Just the car for a trip to petrolhead heaven
chassis has been stiffened and the stability control system revised.
The 2.0-litre boxer-four (a nonturbo version of that fitted in the mental WRX STi) has a new camshaft, cylinder head and valves, as well as redesigned inlet and exhaust manifolds to improve air flow. All of this only adds an extra five bhp (up to just over 200) but it keeps the performance positively peppy. The exterior has a redesigned, lower front bumper with headlamps, fog lamps and rear lights all now LED and there is a sporty new rear wing.
Like it’s Toyota GT86 near identical twin sister, the frontengined, rear-wheel drive 2+2 BRZ is more about handling than straight-line speed. It is great on twisty roads and clearly would be a hoot on the track - which is probably why another change for the 2017 model is the addition of a track mode on the drive selector which, sadly, I did not get the opportunity to try out.
For an inexpensive sports car it’s quite well equipped, too. There is only one trim available, which is comparable to the range topping, and somewhat more expensive, Toyota GT86 Pro.
Standard kit includes: 17” alloy wheels, a leather and alcantara interior, heated front seats, keyless entry and start, climate control, sat-nav, DAB radio, paddleshifters, cruise control, reversing camera and a limited slip diff.
The only extra our car came with was the one thing I would criticise - the £1,250 Alpine infotainment/ sat-nav system which was frustrating fiddly to use.
It was also a six-speed automatic, which would not be the first choice for sports car purists as it adds around half a second to the 0 to 62 time and a further £1,500 to the price.
I have previously tested the original GT 86 and, as well as it being cheaper, I think the BRZ is a better buy because it feels a bit more hard core and focused - a true sports car. That is probably because it contains much more Subaru than Toyota with the former tweaking things a little better in their version. Also the BRZ has sold far fewer in the UK so it is more likely to be a future classic.
Our car certainly proved to be lots of fun during the Silverstone weekend and a couple of times got me out of trouble during over ambitions cornering or braking.
Facts and figures wise the auto gets to 62 in a noisy 8.2 seconds and can go on to 130mph (manual 7.6 and 140mph) while it is reasonably frugal at a claimed 39.8 mpg combined. I managed a respectable 34 considering I was keeping up with our party’s other vehicle - a new Focus RS which was being driven in a somewhat manly manner.
Prices for the BRX start at £26,495 for the manual model with our SE Lux Auto being £27,995 on the road - which I would argue is great value in terms of smiles per mile.