2015 WRX vs. FR-S/BRZ

[JGalp]

I just traded cars for a week with my buddy, i have a 2015 brz limited, he just bought a 2015 wrx limited. just a little background, I was coming from a s2000 before i bought a brz so i do love my brz, but the steering feel and the gearbox was definitely more fun and crisp (go kart feeling) in the s2000 however the brz is a more practical DD.

Now driving the wrx is cool, its faster, the turbo is awesome however during that week i missed my brz SO MUCH. the FEEL is so much better in the brz. the brz is lower, and despite the torque dip i love the rumble and linear feel of a NA engine. the turbo is fun but the constant back and forth of my head from the turbo got old after a couple days. i felt much more in sync with the car when taking corners. the steering feel is more responsive in the BRZ and the wrx feels very numb, it almost doesn't feel like a sports car (keep in mind my previous sports car was a s2000)

Its a very hard feeling to describe but the brz (to me) is just better in almost every way. after the wrx i also drove a civic SI for a few days which was a different experience.

Basically what i am trying to say is, I've started to drive other sports cars recently (civic SI, WRX, and hyundai genesis) and by doing so it really makes me appreciate what i have with the BRZ. It is the perfect blend of sports car / Practical DD. in a perfect world when I'm older and have my own house and family i would have a AP2 S2000 along with a DD (like a tacoma or something) because you can't beat that feeling in the s2000. However for those who don't get to have that luxury and can only have one car. the BRZ/FR-S is to me, the perfect car.

I wish it had a little more power, 30-50 more HP and i would be ecstatic, if i still have this car in 3 years and nothing better comes out in the form of a second generation BRZ. i will definitely supercharge the car.

I say get another one!

[srt4evah]

It's funny that you say that the BRZ is better in almost every way, funny because I pretty much agree, but I still choose the WRX. Am I really just a torque whore?

I think for me the #1 factor really is the AWD vs. RWD. I live in Texas, so I never see snow, but after having owned an Evo IX and Evo X, I really miss the AWD corner exits and rainy weather confidence. BRZ would be a fine 3rd car for me, but not at MSRP.

[tennisfreak]

Regardless of how good my car feels it sucks when an asshole Camry driver wants to cut me off in order to get in front of me for the highway entry ramp......

and there is not shit I can do about it.

Our cars are just slow.

I'm not saying I want to drag race my car around everywhere but it would be nice every once in a while when an asshole is in the way driving slow, to have enough power, to blow past them if they decide to step on the gas once I attempt to move around.

[ThisIsChrisKim]

Originally Posted by CSG David

@Sajakh

The WRX has a very good comfy feel to it. Compared to the previous WRX models, this one has much more room for passengers, the chassis feels fairly rigid, the cabin is quite quiet (comparatively speaking), and the suspension is actually much more comfortable than the 2013 and 2014 BRZ. @Boxer486 mentioned the 2015 is better than the rest, but I can't confirm yet.

If you do need a car to carry people comfortably, the WRX is nice to have if you want to keep it in the Subie family. The downside of the WRX thus far is the DI system. Power upgrades are going to be an issue in the future. We already have a few items in testing phase as we speak.

The plus side of the DI is having an average MPG of 30+...very impressed.

My biggest complaints of the BRZ are the cabin noise and the (over rough pavement) choppy ride when there are seams in the highway (seemingly every LA highway) which leads to a gallop-y bouncing ride the whole way home. I'm curious how much improved the 2015 would be in ride over the 2013.

If the WRX has many of the same qualities as the BRZ without a huge penalty in the MPG (in my experience, I can easily get 34+ MPG in my BRZ with a mostly highway ride), I think this could be my next car. There's likely a baby on the way in the next 3 years, so swapping the BRZ for a more practical car wouldn't be a bad thing

[srt4evah]

Originally Posted by ThisIsChrisKim

My biggest complaints of the BRZ are the cabin noise and the (over rough pavement) choppy ride when there are seams in the highway (seemingly every LA highway) which leads to a gallop-y bouncing ride the whole way home. I'm curious how much improved the 2015 would be in ride over the 2013.

If the WRX has many of the same qualities as the BRZ without a huge penalty in the MPG (in my experience, I can easily get 34+ MPG in my BRZ with a mostly highway ride), I think this could be my next car. There's likely a baby on the way in the next 3 years, so swapping the BRZ for a more practical car wouldn't be a bad thing

In my test drive yesterday, the WRX was significantly quieter at 60mph cruising, no engine noise (maybe too quiet there), and road noise just barely audible. Long term magazine tests are showing 24mpg average in the 2015 WRX. Ride quality was good, somewhat better than the BRZ, of course there's the tradeoff in absolute handling, BRZ being superior there.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by ThisIsChrisKim

My biggest complaints of the BRZ are the cabin noise and the (over rough pavement) choppy ride when there are seams in the highway (seemingly every LA highway) which leads to a gallop-y bouncing ride the whole way home. I'm curious how much improved the 2015 would be in ride over the 2013.

If the WRX has many of the same qualities as the BRZ without a huge penalty in the MPG (in my experience, I can easily get 34+ MPG in my BRZ with a mostly highway ride), I think this could be my next car. There's likely a baby on the way in the next 3 years, so swapping the BRZ for a more practical car wouldn't be a bad thing

The BRZ is quiet, but I'm coming from cars that have no sound deadening materials anyways. My standard is LS430 Ultra Luxury models for quiet so I'm either near racecar status or full luxury. LOL

The WRX is quick and quiet and it does utilize quite a bit of the BRZ's R&D to its development, but, the WRX, will never be a BRZ. The BRZ will never be a WRX. Physically they are different, the drivetrain is different, and simply put, they are meant for different purposes.

Originally Posted by srt4evah

In my test drive yesterday, the WRX was significantly quieter at 60mph cruising, no engine noise (maybe too quiet there), and road noise just barely audible. Long term magazine tests are showing 24mpg average in the 2015 WRX. Ride quality was good, somewhat better than the BRZ, of course there's the tradeoff in absolute handling, BRZ being superior there.

2015 WRX gets 30+ when I drive it whether in LA traffic or cruising long distances. I've seen as high as 52MPG coming back from the track. (sigh)

[civdaddy]

30+mpg in LA traffic....I hope no one takes that serious.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by tennisfreak

Regardless of how good my car feels it sucks when an asshole Camry driver wants to cut me off in order to get in front of me for the highway entry ramp......

and there is not shit I can do about it.

Our cars are just slow.

I'm not saying I want to drag race my car around everywhere but it would be nice every once in a while when an asshole is in the way driving slow, to have enough power, to blow past them if they decide to step on the gas once I attempt to move around.

Sadly even the 2015 WRX loses to the V6 Camry in that scenario. Look at the 5-60 mph times:

Camry V6: 6.1 s
2015 WRX: 6.6 s
2015 GTI: 6.7 s
Hyundai Genesis 2.0T R-Spec: 6.7 s

Even with small factory turbos, none of the turbo 2.0L cars spool quickly enough to beat the Camry in that scenario.

The V6 pony cars run about even with the Camry.

You really need to step up to a V8 Mustang/Camaro/Chally to put some distance on a V6 Camry in that scenario.

[industrial]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Sadly even the 2015 WRX loses to the V6 Camry in that scenario. Look at the 5-60 mph times:

Camry V6: 6.1 s
2015 WRX: 6.6 s
2015 GTI: 6.7 s
Hyundai Genesis 2.0T R-Spec: 6.7 s

Even with small factory turbos, none of the turbo 2.0L cars spool quickly enough to beat the Camry in that scenario.

The V6 pony cars run about even with the Camry.

You really need to step up to a V8 Mustang/Camaro/Chally to put some distance on a V6 Camry in that scenario.

Wow. Just goes to show you how far the Camry has come more than anything. I think this kind of thing will only get worse going forward. Take a ride in a new accord hybrid and although the numbers aren't awesome...it has some serious thrust. 226ft/lbs at 0rpm. I've driven the tesla s and the accord is similar for a second. The wave of insanely torquey hybrid family cars is coming. They will probably all blow the doors off our car in short sprints.

Speed and acelleration will become a given I think. The sports car experience has always been about feel, sound and soul which our car has in spades. Maybe more people will realize this when future hybird pony cars weigh 5000pounds with 800ft/lbs at 0rpm and everyone will yearn for the car we drive today.

[Mr.Impreza]

New WRX is an ugly car....I'd choose BRZ just for that alone.

[Poodles]

Originally Posted by industrial

Wow. Just goes to show you how far the Camry has come more than anything. I think this kind of thing will only get worse going forward. Take a ride in a new accord hybrid and although the numbers aren't awesome...it has some serious thrust. 226ft/lbs at 0rpm. I've driven the tesla s and the accord is similar for a second. The wave of insanely torquey hybrid family cars is coming. They will probably all blow the doors off our car in short sprints.

Speed and acelleration will become a given I think. The sports car experience has always been about feel, sound and soul which our car has in spades. Maybe more people will realize this when future hybird pony cars weigh 5000pounds with 800ft/lbs at 0rpm and everyone will yearn for the car we drive today.

The V6 Camry has always been fast

Also, any hybrid or electric car will out accelerate a hell of a lot on the road. Used to drive a Prius as a delivery vehicle and if you stomped on the gas pedal from a dead stop it was pretty hilariously quick....and then it ran out of steam. Crap car overall, but was good for a few laughs.

Having seen a Tesla S driven in anger, I can say that anyone that thinks electric cars are slow needs to open their eyes...

[swarb]

Originally Posted by ThisIsChrisKim

My biggest complaints of the BRZ are the cabin noise and the (over rough pavement) choppy ride when there are seams in the highway (seemingly every LA highway) which leads to a gallop-y bouncing ride the whole way home. I'm curious how much improved the 2015 would be in ride over the 2013.

If the WRX has many of the same qualities as the BRZ without a huge penalty in the MPG (in my experience, I can easily get 34+ MPG in my BRZ with a mostly highway ride), I think this could be my next car. There's likely a baby on the way in the next 3 years, so swapping the BRZ for a more practical car wouldn't be a bad thing

I have a 2015. Still choppy, it made my neck hurt. After-market suspension solved that problem. Stock suspension is for sale if you would like to try them out.

[DohcTor]

If they actually put a decent engine in the BRZ, it would be a clear win. But the lackluster fa20 just makes me question whether I made the right choice

[tomato86]

Originally Posted by DohcTor

If they actually put a decent engine in the BRZ, it would be a clear win. But the lackluster fa20 just makes me question whether I made the right choice

Entire reason I'm getting rid of mine