STi owner (now BRZ) jumping in late

[maverickar15]

Hello guys,

When BRZ was first introduced, I was that guy in the corner who was complaining about lack of power and torque. I'm used to my 06 STi's power so regardless of weight, I thought it was not enough. Compounding the issue is that I live in Denver so BRZ is at most 170 HP at this altitude. However, one test drive and I could understand why these types of cars existed. The feeling you get from driving one is hardly describable on a sheet of paper. Regardless of what the spec numbers say, the connection you feel to the car, and how close you are to the ground, the perfect steering and shifter feel, all contribute to the joyful driving experience.

Although interior is still cheap by some standards, it is miles better than my 06 STi's... seats are bolstered better and the driving position is better. I could not understand when someone said STi has the "truck driving position", but now I get it. Compared to BRZ, STi does have that up-right position.

I'm still breaking it in keeping it under 4k revs so the car is even slower, but even at 35-55 mph I'm having lots of fun just scooting around. I see everybody in their expensive family sedans that tower above my car and somehow started to think that it is sad that not too many of drivers get to (or want to) experience the joy of driving a purpose built car like BRZ.

Here is my BRZ now two days old with 120 miles. My 06 STi is very much here and is not going anywhere. I almost got the BRZ in WR Blue as well but then it would be boring since my STi already is in the same color.





You can see how much taller my STi is, even though it is lowered by 15mm from stock. My STi is still my go-everywhere-fast car, but BRZ will be playing outside whenever it is sunny.

[m.wood0213]

nice cars I hope one day to have a similar set. and let me be the first to say "Congrats" on your new BRZ.

[kuhlka]

I'm in the same boat. I started out thinking the BRZ was underpowered, but after picking one up (STI will become a dedicated SCCA and later rally car) I'm impressed. It has all the amenities I've always wanted in my 05 STI, except the head unit could use an upgrade.

[bcj]

Congrats!

<alcaseltzer>"Try it! You'll like it!"</alcaseltzer>

[wheelhaus]

I've had two STi's (04 and 08), an Evo MR (06), a 2.5 RS (01), WRX Wagon (05) and now the BRZ, which has become my favorite, even with zero mods. It really does feel silly driving my wife's 2011 Impreza OBS, so upright and truckish. Although I miss 300+hp and AWD for various reasons, The BRZ fills those needs in a different way that's somehow more satisfying.

I'm also in Denver, mostly romping around Littleton, HR, and Centennial. Welcome to the family!

[Whitigir]

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

[Khazzy]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

Power in a vehicle may not make you smile every time you get into it. I have driven Impreza WRX's/STI's and they feel too much like a family sedan with a lot of power to me. The BRZ puts a smile on my face every time I sit in it. I do not know why it just does.

[dsgerbc]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

I still don't get it

An you won't.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

Drive one.

[maverickar15]

Thanks for the welcome!

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

Yeah, that is exactly what I thought too. Just go test drive one. The combination of steering feel, the shifter, the seating position, the feedback and all that turns it into something else even with low power.

I'd almost turn around and say it this way - other tall cars NEED that much more power to keep it interesting, while BRZ only needs this little to keep you entertained.

This is one of those cases where less is more. Believe me, I was skeptical dropping down from 300+ ft/lb down to 151 ft/lb.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

You won't...

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

It's very engaging because it feels like you need to do everything right to go fast. In an uber-powerful sedan you can sort of muddle your way through corners and then just jab at the throttle in ~*pick a gear*~ between the corners to hit high speeds. In the BRZ you need to pick the right gear, you need to manage your weight transfers properly if you want to have any grip, and you need to balance the car through corners on the throttle.

It's not that you can't do these things in a bigger, more powerful, more computerized car, but in the BRZ you *need* to do it if you want to move along quickly. It's very engaging. The low grip levels also mean that you can feel like you're driving the car really hard without doing stupidly excessive speeds, which is also quite nice: high-powered sports sedans are lots of fun to drive hard too, but when you do you find yourself doing twice the posted speed limit (sometimes more) quite a lot, which always feels pretty irresponsible. Don't get me wrong, speed limits are generally too low and I still find myself speeding in my BRZ, but its usually more a case of ~60 in a 45 rather than 80 in a 35-- much saner and still a lot of fun.

Related point: you get to drive the car harder more of the time. If I'm driving a 1M, I usually find myself having to reign the car in 90% of the time. Blue-balling yourself isn't very fun. In the BRZ its WOT all the time

[cgrey]

Originally Posted by Whitigir

How exactly does a 130 torque at 3300 RPM make it more enjoyable for you vs a car which make 250 at 1500 ? I still don't get it

Why do you bother owning a car? All cars are slow. Who would drive anything other than a 1300cc sportbike?

[Brzetto]

Originally Posted by maverickar15

Hello guys,

When BRZ was first introduced, I was that guy in the corner who was complaining about lack of power and torque. I'm used to my 06 STi's power so regardless of weight, I thought it was not enough. Compounding the issue is that I live in Denver so BRZ is at most 170 HP at this altitude. However, one test drive and I could understand why these types of cars existed. The feeling you get from driving one is hardly describable on a sheet of paper. Regardless of what the spec numbers say, the connection you feel to the car, and how close you are to the ground, the perfect steering and shifter feel, all contribute to the joyful driving experience.

Although interior is still cheap by some standards, it is miles better than my 06 STi's... seats are bolstered better and the driving position is better. I could not understand when someone said STi has the "truck driving position", but now I get it. Compared to BRZ, STi does have that up-right position.

I'm still breaking it in keeping it under 4k revs so the car is even slower, but even at 35-55 mph I'm having lots of fun just scooting around. I see everybody in their expensive family sedans that tower above my car and somehow started to think that it is sad that not too many of drivers get to (or want to) experience the joy of driving a purpose built car like BRZ.

Here is my BRZ now two days old with 120 miles. My 06 STi is very much here and is not going anywhere. I almost got the BRZ in WR Blue as well but then it would be boring since my STi already is in the same color.





You can see how much taller my STi is, even though it is lowered by 15mm from stock. My STi is still my go-everywhere-fast car, but BRZ will be playing outside whenever it is sunny.

I wouldn't call that boring, I would have got the same color but then again I have this thing for blue.