Test Drive: 2013 Subaru BRZ

First Drive: 2013 Subaru BRZ

Manufacturer’s web site
Subaru Canada

By Mike Schlee
Photos by Mike Schlee and Jonathan Yarkony

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2013 Subaru BRZ

“Don’t Believe the Hype”

Public Enemy taught me these words as an adolescent and they have stuck with me ever since. Through my 32 years, I have learned that, more often than not, the more something gets hyped up, the more it will disappoint me. Crystal Pepsi, Windows 2000, Transformers 2, and the Slap Chop have all failed to live up to their billing. But the highly hyped 2013 Subaru BRZ? Oh, that doesn’t disappoint; not even slightly. Now I am not going to turn this review into one of those silly pieces claiming that the BRZ is the best car ever made and owning a Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, or Audi R8 over it would be a colossal waste of money. But, for the price point, it is truly an automotive gem.

2013 Subaru BRZ. Click image to enlarge

The Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, and Toyota GT 86 triplets (the GT 86 available only in other markets) are probably the most hyped new cars since the 2007 R35 Nissan GT-R rolled onto our shores. Being that it is still brand new, the BRZ garners attention everywhere. Heads swivel through the city to catch a glimpse of it, people chase it down on the highway to snap some smartphone pics, and when camping with it at the Grand Prix of Mosport, I had to turn into a pseudo-salesman as every third person who passed my campsite wanted more information on it. The wait is finally over, though; the Scion FR-S has been on sale for a few weeks now and the BRZ is starting to arrive at dealerships as you read this.

The BRZ’s primary goal is to excel at driver engagement and fun behind the wheel. The second I began driving the BRZ, the engine-speed-sensitive, electric power rack-and-pinion steering showed that Subaru had done its research on steering feel. The steering is downright heavenly; anyone who wants to know why I go on and on about steering feel and steering feedback needs to drive one of these cars. The balance in the chassis is damn near perfect and there is a complete absence of body roll. The BRZ is actually quite willing to kick the backend out despite a lack of torque.

Being that the lone power source for this Subaru is a 2.0L direct-injection flat-four engine, power is mediocre at best. But engagement with a manual transmission and that growling engine note make it fun to row through the gears. My test car came equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, a decent unit requiring moderate effort to engage the solid, tight gates. The 2.0L produces 200 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, and Subaru claims that manual-equipped versions of the BRZ will hit 60 mph (98 km/h) in 7.7 seconds. Not exactly face-melting speed, but it doesn’t really matter, because all I wanted to do was get to the next bend in the road to put the standard Torsen limited-slip differential to work.

And work it will. The BRZ’s standard and only available stock tire option are the 215/45R17 Michelin Primacy HP units mounted on 17-inch rims. These tires belong more on a sedan than a sports coupe and definitely lack grip as they squeal early and often. It is almost like Subaru selected these tires on purpose to lower the BRZ’s handling limits and allow drivers to explore them safely and within legal speeds. No matter what the rationale, it sure does make the car a blast to drive, if a bit attention-getting. The 1,255-kg BRZ can be modulated in moderate speed corners between slight oversteer and slight understeer using the gas pedal despite the paltry torque numbers. These tires allow this to be done at a lower, controllable limit than many other modern sports cars, which makes it both attainable for non-professional drivers and fun.

Senior Editor Jonathan Yarkony and I did have issue with the brakes, though. They take quite a bit of effort to engage, which is a bit disconcerting at first; but once applied, they work great. Maybe the electronic brake-force distribution could be calibrated better, or maybe it had something to do with the specific BRZ we were driving that showed signs of scoring on both front brake rotors already.

2013 Subaru BRZ. Click image to enlarge

The BRZ’s ride is also very harsh. Yes, a sports car will have a rough ride, but this is one of the roughest out there, harder than a Mazda MX-5 or a Mini Cooper JCW. Despite this harsh ride, the suspension itself is quiet, and the car is rattle-free. It will be interesting to see how the interior of the BRZ holds up after 50,000 km of hammering down on roads and tracks.

Many people ask what the differences between the Subaru BRZ and FR-S are. Aside from some minor suspension calibrations, it has to do with content. For the extra $1,300, I personally would take the base BRZ featured in this review over the FR-S. Granted it isn’t available in as many colours, but the front end treatment with the standard manual leveling HID headlights, daytime running LED lighting system and standard GPS navigation wins me over.

While on the topic of options and pricing, take note that the $27,295 Subaru BRZ tested here achieves that price point by omitting some luxuries people may expect in a brand new 2013 model car approaching $30K. There are no steering wheel mounted buttons, the HVAC controls feature basic operation, there are no heated seats and, with the a touchscreen radio that looks like an afterthought not properly integrated into the dash, the interior is devoid of buttons and controls in general. What we have here is a purpose-built sports car.

Now, that is not to say the interior is a Spartan wasteland you would not want to spend any time in. The black front seats feature red stitching and are both comfortable as well as very supportive for spirited driving. The rest of the interior is finished with hard and soft touch materials with some looking great and others that are plain ugly. The Pioneer in-dash touchscreen navigation and audio is easy enough to use, once I figured it out, but still frustrating in its operation. Those not technologically savvy will hate it and never figure it out. I had to give Jonathan a five-minute tutorial just so he could find a radio station and connect his Bluetooth, even though he claims to be tech-savvy (with an abacus, maybe). He did say that once instructed in the basic premise of the system, it became fairly easy to operate.

The basically useless rear seats can have their seatback folded down, which reveals a true flat loading floor. This transforms the small 196 L trunk into a massive storage facility into which I fit: an 8-person tent, 2 coolers, a 10-foot pop-up tent, a queen-size air mattress, overnight bags, computer bags, and various other odds and ends in with room to spare.

The final trick up the BRZ’s wheel well is impressive fuel economy. Despite turning a high 3,250 rpm at 120 km/h and 2,700 rpm at 100 km/h, the BRZ manual is officially rated at 9.6 L/100 km city and 6.6 L/100 km highway. I averaged 9.1 L/100 km during my week with the car with a balanced mix of highway, city, and ‘spirited’ driving. Two interesting nuances to note about this little Subaru are that the air conditioner temporarily blows out warm air if you are hard on the gas and that the speedometer has been calibrated to be bang on (as opposed to slightly higher than the actual speed as found in most vehicles).

After seven days with the vehicle, the question I got asked the most about the BRZ was, “What does it drive like?” To me, the BRZ is a mix of the Mazda MX-5, Honda S2000, and Mazda RX-8. It has taken good traits from those three vehicles, and stuffed them into an efficient, affordable package. Many people talk about the best bang for the buck, or the most pounds per dollar when discussing vehicles. I have a third measure I like to use; the most smiles per dollar. For years the MX-5 has held this crown, but no longer. Nothing on sale today provides more smiles per dollar than the Subaru BRZ; and it is good on gas as well—even more smiles. If I were in the market for a new car, without question, this would be my purchase right now.