Thoughts on Subaru BRZ

[Farmer Fran]

At 2800lbs seems like it would be pretty fun to toss around.

Anyone have experience with them?

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[robvas]

Deduct 5 points for it having a Subaru engine

 

[Will2]

Test drove a few, including from CarMax so I could really "feel it out". This is all referring to the 2nd gen GR86, the 1st gens are weaker and older and I never considered them.

- I was actually satisfied with the acceleration/power
- Brakes (at least on the base model) felt surprisingly weak
- Doesn't break traction and do burnouts/donuts as easily as I hoped. Maybe can get a little slip angle action on twisty roads a little easier, but I didn't test that
- Low running costs
- GR86 running 91/93 octane = same fuel cost as a V8 running 87. The small engine's actually not efficient
- Insurance cost is similar to a Mustang GT, very high insurance cost for its power level because kids are constantly crashing them
- IMO these are too expensive for what they offer compared to Mustang Ecoboost/GT

 

[kagemusha2662]

Test drove the twins as well and my friend owns one which he lets me drive. For the money, they're probably the best sports car for value. Similar to the Miata, the performance out of the box is enough to have tons of fun at track days. People will say they are "slow", but of course when comparing them with high horsepower cars like the Mustang or Camaro, the 0-60/drag strip times will be slow. But because they're so light, they really do feel like the closest thing to go-karts in a car. I think for the next generation, if they throw in the GR Corolla engine or can hit 300 hp with the same weight, that would be something extremely special. As they are though, I would recommend anyone go drive one if they can

 

[Kevi]

I always thought they were expensive and underpowered. Same 200hp engine as any other little shitbox. I'd buy a used C7 vette if I wanted a pure track car.

 

[kagemusha2662]

I always thought they were expensive and underpowered. I'd buy a used C7 vette if I wanted a pure track car.

you can find moderately used ones for 20-25k

 

[LouG]

I had an original Toyota GT86. It was great fun, handled like a go kart, drifted if you so much as thought about it. But it had a stupid torque curve with a hole in the mid range, so it was OK pottering around town, and quick enough to be fun if you rang it's neck, but a PIA if you were just driving briskly and needed some instant go.
Build quality was rubbish.

 

[Farmer Fran]

2025 Subaru BRZ Review, Pricing, and Specs


Specifications

2024 Subaru BRZ tS
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 2-door coupe
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $36,465/$36,465
ENGINE
DOHC 16-valve flat-4, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection
Displacement: 146 in3, 2387 cm3
Power: 228 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque: 184 lb-ft @ 3700 rpm
TRANSMISSION
6-speed manual
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 12.8-in vented disc/12.4-in vented disc
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4
215/40R-18 85Y
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 101.4 in
Length: 167.9 in
Width: 69.9 in
Height: 51.6 in
Passenger Volume: 48 ft3
Trunk Volume: 6 ft3
Curb Weight: 2860 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.5 sec
100 mph: 13.7 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.0 sec @ 101 mph
120 mph: 21.1 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.5 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 8.9 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 8.1 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 140 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 157 ft
Braking, 100–0 mph: 320 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.97 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 23 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 32 mpg
75-mph Highway Range: 420 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 22/20/27 mpg

 

[Farmer Fran]

The 2025 Subaru BRZ tS is a new sports car you will NOT regret buying!

Joe is pretty good.

 

[MMM981]

Before we bought the S650, we cross shopped this car and drove one with the sports suspension and bigger brakes.
Pro:
Eager acceleration, nice manual gear box, great brakes. Styling was OK
Con:
This is a small car--reminded us of our old 1991 Miata. suspension was so taunt you could constant up/down motions on the highway, interior was minimalist and cheap looking.
Interior noise was an issue.

The price for the sport model was $37k and they weren't discounting.

Seemed like a lot of $ for a car that looked cheap inside and and hot some reported reliability issues. Bought a base GT the following week.

 

[TonyP66]

With VW out of the game on manual trans for the GTI and R this is definitely a contender at that price point, much like the WRX. So much power in such a light car hahaha. Sat in one at the auto show this year and if I was looking for something smaller think it could be fun.

It was pretty tight in that cockpit......

 

[TheYankeeMarshal]

At 2800lbs seems like it would be pretty fun to toss around.

Anyone have experience with them?

I just got out of a Subaru WRX and considered a BRZ. They are fun and all, and great for tuners and modders, but for the average driver they get old fast due to lack of power. A Miata is a lot more fun because it is smaller and you can put the top down to give the illusion of speed.

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