2013 BRZ First Drive
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2013 BRZ First Drive
http://www.insideline.com/subaru/brz...rst-drive.html
Sounds like a winner to me.
A firm yank of the shifter into 2nd gear and the BRZ lays a small stripe with a chirp. There may only be a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder under the aluminum hood, but it definitely has some kick. In fact, the all-new flat-4, or "FA" engine as Subaru calls it, can deliver nearly all of its 150 pound-feet of torque at just 2,800 rpm...
...When we snap the gearbox into 3rd there's yet another chirp from the tires. There's no doubt about it now, the BRZ gets its power to the ground very efficiently. Subaru says it uses more than 400 different variations of high-strength steel in the body of the BRZ to give it plenty of rigidity while keeping the curb weight in check. The result is a BRZ that came in under its target weight at 2,690 pounds according to Subaru. That's about 100 pounds less than a Honda Civic Si, and it feels like it, too
This 2013 Subaru BRZ is not for lightweights. Anyone who picks one up merely because it's nice-looking and gets decent mileage (estimated 30 mpg highway) will likely end up hating it. The ride is too stiff, the engine is too noisy and the tires are too loud. In other words, this is a car for true enthusiasts.
Granted, it's not terribly fast and probably won't lay down eye-popping track numbers, but it gets the basics right. A lively, predictable chassis, plenty of usable power and two different transmissions that both work exactly the way they should. Not to mention fully defeatable stability and traction control.
...When we snap the gearbox into 3rd there's yet another chirp from the tires. There's no doubt about it now, the BRZ gets its power to the ground very efficiently. Subaru says it uses more than 400 different variations of high-strength steel in the body of the BRZ to give it plenty of rigidity while keeping the curb weight in check. The result is a BRZ that came in under its target weight at 2,690 pounds according to Subaru. That's about 100 pounds less than a Honda Civic Si, and it feels like it, too
This 2013 Subaru BRZ is not for lightweights. Anyone who picks one up merely because it's nice-looking and gets decent mileage (estimated 30 mpg highway) will likely end up hating it. The ride is too stiff, the engine is too noisy and the tires are too loud. In other words, this is a car for true enthusiasts.
Granted, it's not terribly fast and probably won't lay down eye-popping track numbers, but it gets the basics right. A lively, predictable chassis, plenty of usable power and two different transmissions that both work exactly the way they should. Not to mention fully defeatable stability and traction control.
Sounds like a winner to me.
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I think they haven't realized that it's chirping the tires because they're relatively low grip tires, not because the car has a lot of power. 
The reviews all say the same thing, though - it's a great handling car, tons of fun and very direct but could use a bit more power. All in all, that's a pretty strong response to me. They always say that a car needs more power, unless it has 400+ hp (and even then, they still do at times) so I'm not too worried about that end of things.
The reviews all say the same thing, though - it's a great handling car, tons of fun and very direct but could use a bit more power. All in all, that's a pretty strong response to me. They always say that a car needs more power, unless it has 400+ hp (and even then, they still do at times) so I'm not too worried about that end of things.
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