Subaru BRZ Places 4th in 2012 Best Driver's Car Competition by Motortrend

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by SupraLove

That aside, a supercharger is an intake air compressor run by the engine's pulley. A turbo is a type of supercharger in that it's an air compressor, but it's run by the high-speed exhaust gas flow, similar to how a turbofan jet engine spins its gigantic fan by spooling up a turbine from the exhaust. Come on, you guys should know this! I'm 16 and I know this stuff. And brakes, I would just replace the pads to reduce brake fade. I wouldn't track this car much nor would I drive like an idiot on the street. Just autoX, and for that, you need good pads.

As for the contest, 4th place is very respectable. I mean, to the pros, it's better than a Lamborghini. That's enough of a success for me.

whoa i got told by a 16 year old, when he grows up to learn that the world is a much better place when people don't make assumptions, he will have my respect.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by dwx

Good article and also not too surprised but was interesting to see the C63 number two, most car mags seem to hate on Mercedes performance cars.

Their AMG offerings have come a long way (versus them having oversized, inefficient, torque-biased engines in a car not meant to turn that well from +/-10 years ago), plus we're talking about the Black Series. Those were never slouches.

Originally Posted by jadewbj

I am a little sad that a flappy paddle shifter car is the best drivers car. The Porsche is amazing, but I just wish that it had a real standard so it really was a "drivers" car.

But I bet that the manual transmission "drives" nearly the same through the corners.

[SupraLove]

Originally Posted by SuperDave

whoa i got told by a 16 year old, when he grows up to learn that the world is a much better place when people don't make assumptions, he will have my respect.

I wasn't making an assumption. I did try to help you out... I told you what they were. I didn't insult you, vilify you, or reprehend you. I genuinely thought you didn't know the difference between a blower and a turbo was. Sorry if I came across as a condescending arse.

[MiguelAE86]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

Maybe Ferrari didn't have their usual ringer car available that day...

Hahaha oh nice jab

Seriously though, that's just bad business: Handing out a better-than-OEM Ferrari to journalists to over-hype and deceit the customer.

See: Chris Harris Ferrari Scandal.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by MiguelAE86

Hahaha oh nice jab

Seriously though, that's just bad business: Handing out a better-than-OEM Ferrari to journalists to over-hype and deceit the customer.

See: Chris Harris Ferrari Scandal.

That still doesn't change the fact that a Ferrari offers some of the most thrilling experiences you can have. I grew up wanting one, then when I got older I realized that I probably won't be a millionaire and won't get one but would be content with something else more attainable (i.e. M3 or 911 Carrera S), then I rode in an F430 Scuderia a few years ago, and threw everything out of the window... I still feel like I have to own one before I die.

Besides, it's not as if the "normal" cars accelerate like Corollas. I'm sure part of it is just Ferrari making sure that the cars are in optimum form for whichever review so it doesn't produce poor numbers that are far below the car's capabilities, hence igniting internet debates on how anti-Ferrari car enthusiasts (and kids who base their opinions solely on magazine numbers from one publication and don't know any better) label the car as "slow" and a big waste of money compared to [insert car] that is less expensive while accelerating faster.

For example, do you remember when the Evo X was first tested by magazines? The first batches had really bad tunes and were doing 0-60 in the 5s and quarter-miles in the high 13s if they were lucky, and all of a sudden people were saying that they were bloated pigs completely inferior to the Evo IX and, more importantly, the STI when it came to acceleration. The MRs were just as slow, if not slower. But when everything was fixed, both the GSR and MR were hitting 60 in the mid-4s and doing the quarter-mile in the low-13s.

Again, that's not to say that they are innocent of tweaking cars. But it's not like there is a night-and-day difference, plus other car companies have done that before.

[industrial]

Originally Posted by MiguelAE86

Hahaha oh nice jab

Seriously though, that's just bad business: Handing out a better-than-OEM Ferrari to journalists to over-hype and deceit the customer.

See: Chris Harris Ferrari Scandal.

I never actually read his rant before. Man that's some serious stuff. You always figured car companies did this but Ferrari seems really over the top if all that is true.

[Snoopyalien24]

Originally Posted by SnapOv3st3r

Damn...lambo last...lol

*sigh* Looks like I have to trade in my Lambo for a BRZ. IDK what to do with my other 3 Lambo's

[ZetaVI]

4th place is honorable for me as we all know the BRZ will get better in time. 911 wasn't a shocker and deserved it. The fact that the BRZ is up there w/ optimized models like the C63 AMG and GT-R Black is amazing!

[CSSM]

Well I was trying not be spoiled before the magazine came..

[Jordo!]

Congrats - 4th is an impressive ranking, given the contenders.

Really surprised by the AMG ranking, otherwise, all makes sense.

ARGH -- makes me hungrier than ever for a more powerful version of this car! That's the major thing holding it back.

Really wonder where the Z would have fallen...

[Draco-REX]

A 911 at the top? Not a surprise. A 911 Carrera? A bit of a surprise. The lower end 911s were dogs for a while. It's good to see Porsche getting back in the saddle.

The BRZ placing 4th is a huge accomplishment. A fraction of the price of the others and a fraction of the HP, but placed top middle and just off the podium. That's a win no matter how it's written.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by Jordo!

Really wonder where the Z would have fallen...

The current 370Z probably would have been toward the end of the pack, but not necessarily in last place though. It definitely improved from the 350Z (more power and less weight is always a good thing) but I don't see it beating many cars in this comparison. I remember the car having been fun but not quite what I had expected from it.

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

The BRZ placing 4th is a huge accomplishment. A fraction of the price of the others and a fraction of the HP, but placed top middle and just off the podium. That's a win no matter how it's written.

Yeah. It tends to happen that way, as I think their Best Drivers Car from a few years back had an Evo IX MR finishing fourth or so, behind the 911 GT3, Cayman S and one other car (maybe a Lotus?), though I remember a Z06 being toward the end of the pack.

[Soravia]

Driver's car comes with a DUAL-CLUTCH paddle shifter? Really? MT needs to stop drinking cool aid. They didn't even put in the LF-A (2012 model), Miata (no brainer) or the BMW M3.

If they put in the Cayman S in there, it would have wiped the entire field.

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Originally Posted by Soravia

Driver's car comes with a DUAL-CLUTCH paddle shifter? Really? MT needs to stop drinking cool aid.

Like it or not, dual-clutches are the future. Making cars faster is always going to be a priority for manufacturers making sports cars. The sensation of shifting is fun but you can't really change how "fun" it is to go from first to second, while improvements made to cars can change how "fun" it is to steer, brake or throttle. (Don't get me wrong, I love shifting my car manually.)

Originally Posted by Soravia

They didn't even put in the LF-A (2012 model), Miata (no brainer) or the BMW M3.

Most of the cars are new, have some noticeable upgrade over a previous model or haven't been tested in this competition before. The LFA is rather limited and probably wasn't readily available, the Miata has probably been tested before (and had already been in Motor Trend's comparison of cars under $28k) and the M3 is an outgoing model that is virtually identical to the first E92 M3 released.

Originally Posted by Soravia

If they put in the Cayman S in there, it would have wiped the entire field.

I doubt that, but I'm sure it still would have had a solid podium finish. As I mentioned before, in a past test, the Cayman S finished second behind the 911 GT3. The current 911 Carrera S has made huge improvements and likely wouldn't get pummeled by the 997 GT3 around a track the same way a 997 Carrera S would, plus I'm sure that Porsche has done what they can (beyond putting a weaker engine in the Cayman) to distinguish the two cars, though obviously the upcoming Cayman might raise the bar further.