Subaru BRZ
Time to give our coupé’s stability control system a workout
Going sideways is as easy as ‘ESP’
WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT
Is there a better bargain driver’s car? We don’t think so but need to be sure…
SKIDS ARE FUN, don’t you think? Over-rotate the rear and let the car slide along and – poof – a shot of adrenaline and an accompanying rush of endorphins are pumped into your brain and you feel exhilarated. Brilliant, isn’t it?
Well, yes, it is, unless you pile the back end of your drift-mobile into something hard, like a kerb. Then it’s not brilliant. I can tell you that from first-hand experience. A wiser driver might be inclined to leave some form of electronic assistance on when they fancy ‘getting the rear out’, to prevent such a scenario.
The BRZ can cater to this because, since the 2017 facelift, it comes with its ESP set at a raised threshold, made possible thanks to the fitment of firmer dampers and a variety of parts that increase chassis rigidity. This makes the car more predictable and therefore reduces the need for nanny ESP to step in and save the day – which is very good news because, ultimately, many enthusiasts buy sports cars to have fun in. Knowing you can do more of the driving with less intervention is a good thing.
I attempted to gauge the effectiveness of the ESP system earlier this year at Brands Hatch. I toggled between its three new settings – On, Track (in place of Sport) and ESP Off – but the weather was too good to really notice the difference in the latter pair. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to take the BRZ to Thruxton Circuit’s skid pan. There, with the ESP fully on, the Subaru is remarkably easy to drive, even on a surface as ice-like as Thruxton’s facility. You can try to power, turn and brake aggressively, but the system overrides your commands, limits torque and applies the brakes to any wheel that slips to ensure that both axles are travelling in the same direction. It’s pretty much foolproof.
Want to get slippy-slidey? Then switch to Track. In this mode, the wheels spin up, the front pushes and the rear rotates. Powering through the slalom section of Thruxton’s skid pan is a nerve-wracking experience and the car snatches and drifts. The ESP intervenes at about 20deg of slip, which is enough to look cool but ensures you continue pointing in the right direction.
ESP Off illustrates just how effective Track mode is, because it becomes nigh-on impossible to maintain control through the slalom. The BRZ is a well-balanced car, but its Michelin Primacy HPS are no match for the skid pan and I just make myself dizzy with spin after spin. Even in this driving mode, the ESP is still on just a teeny bit. It turns out you can’t fully turn it off, although the only evidence of its presence during my countless spins is a f lashing orange light.
Am I disappointed there’s no mode to completely disable the ESP in the Subaru? Not in this case, because, unlike other ESP systems, the BRZ’S ESP Off is clearly not there to intervene, but rather to reduce the speed of impact if you’re about to stuff it. It’s not a crash-preventing ESP – it has too little effect to be that. It’s an injury-reducing ESP, and I’m okay with that.