Adequate/Inadequate power for DD on stock BRZ?
 

I am toying with the idea getting myself a BRZ (stick, ltd+PP).
Many of the comments/review on the web/youtube keep referring to inadequate power (and comparing it to be slower than a family van)- but then I realize most people saying that are just looking at the paper specs.

In all likelihood I will be using it for daily driving and don't foresee myself doing track time. Currently drive an '05 AT V6 Accord with 175K and am happy with its performance/acceleration. If I do get the BRZ I might still keep the Accord as its trade-in value is pittance compared to its utility (to carry stuff/family when needed).

WRT city/highway driving does the BRZ have the power to pass/weave highway traffic with ease? Here in MD, speed limit + 15 seems to be the norm. I have taken a test drive in a BRZ but didn't gun the engine and the 15-20 minute ride was too short to tell.

Going fast in a straight line / traffic signal to traffic signal:
This is where the lack of raw HP in the BRZ / FRS will be most noticeable. Unless you are 'because racecar'-ing, the acceleration of the car is not going to be particularly impressive in these situations. Feels like most of the power is >=4k RPM, and a lot of city / surface street driving will not spend too much time above that (unless you're vin diesel and live your life a quarter mile at a time).

Highways:
You should have no problem passing traffic on the highway. There is more than enough power higher up in the RPMs to get you moving on the highway if you just downshift a bit.

In general:
If you're looking to beat people off of the line and between stop lights, this is probably not your car. If you want something fun with enough power to go fast now and then, you should be happy with it.

why not just test drive the car again? we're just a bunch of random people on the internet. one person will say it's sufficient, one will say it's slow, another will troll you. :iono:

Don't try to race anyone and you'll be fine. If you want to pass, downshift and move on.

This is definitely not a straightway car as mentioned in every thread of this forum. It's all about dem curves. Hmm hmm..

It depends on who you ask. The vehicle can get up to highway speed well enough and maintains cruise easily.

When you drive it in stock form there is a weird noticeable lack of power at certain points in the rpm commonly referred to as torque dip. Most of your city driving or 6th gear cruising seems to be in this lull. Drive around it if you have to.

The motor is pretty gutless unless you're wringing it out. To get maximum power and enjoyment use the upper rpms judiciously. Stick to windy backroads for it to show you its true fun factor.

That being said, the car is not a straight line performer, but it's better than a lot of commuter cars. Sometimes it might not neccesarily feel like it, but it is.

If you've ever had a car with actual power..... eh.

Yes, I shall be doing that!

It's like this:

If by "daily driver" you mean you like to race hillbillies in Mustangs from red light to red light on your drive home, this is not the car for you. It was not built to be the fastest car on a straight line.

If you like a light, extraordinarily nimble car that zips effortlessly around curves and seems to maneuver in traffic just by responding to your thoughts as much as control inputs, this is your car. It has plenty of power for that. More power could be fun, but it could actually diminish the balance of this car as well.

You also have to keep in mind that your useful torque is above 4000 RPM, and it revs to 7500. A lot of people who whine about the "lack of power" in this car don't know how to drive it. You have to learn to downshift into "shit's gettin' serious" mode when you need power rather than just stomping the gas and waiting for it to catch up. Just toodling through the neighborhood and down to the grocery store, I'm usually below 5000 RPM. When I get on a fast, crowded highway where I need to jockey for position, I'm usually above 4500 until I'm in the clear and can settle down into a comfortable cruise.

If you don't like that level of engagement with the car, it's not going to make for a good time.

Fellow Marylander, with all of our twisted roads, I assure you the BRZ will leave you very satisfied.

It's really up to your expectations and what you consider "powerful enough"... That means different things to different people. It could be heavily dependent on how you like to drive your stock BRZ too. If you like to keep the car in a lower gear and drive with a heavy foot or keep the RPMs high, you'll love the BRZ. If you expect more power at lower RPMs and don't like to rev too high to get that power (like your V6 Accord), you might be disappointed.

Of course, you can still appreciate and enjoy the car at lower RPMs and driving it with a light foot. Just don't expect the same 'ompf' from it driving this way as you would with your Accord, is all I'm saying.

If you're willing to spend $1-1.5K more, investing in a header + tune really "wakes up" the car IMO = Makes it easier to pass/weave through highway traffic, as you put it. That makes it much more enjoyable as a daily driver. :thumbsup:

Yes go drive one! Adequate/inadequate power is subjective. There is not magic number that this car needs. It all boils down to what YOU want/need. Hell this car could have 100hp and it would be dangerous in some people’s hands.

Some more subjectiveness.

I love it for my daily driver. Love love love love it!

I spent most of my early days driving pickups and Civics, so it seems fast to me, but I've driven cars with more HP so I know what that kind of fast is, and it isn't that kind of fast. It's a zipper not a zoomer, though the better gearing that was put in the 17/18 helps.

I drive around town (not the city) for work and its a fun car to drive. I also have a lot of curvy / hilly roads where I live. It's fun to drive in this environment. We have covered bridges too!

It drones a bit on the highway because the sound proofing is what you would expect from a $28K (MSRP) car but it has enough balls at highway speeds to keep up with anything here is S/E Pennsylvania.

Kids are grown up, and I have a truck for when the weather turns bad. So it works for me. It would be a rough daily driver if you have small kids or have to daily drive in heavy snows.

Did I mention I love it?

Subjectively I am a happy daily driver of a 2017 (non PP) BRZ.

My car before the BRZ was a 450hp BMW 335i. I like the Scooby better, both as a DD and a performance car. My wife DDs another 335i (~380hp) and I catch myself wishing I was in the BRZ when I drive it.

The twins' power is fine, you just have to drive it hard. It won't go fast under 5000RPM!


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I guess i might as well throw my 2 cents in.

I'm one of those people that love the car for what it is. I am also one of those people who decided to add FI because POWER.

What did i draw from this conclusion? The power was not quite what i wanted. This car offers a level of enjoyment (to me) that my other car (Focus ST) doesnt. While the Focus might FEEL faster. It actually isnt. But the BRZ doesnt feel faster until i'm above 5k RPMS.

For reference i am no longer supercharged. I'm currently running E85 with full bolt ons. Car is roughly at 200 whp. Thats WRX territory. Just with a higher redline. Power is never an issue honestly. I see people in 150hp Fiestas pass other cars all the time. Every car has the ability to go 90 mph. The difference is how you want to get there. For me, i like wringing out the car and working abit for it. If i want more low down torque i'll drive my Focus. But the BRZ is more satisfying. Even just driving 10 minutes to work.

The 0 to 60 is one second slower and the 1/4 mile is .8 slower than a 2015 WRX. Some people like to call it "slow" but it is still faster than the majority of cars on the road. Yes there are faster ones which include some high end minivans but the whole concept of "everything can beat it" is just silly.
The torque dip lasts about a tenth of a second if rowing through the gears at heavy acceleration. Big problem if trying to set drag time records but a total non issue when merging onto a freeway. There is plenty of torque still there even in the dip but if you drive around at 3.5K and expect to just floor it and shoot ahead then you will be disappointed. You actually have to shift gears and drove this car not just push a pedal and take off. During daily driving, in most conditions, you can be a greater than the speed of traffic in a few seconds and never even have to get up to the torque dip. This whole concept of having to drive around at redline in order to have enough power on city streets is just the Vin Diesel wanttabes thinking that all driving must be done balls out.