I drove a BRZ and hated it
05-05-2015, 08:24 PM
#1
I drove a BRZ and hated it
A friend of mine is shopping for a BRZ. He lives out in the sticks, I live in the city, so he has me check out cars he's interested in before he makes the long haul to drive it himself. So, after work I checked out a BRZ, and I was incredibly disappointed by the engine.
I went into it thinking that all of the trash talk about the lack of power was just from power-spoiled forum jocks. In other words, sure, it's not fast compared to a gajillion horsepower Mustang, but at about 2,700 lbs and 200 hp, surely the BRZ is essentially a RWD Integra Type R. What's not to love about that?
Man, was I wrong. That engine is just incredibly disappointing. The outright acceleration of the thing is lame, sure, but more inportantly, it sounds lame and it acts like it doesn't want to rev at all. It reminds me of the super crappy 2.0 liter K series (the bad K series) in my EP3 Civic Si, in that it never has a sweet spot. It just sort of lulls upward through the rev range without any drama, and I mean that in a bad way. There's never any surge in power, no high pitched rowdiness, just a slow, lumbering crawl toward red line. I thought that my Civic's crappy K20 held the patent on lack of character, but the BRZ's engine steals the crown. My Civic is way better. The Civic has to be slower, but it sure doesn't feel that way.
I know that some people would describe the phenomenon I just described as simply being an engine with a good torque curve, so there's no dramatic upswing in power. No way. My Corvette has a good torque curve, but guess what. It also feels like it wants to rev and keep doing so. In the BRZ, it feels like it wants you to shoot it in the head to put it out of its misery before it gets to red line.
Also, the shifter isn't great, and the transmission wasn't much to write home about either. I've heard good things about both in this car, but don't believe it. My Miata, Corvette, and every Civic I've ever owned have all had vastly better transmissions and shifters. I had such a short-lived experience with the S2000, but still, I remember it being so much better in that regard as well.
Now, the handling is really awesome. I wish my Corvette's steering felt half as good as the BRZ's. Further, the seating position is pretty excellent. It really felt a lot like the seating position in a Cayman. Plus, the seats were pretty darned impressive for stock seats. Visibility is great, and, again, the handling was awesome. In fact, it may be the best handling car I've ever driven, right out of the box, in terms of intuitive feel (obviously my Corvette would destroy it in terms of actual limits and capabilities, as would my former highly modified Miata). The ride was a bit jarring, but nothing like some of my old cars with race suspension.
Lastly, the rear seats are someone's idea of a practical joke. I am short as hell and I sit rather close to the steering wheel, and I don't think another me could have sat behind me while I was piloting the car. I know that people often say that this car or that car has no rear leg room. Nothing is as bad as the BRZ. Well, except maybe the FRS
I went into it thinking that all of the trash talk about the lack of power was just from power-spoiled forum jocks. In other words, sure, it's not fast compared to a gajillion horsepower Mustang, but at about 2,700 lbs and 200 hp, surely the BRZ is essentially a RWD Integra Type R. What's not to love about that?
Man, was I wrong. That engine is just incredibly disappointing. The outright acceleration of the thing is lame, sure, but more inportantly, it sounds lame and it acts like it doesn't want to rev at all. It reminds me of the super crappy 2.0 liter K series (the bad K series) in my EP3 Civic Si, in that it never has a sweet spot. It just sort of lulls upward through the rev range without any drama, and I mean that in a bad way. There's never any surge in power, no high pitched rowdiness, just a slow, lumbering crawl toward red line. I thought that my Civic's crappy K20 held the patent on lack of character, but the BRZ's engine steals the crown. My Civic is way better. The Civic has to be slower, but it sure doesn't feel that way.
I know that some people would describe the phenomenon I just described as simply being an engine with a good torque curve, so there's no dramatic upswing in power. No way. My Corvette has a good torque curve, but guess what. It also feels like it wants to rev and keep doing so. In the BRZ, it feels like it wants you to shoot it in the head to put it out of its misery before it gets to red line.
Also, the shifter isn't great, and the transmission wasn't much to write home about either. I've heard good things about both in this car, but don't believe it. My Miata, Corvette, and every Civic I've ever owned have all had vastly better transmissions and shifters. I had such a short-lived experience with the S2000, but still, I remember it being so much better in that regard as well.
Now, the handling is really awesome. I wish my Corvette's steering felt half as good as the BRZ's. Further, the seating position is pretty excellent. It really felt a lot like the seating position in a Cayman. Plus, the seats were pretty darned impressive for stock seats. Visibility is great, and, again, the handling was awesome. In fact, it may be the best handling car I've ever driven, right out of the box, in terms of intuitive feel (obviously my Corvette would destroy it in terms of actual limits and capabilities, as would my former highly modified Miata). The ride was a bit jarring, but nothing like some of my old cars with race suspension.
Lastly, the rear seats are someone's idea of a practical joke. I am short as hell and I sit rather close to the steering wheel, and I don't think another me could have sat behind me while I was piloting the car. I know that people often say that this car or that car has no rear leg room. Nothing is as bad as the BRZ. Well, except maybe the FRS
05-06-2015, 01:45 AM
#2
If you felt the shifting was worse than the corvette and Miata then the S2000 should be massively better, because I am yet to hear anyone say either of those 2 cars (or really any car period) has a better transmission than the S2k.
05-06-2015, 07:07 AM
#4
I own an AP2, and I thought the shifter in the BRZ/FR-S was pretty good. I didn't like the clutch, but I could get used to it. I agree the engine isn't exciting, but it's fairly linear and can make a lot of torque with forced induction. It's not as bad as people say. It could be better, but it's a good car. It's basically the new Silvia that Nissan should have given us a long time ago... only without the huge benefit of a turbo.
05-06-2015, 07:39 AM
#5
05-06-2015, 07:42 AM
#6
I own an AP2, and I thought the shifter in the BRZ/FR-S was pretty good. I didn't like the clutch, but I could get used to it. I agree the engine isn't exciting, but it's fairly linear and can make a lot of torque with forced induction. It's not as bad as people say. It could be better, but it's a good car. It's basically the new Silvia that Nissan should have given us a long time ago... only without the huge benefit of a turbo.
I don't doubt that an aftermarket turbo could work wonders to transform the car. I felt like it was a fairly special vehicle, and, again, the handling was excellent. The engine was just way more of a bummer than I could have ever imagined. If I didn't have my Corvette, I'd consider getting one so long as I could immediately boost it. I mean, I'd probably rather spend a few more bucks and buy another Corvette, but you see what I mean. The engine ruins the car in shock form, but the car itself is probably worth the trouble of getting one and boosting it.
Trending Topics
05-06-2015, 08:45 AM
#8
Community Organizer
This write up simply validates what my opinion has been all along - there is far too much hype for "the twins".
05-06-2015, 09:02 AM
#10
Also the Limited Edition TRD FR-S 1.0 has grabbed my attention at the track recently. It kept up with me in the straight away and even in some of the high speed sweepers. No performance changes done... my understanding is that these cars benefit well with bolt ons and a tune. More so than our S2000's.
