never called attention to itself. Once we had the wheel set for the radius, there was no concern about getting around at triple-digit speeds – just a hint of the suspension compressing with such little fuss that we were certain we could have gone faster.
Brake dive has also been minimized – in fact, there's practically none. The double-wishbone rear suspension uses the same components as the Impreza WRX STI, but with different geometry and detailing: pillow-ball joints replace rubber bushings on the wishbone arms (the WRX STI has pillow-ball joints on the front, not the rear, while the BRZ doesn't have them up front), hard rubber bushings are used on the trailing arm to keep the rear down, and a special valving was developed for the dampers to provide a suitable compromise between highway hop (over frequent expansion joints as on California highways), roll, maneuverability and stability. Of note, we were told that the Toyota/Scion version has softer suspension settings up front, harder settings in the rear.
The handling course had a top speed of 30 mph through the corners and 45 mph on the straights, which we're not sure if we should admit we broke, but... we did. The BRZ acquitted itself well, the zero-dive braking and turning letting one focus on timing and getting the wheels placed where we wished and keeping them there, which made it easier to get out of the corner – because with "just" 200 hp to play with, every bit of momentum you can maintain is precious gold. The eminently grippable steering wheel is the smallest Subaru makes, at 14.4 inches it's ¾-inch smaller than the next size up, and its 13:1 ratio doesn't demand much sawing to get through hairpins. Pushed as much as we could (noting the Subaru engineers posted at every corner), even with VDC off we were getting to the point of admitting "Now we're just getting crazy" before the front or back end stepped out of line. And yes, you can turn VDC completely off.
In keeping with being told that the car is meant for high-speed cornering, however, the brakes might also see some upgrades before long. They're two-piston up front, single-piston in the rear, and they get a workout even with the car's light weight. Go for broke on a turny, tight course and it won't take long to fill the air with the tangy perfume of hot discs and pads.
The only odd note here was the speedometer. It is placed to the left of the center-position tachometer, with zero at the bottom, and the needle swings clockwise. It has so many hashmarks and numbers that it took too much effort to read, so, à la any Aston Martin, we only looked at the digital speedo inside the tachometer.
Because the BRZ is about handling and does that job so well, we knew we'd be happy in the automatic-equipped version as long as it shifted properly. And ye gods, it did. The Aisin unit is a conventional autobox, reworked by 20 percent to improve its clutches, shift times, gear-holding response and even alterations to its mapping if you're driving uphill or downhill. In both normal and sport modes, it will be happy to stay in the fat of the power band, it will hold gears during cornering and rev-match on the way down. It doesn't always allow downshift multiple gears at once, but there are times when you can hop down two gears instantly depending on engine and car speed.
It has paddle shifters and a manual mode, and if you don't shift at all it will automatically upshift when you're in the overrev. Otherwise, in Sport it will upshift at about 5,500, and you get quicker shifting. The in-cabin sound amplification is set up differently on the automatic, so the cabin is quieter than in the manual. You don't notice it down low or when cruising, but push it some and it's noticeably less raucous inside. It is quick to work the gears when we wanted more juice on the oval, and it did a good job when we left it to shift on the handling course. We probably could get another 15 percent out of it during the artificially limited running, but we suffered no "Hey tranny, what are you doing?" moments. It never let the coupe down, and the package worked well enough that, taking into account its quieter cabin, we can fully admit that the auto will make perfect sense even for people who want a part-time sports car.
To you in Southern California, though, if Subaru's concrete samples were accurate, then you will find that those nasty, grooved highways like the 10 and 405 are not kind when it comes to cabin noise.
When the BRZ goes on sale next March it will come standard with navigation, the 6.1-inch display, 196-watt AM/FM/single CD stereo, iPod and USB connections and Bluetooth, and heated mirrors. Options will be few, namely convenience items like the leather and Alcantara buckets, heated seats, dual-zone climate control and keyless access.
Subaru doesn't expect high volumes for the car, just 5,000 to 7,000 per year. The Cayman comparisons aren't out of place, nor is the suggestion – again made by McHale – that Subaru built a car that feels like a sports car from 20 or 30 years ago. True, it isn't a Cayman, but it will cost easily 20 grand less than a Cayman* and yet provides easily more than seven-tenths of the Cayman's pure cornering ability, and that's probably closer to eight-tenths, but we won't know until we get more time with the car. And it does bring back happy days of yore passed on Midwestern back roads in '80s Celica Supras and Preludes and first-gen Miatas. Those were good times, and so is the BRZ.
The asterisk is because we still don't know pricing, which we were told should come sometime around next February's Chicago Auto Show, and we think price will play an exceptionally heavy role in this car's fate. We heard every number from $22,000 to "somewhere around the WRX," which is $25,595, to $28,000. Of the broad competitive set Subaru listed, a 210-hp Genesis 2.0T Coupe starts at $22,250, a 300-hp V6 Mustang is $23,105, the Mazda Miata is $23,190 and the RX-8 is $26,795.
There is no doubt about whether the car does what it was built to do – it handles terrifically, it sounds great especially if you're a fan of high-revving fours, it's a solid shifter with either transmission and a pleasant cabin. Yet Subaru hasn't played in this space before and they're expecting this to be a conquest vehicle. We think in order to give it the attention it deserves it needs to have a price that makes it impossible to ignore, at least for a test drive and serious think. Having not driven its biggest competitor and close twin yet, the Scion FR-S, we'll say for now that if Subaru can put a good sticker on the BRZ's window, then – as the engineer suggested to us – it needs nothing else.
Except maybe a little more power, because we're greedy like that.
As a guy who's dream-car list as a kid included the Mazda Miata and the Datsun 240Z, I must say this car sounds better and better as these first-drive reviews start trickling in.
I am very, very excited for this car.
Pleasantly surprised to hear the comments on the powerband as well.
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Originally Posted by skyxx
Sonick is a genius. I won't go into detail what's so great about his post. But it's damn good!
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