My last assignment was a white van so I was grateful to learn I was getting a two door sports car for the week. Unfortunately I’m not 29 anymore.
To look at, the Subaru BRZ is beautiful. There’s a mix of hard lines and curves in all the right places. This new model is completely restyled inside and out. And Subaru have made it better in all aspects. So much better that they exhausted the first allocation and the Subaru website proudly displays the SOLD OUT sticker.
And once you’re inside, and driving, the Subaru BRZ rewards the driver with a performance worth getting in the queue for.
The thing you don’t want to do with the BRZ is to get out; And in; And out again. It’s too low to the ground for anyone over 30. This isn’t a criticism, it’s just not a car to run errands in. It belongs on the race track or open road where you can drive it. The longer the drive, the more I enjoyed it.
The auto is the model for coffee drinkers. The manual loses a cup holder which was in the perfect place for the morning coffee. And it’s not just the coffee drinkers; I had the chance to drive both in a range of road and traffic conditions.; and I would not recommend the manual option.
You need to be passionate about manual gearboxes to own one. It’s tedious in urban areas. On the racetrack it may provide some minor benefits, but so does driver training which would help you get quicker lap times with an auto.
As you would expect the rear seats aren’t for passengers (even the small ones) It’s so small on the inside that there’s a 12V charger in the glovebox because there’s not much space in the console to store anything while its charging. Its a generous sized glovebox so you can fit some tissues and sunglasses as well.
The switches and buttons support the exterior styling and sports car appeal. I did chuckle when looking for the cruise control. It’s the same stork Toyota used since the nineties model Camry and the only reminder that the BRZ is a joint venture with the Toyota 86.
Because it’s a sports car there isn’t much sound absorption so you hear and feel everything. Looking in the boot reminds you of the car’s purpose; it’s very sparse. The exposed full size spare creates a look similar to exposed bricks in a warehouse conversion.
On the inside the designers haven’t missed the sports car/fighter jet brief. There’s a consistent feel to the seat trim, instruments and switches which allows you to play Danger Zone at full blast and dream about being an extra in Maverick.
This car will appeal to the younger owner, or an enthusiast with a four car garage. Hopefully Subaru sell enough volume of the BRZ to create a good used car market because I think with a lower price point there will be plenty of boy/girl racers lining up to own one in a few years.
