Subaru boxes clever with BRZ

The BRZ has proved to be a Subaru like no other before, produced as part of a joint project with Toyota to breathe new life into an affordable rear-wheel drive coupe market that was once so vibrant.

This car doesn’t need to be concussively quick, for the real joy in driving it comes through the tactility of its controls and the purity of its handling.

Now it’s been usefully updated with a smarter look, more sophisticated infotainment and sharper handling.

The BRZ came about as part of a joint project with Toyota, who wanted a return to the affordable sports car market but didn’t have the production or the development capacity for it.

Subaru provided both, creating what they see as a sports car in the classic sense – rear wheel drive with a frontengined layout, a low centre of gravity and a high-revving engine.

Having perfected the recipe, Toyota supplied the exterior design and production began at a purpose-built plant, both of the BRZ and its nearidentical Toyota counterpart, the GT86.

Apparently, the BRZ’s name tells you everything you need to know about this car. B stands for Boxer engine, R for Rear wheel drive and Z for Zenith – the ultimate in affordable thrills.

Is that what this is?

From an early glance at the stats, you might wonder. There’s nothing especially startling here, the two-litre flat-four engine producing 197bhp, enough to get you to 60 from rest in 7.6s on the way to a top speed of 143mph.

Plenty of comparably priced hot hatches can match or beat that. But none of them can deliver the driving experience on offer from this Subaru.

It’s a normally aspirated, frontengined, rear-wheel drive coupe. For a keen driver, the recipe doesn’t get much purer.

Plumb in a boxer engine that helps it to a centre of gravity lower than a Ferrari 458, add a proper mechanical limited slip differential and offer a six-speed manual gearbox with three beautifully spaced aluminium-plated pedals in the footwell and you have what most would agree is a very good start.

There’s a simplicity to its controls, a delicacy and tactility to the steering and the pedals that offer the keen driver so much. Improvements for this revised version include refinements to the engine and drivetrain, plus redesigned dampers that reduce body roll and a new track driving mode for circuit use.

Inside, a 4.2in colour LCD multiinformation display has been added into the instrument panel. The display features a G force meter, steering angle gauge, brake force gauge, lap timer and torque/power curves for bringing out the sportier side of any driver. The steering wheel has also been redesigned into a smaller package with different leather to increase the driver’s grip for a more engaging experience and is finished off with audio control switches.

As before, you’ll need a budget of around £26,000-£28,000 for this car and, also as before, it’s priced slightly below its more familiar Toyota GT86 design stablemate.

There’s only one trim level – SE Lux – and buyers get the £1,500 option of a paddleshift auto gearbox.

The upgraded cabin quality means you’ll feel more comfortable about paying that money this time round.

Of course, the cabin could still feel more luxurious, the engine could be cleaner and more refined and the whole package needs to be thrashed before it’ll give off its best.

But correcting these things would add weight and dilute the very essence of this car, so instead Subaru has focused on the things that really matter.

The result is a car you’ll enjoy very much.

For a keen driver, the recipe doesn’t get much purer

Subaru’s BRZ has been updated, with a bit more technology and an even more engaging driving experience.