1: I feel like this really depends on what you mean by good driving. If all you care about is flat out speed then the BRZ isnt really good for you. In many cases the WRX will destroy the BRZ in terms of flat out speed.

2: I would say this car handles differently. You cant drive these two cars the same way. Remember the WRX is AWD and the BRZ is RWD. That changes A LOT

3: Maintenance i cant comment on i've only had mine for 2 months


My personal experience:
My best friend has a 2006 WRX which he has let me drive around on in many occasions. It's a great car. The AWD feels completley different than a RWD car like the BRZ. You can feel all four wheels pumping out power. Taking a spirited turn on a normal road (not a dirt road), you feel incredibly planted and the car just sticks to the road.
In my BRZ it's very different. When accelerating the fact that now you are only getting pushed feels very different. When taking similar turns you now have to worry about the backend slipping out (which is not a bad thing. Personally i find my BRZ more "fun" to drive than his WRX. It's more dramatic in those turns and also at lower speeds. Even with all my nannies on i can slip out the wheel in 2nd by just turning the car a little harder and stepping on the gas. Cant do that with the WRX. It just grips and turns.


And since you asked, here's a few pics of my BRZ =P

http://i.imgur.com/yKsAXbG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TWkZL4u.jpg

Huh? It is a boxer or horizontally opposed 4.

Ok...
1. Yes. Because your not driving a big fat 4 door sedan.
2. Yes. Way better because your not driving a big fat 4 door sedan.
3. Easy to work on for those mechanically inclined.

But....no they don't handle like a beast at all. Still has enough nannies to keep you safe. It's just most people here are first time rwd drivers.

You want to drive an unforgiving beast drive a '90's MR2 Turbo. Mine is much lighter way, way more powerful than the BRZ. Zero nannies, zero air bags. Less than a second to correct, other wise your spinning around.

One thing you really have to think about is space. Going from a sedan to basically a two seater, you have to plan out your social outings.

I have a 2004 WRX wagon with many mods and a 2016 BRZ, both auto. WRX was my daily when the I had a 5 mile commute. Now the BRZ is my daily because I have a 39 mile commute. I thought my WRX handled amazing and it does, but the BRZ is so much better in the turns and the steering feel. The WRX is a lot faster, but oddly the BRZ is more fun. I drive them back to back so it's easy to tell the differences.

If you have one car the WRX is more practical. The BRZ is a sportscar, really only a three seater and pretty small even with the back seats down. My daughter who is 9 and tall fits fine in the back seat, but a large adult would be tight. And yes the BRZ could use some torque.

Both cars are great, can't go wrong.

I own a 2016 WRX. Best car I have owned, I love it. The car feels like it has A LOT more hp than a BRZ.Night and day. You can drive it all year, snow is no problem.

The BRZ is a fun car. It handles incredibly well and is fun to drive. It seriously needs more power. It's nothing like a WRX.

I was on my way to buy a BRZ. Test drove a WRX while I was there. Left with a WRX.

You are on a BRZ forum so there will be bias. They are different cars though. The BRZ is a fun little sports car. The WRX handles well and is more about power.

How long did you drive a BRZ to determine it "needs" more power?
You are correct it is nothing like a WRX. I thank god for that every time I drive. Cool you have a more powerful sedan. There are more powerful cars ten it as well. The BRZ can also be driven in the snow no problem if you simply use the right tires. In fact a stopped and helped push a nice new and totally stuck WRX out of the way so I could continue driving just last winter.
That is my forum bias.

go test drive is the only way to find out. some love it and some hated it, it is really depends what is your desired characteristic.

Wow so it's like 50/50 half of you love the WRX half of you love the BRZ but from the information given i actually think i will stay with the WRX and save a little more to get the BRZ as well, this seems to be the only way out of the situation due to i love the looks of the BRZ hearts in my eyes and the power of the WRX is unreal...

Test drive it is and i will get back to you all soon

Thanks for the reply's guys !!!

I test drove a BRZ about six or seven times. I was going to pick up a 2017 with the new brembo package. Best one was actually a used 2013 FRS 10 series with an injen cold air intake and borla cat back exhaust. It's in Ephrata, PA, 32k miles and $17.5k, in case anyone wants it (2013).

I'm buying a new Z51 3LT vette instead. HP and it handles. I test drove so many cars, 370Z, BMW m series, etc. The BRZ is still one of my favorite cars. It handles like nothing out there. I would immediately turbo it and start doing serious mods, so I'm going the easy way and getting something that handles and has power from the factory. I actually think the BRZ handles better than the vette, but the lack of power is what is stopping me. I wish Subaru would just turbo it already from the factory.

I ride sport bikes, so I'm used to things that give that immediate power and you get a similar feeling with the turbos. It's all personal preference. I actually don't like things that have hp and don't handle well. I'm getting out of a 2014 Camaro and I'm not impressed with the R/T Challenger we have, it's like an ocean liner. My husband wants a Hellcat, 700 hp, and I could have gotten one instead of the vette, but I want nothing to do with a car that huge,regardless of the hp.

I'm going to spend some of my spare time researching this subject here on the forum and I'll relate back the impression I get...

I agree with the previous post, the Corvette, Boxter, Cayman, 911, and quite a few others are better. What proportion of twin buyers seriously cross shop these cars?

Yeah sure... 3,444 lb (1,562 kg) for Z51. Good luck with the handling. ;)


If it had turbo from the factory, it wouldn't be anymore so lightweight and nimble. I would expect at least +200lbs heavier. Even the 2017 model is +55lbs heavier without any serious power increases.

[QUOTE=nikitopo;2731482]Yeah sure... 3,444 lb (1,562 kg) for Z51. Good luck with the handling. ;)

You are questioning the handling of a 460 hp 3298 lb iconic sports car? Few hundred lbs more than a BRZ and more than double the hp. Come on. I love the BRZ and it's one of my favorite cars, but I also know what is reasonable.

I've driven some WRX's and ridden in some WRX's.. launches are always fun, but I always hated the spaceyness of the car. You kind of sit on top of it and you lose that go-kart feel even if it is fast.

I regularly take home a 5.7 Charger, have a bike, and had a Tesla P90D ludicrous for a weekend, so I understand the BRZ can feel slow..

When I first drove the BRZ, my initial thought was "dang this is slow..."
Throttle response was sluggish, power was terrible..
I got used to it.
I modded so slowly.. it never really felt "faster" over time.

Then I drove a stock BRZ the other day and thought.. "Holy crap, this is what it used to feel like?"

I have UEL header, E85 tune, exhaust and lowering springs.
Compared to a stock BRZ, my car is such a drama queen. Everything is sharp and loud and it really makes it worth it (even though I'm only up maybe 25whp).

If I had to own a stock BRZ, I would be disappointed.
If you plan to keep it stock, well you might be disappointed too.
If you want to mod, there's fun potential :)

[quote=Jen;2731557]I would normally agree, but you need to be able to put the power down. Let's be honest for a DD a 460 HP vette will use very little of its power without doubling speed limits. Can't even use all the power of my stage 2 WRX as a DD.

So on a track, yeah vette, but as a DD the BRZ is very good and balanced. Yes it could use some more low and mid end torque.

If you like that push of V8 torque or the push of a turbo than you might miss it in the BRZ. But what makes a car great is how it feels and not the raw numbers. My WRX just feels great, but for some reason the BRZ feels better, especially in the twisties. Maybe because I grew up on RWD and that what I like best about my WRX was the suspension mods that made it ride on rails. The BRZ has me thinking I need to do some more mods to the WRX. I drive them every other day so it's easy to feel it.