A SPORTS CAR THAT’S LIGHT, PLAYFUL AND AFFORDABLE
Car enthusiasts are a stubborn bunch. They chide automakers for building boring appliances devoid of soul and feedback, and for cramming an alphabet soup’s worth of driving assists and technology down their throats. “We want a simple and fun rear-wheel-drive sports car! And we don’t want it to cost a penny over $30,000!”
Trouble is, when an automaker actually comes trough and gives enthusiasts what they supposedly want, they’re met with crickets.
Case in point: the Subaru BRZ. On paper, it’s the perfect affordable sports car. Two doors, manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive is a solid formula, but after nearly seven years on the market, this plucky little number is largely unloved and ignored. Maybe it’s because it isn’t a crossover, or because Subaru (and Toyota) refuse to give it more power. Whatever it is, the BRZ deserves more love, because — hope you’re ready for this hot take — it’s still a damn good car. Period.
At the heart of the BRZ is Subaru’s familiar 2.0-litre boxer four-cylinder engine. Putting out 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque, it’s hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. For the most part, it’s a good combination. It loves to be wrung out, melting away most qualms you have about it needing more power. But if you do care about such metrics, the BRZ does the zero-to-100 km/h sprint in the mid six-second range.
Yes, like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, a V6-powered Sienna will outrun you at a stoplight. But, like the Miata, that’s not what the BRZ is about. It’s not a pointand-shoot type of car; you need to pay attention to your RPMs and gears, and your hands and feet.
The BRZ is a satisfying driver’s car. You sit low to the ground, the seats are well bolstered, and steering is communicative and incredibly responsive. It’s a bit disappointing to see Subaru succumbing to buttons on the steering wheel. And it does ride stiff over bumps and is loud on the highway, but come on, the BRZ is a sports car — it lets you carry a fair bit of speed through tight corners and stays remarkably flat and composed when you push it.
The six-speed manual is a bit of a mixed bag. While the BRZ is an absolute riot to bang through the gears, downshifting can be frustrating. Going from third to second, the shifter sometimes catches on the reverse lockout, lending to some less-than-graceful handiwork.
The BRZ doesn’t quite become an extension of your mind and body, but the footprint is rather small and the car itself feels pleasantly mechanical. You’re actually in control when you sit behind the wheel, and there isn’t a collection of computers programmed to make you look like a better driver than you really are.
Oh, sure, you can tailor when the stability and traction control intervenes, but that’s about it. Fans of active exhaust systems, line lock, and launch control need not apply. Hell, you don’t even get blind-spot monitoring, automatic braking, or various proximity sensors.
You do, however, get Subaru’s snazzy Starlink infotainment system. Controlled through a seven-inch touch screen, it’s rather intuitive and includes all the usual refinements — GPS navigation, Bluetooth, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and whatnot. The gauges are clear and well marked, and save for the lack of an armrest, ergonomics are mostly on point — as long as you stay out of the back seats. There’s even a real trunk! The layout is more than intuitive — knobs and some nifty toggle-switches handle climate control duties — and materials are mostly top-notch, for the price.
Ah yes, the price. This particular tester is the Raiu edition. Much like the WRX Raiu we evaluated last year, this limited-edition model is named after the Japanese word for thunderstorm and is limited to just 100 examples. Based on the fully loaded BRZ Sport-tech RS, the Raiu tops out at $33,795, a premium of about $2,000 over the “standard” Sport-tech RS.
The Raiu gets a discreet but sharp-looking lip kit, gunmetal 17-inch wheels, and a colour Subaru calls Cool Grey Khaki.
Being based on the Sport-tech RS, you also get such goodies as a Torsen limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, and SACHS performance dampers, and the Raiu comes only with the manual transmission.
You can save a few bills and go for the standard Sport-tech RS, at $31,895, or go for the base BRZ at $27,995. It’s a good value, especially considering the Toyota 86 is about $2,000 more.
Yes, Subaru (and Toyota) are stingy about extra horses — it launched with 200, and seven years later, we’re up to 205 — but the BRZ is nonetheless a gem. It’s a lightweight, playful, and reasonably affordable sports car that you can get away with driving year-round (with the right tires, of course).