2022 Subaru BRZ First Drive – Launch Review

After months of speculation, delay, and a considerable amount of anticipation, Subaru’s new BRZ is finally here, and it is a peach.

The outgoing model has been with us for almost a decade, and for good measure, Subaru laid on a couple to compare. This wilful excess burst into full flower on the track, where there is nowhere to hide.

The original BRZ was a success from the start, zooming to the top of the pops to become an instant classic. It must have been a terrifying act to follow, but follow it they did. At first glance, the designers appear to have been rather lazy, just laying a bit of tracing paper over a photo of the old model. But not a bit of it, it is not a matter of tossing a chintz throw over a fraying arm. BRZ is all new.

At the heart of every BRZ is that deliciously punchy flat-4. Like the rest of the design, the boxer is not just the old frock with a new pair of knickers. It is a new 2.4L unit with 173kw and 240Nm. I begged for a teeny turbo, but my prayers have gone as unanswered this time as they were last time. It might sound like a tale of woe, but there is a certain advantage to an engine that breathes on its own. There is no lag, something you can’t say about BRZ’s butcher sister, the WRX.

That brings us the next point, BRZ is a classic sports car, with proper rear wheel drive. The 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic should satisfy most tastes, and they’ve been given a bit of spit and polish as befits one of the very few sports coupés in the segment.

All 500 units offered in the first sitting were snapped up in moments. Diners for the next sitting will be able to register interest soon. Inchape PR manager, Chloe Fraser, was unable to confirm numbers and timing but assures us that announcements are imminent.

Full Specifications HERE: MY22 Subaru BRZ Specs

Above: This Week – 2022 Subaru BRZ first drive, Local launch, Track Day Review

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ABOVE: 2022 Subaru BRZ, 2022 Subaru WRX Sedan and Wagon (preview)

The Body:

The FR platform has again spawned a subdued beauty. The voluptuous lines have a purpose, as do the vents, creases, and scallops. They direct air in and around BRZ to aid cooling nd performance. Like WRX, BRZ is designed to be both slippery and stable.

The roof is now aluminium, joining the mudguards, bonnet, and wheel hubs, in the lucky 13 club. If the extravagant use of Al. seems excessive, consider the strength and weight savings, where it then becomes money well spent. There is 50% of added rigidity which you feel under your bum the second you move off the mark, but more about that later.

Those clever little men in white coats have saved so much weight, that the new coupé only weighs between 3 and 7kg more than the old model. Hoorah! That took some doing considering all the new gear on board.

Some have said the new model is merely a heavy makeover of the old model, but this is a load of old balderdash. The panels are not interchangeable, thus the moniker, “all-new”.

Head and tail lights are LED, and by way of a party trick, the bendy-twisty headlights turn with the steering wheel, something you only really appreciate on a very dark country road.

Full Specifications HERE: MY22 Subaru BRZ Specs

The Cabin:

I want you to remember that you’re in a coupé costing mere pennies, so don’t expect a cockpit dripping with luxury. I don’t mean to infer a poverty-stricken execution, it is far from it.

Fixtures and fittings feel properly solid, as with all Subarus. There are hints of Toyota here and there, mainly in the cheesy fonts, particularly on the LCD readouts. The Joint Subaru/Toyota project is produced in a Subaru factory, so expect almost everything to have a Subaru stamp whether it is a BRZ, or a GR 86.

At first glance, the feel and look is more than slightly reminiscent of its laudable predecessor, but look again.

There is an easy-to-read digital dash in place of the rather cheap-looking instruments. The steering wheel has buttons for cruise control and audio, and the infotainment system has a large 8” screen. You get the latest DAB+ as well as wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Were I to be picky, I’d have a quiet bitch about the lack of wireless CarPlay, but one can’t have everything. Sound quality more than makes up for it, so there’s that.

Seating is comfy, with ultra-sued used lavishly in the top model. You’re hugged in all the right places and at the right times, but the rear seats are trophy spaces only. You’d do well just to sneak a couple of DJ’s bags in, so consider them decoration only.

Full Specifications HERE:

The Drive:

God Damn!

After a shortish road loop, I was in love. I’d fallen for the sharp steering and sophisticated ride. You get a well-tuned sports-car suspension setup, so expect firm but fair. Your bits will jiggle about of course, but no organs were re-arranged during the researching of this review.

I’m about to say something shocking: on the road, I prefer the silky automatic.

In fact, it is a pearler on the track as well. To be truly torn between transmissions is unique, but there it is. The manual is a delight, with a beautiful feel to the clutch. The gates have been smoothed out to make quick changes feel less notchy.  That may sound odd, but it allows cross-gate selection easier, something you’ll love on a track.

If I could put in a small order for the upgrade, it would be a rev-matching option to be added in the facelift.

The manual misses out on many of the Eyesight driver and safety aids too, including smart cruise control.

Next, an hour on a skidpan competing in a mini-karna.

With the skidpan’s moistness further enhanced by built-in sprinklers, the BRZs puddled their way through startling starts, brisk braking, and sudden steering. Some couldn’t resist the urge to circumnavigate a series of cones sideways. Funnily enough, those same suspects sans’d the traction control on the track, with dire results.

Needless to say, I rated nary a mention when prizes were proffered, but no matter, it is the most fun you can have sitting down.

Next, we took to the small loop at Sydney Motorsport Park with gay abandon.

Rally Champ, Molly Taylor, is as at home in the deserts of the Dakar, as she is in bends of outer burbs Eastern Creek. Don’t be fooled by her disarming manner, for behind the wheel, she is the devil incarnate. She shows absolutely no fear, and reminds me of the late, great, Sabine Schmitz, Queen of the Nürburgring.

Keeping up with her is hard enough, even if she is taking is easy. Only 24 hours after finishing her Dakar run, Molly led three BRZs onto the track, like warriors unto war. She was to act as our pace car, keeping proceedings to a dull roar, and it was just as well.

A light sprinkle made the track downright nasty, and although some publications chose to remove the safety of traction control, I left mine firmly on. It’s worth noting the usual suspects lost control by overestimating their talent, and underdetermining the conditions.

I felt the rear develop a lively tendency, but that was as naught when going into a corner too hot. The understeer in moist conditions caused much angst, where some wee may have come out.

There are some very tight turns, but the small loop is designed to be fun and furious without the added danger of 180kph straights. In sketchy weather, disaster would surely follow. We kept it tight, mostly. This is where downshifting brought a pleasing wiggle as the engine asked more of the rear tyres than was reasonable. Oh, for rev-matching! One chirp followed another, but we tarried not.

In the film, the sound track features a freely spinning boxer begging for more. Taking it by the scruff of the neck makes you smile and sweat in equal measure, with code brown moments aplenty.

After missing one apex after another, it was time to passenger up with our old friend, Guy Stewart. In the hands of a driving professional, the BRZ takes on an edgy, thuggish, personality. Guy pushed it far harder than I would dare, even on my best day. Whether we were near the raggedy edge, only Guy can say, but I rather fancy he won’t. All I know is, I had a ball. Thanks Guy.

The new car is vastly superior in every way that counts.

For those who fancy themselves a threat to Lewis, take BRZ a step further, but I challenge you to find more fun for the price.

Full Specifications HERE: MY22 Subaru BRZ Specs

Safety and driver aids:

I admit to staring soporifically into the ether after perusing the specs list, especially when it comes to comparing the manual to the auto. All BRZ’s are not  e qual.

As with the sexy AF WRX, BRZ manuals feel fab, but feature frequent foibles in the “let us help you” department. I speak of course, of the driver and safety aids. Alas, AEB, or Autonomous Emergency braking, cannot be gotten if there is a 3rd peddle. Likewise, rear auto braking is also axed.

In fact, manuals miss out of Eyesight altogether.

EyeSight Driver Assist includes:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Lane Departure Warning
  • Lane Sway Warning
  • Lead Vehicle Start Alert
  • Pre-Collision Braking System
  • Pre-Collision Brake Assist
  • Pre-Collision Throttle Management

Most of those features needs to have full control of the throttle, so obviously bringing a car to a halt would be undesirous with a clutch operated car.

What I cannot understand is that only the automatic BRZ’s get High Beam Assist. What is this nonsense?

Full Specifications HERE: MY22 Subaru BRZ Specs

Conclusion:

We’re saving more for our full review with both a manual and automatic booked in over the coming weeks. Suffice to say All New BRZ is a much-improved car. They’ve kept the same basic shape but have shoehorned in the modern gear drivers now want. It handles better, has more power, and is generally more fun.

Price:

BRZ Coupe (manual) $38,990

BRZ Coupe (automatic) $42,790

BRZ Coupe S (manual) $40,190

BRZ Coupe S (automatic) $43,990

  • Engine: 2.4 boxer/flat four Petrol
  • Power: 174kw/250Nm
  • Econ: 9.5L/100k (8.8 for auto)
  • Fuel: 98ron
  • CO2: 217gm/km
  • Emissions: Euro 6b
  • Trans: 6-speed manual or automatic
  • Tank: 50L
  • Weight: 1286 – 1310kg

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