Subaru BRZ rear wheel drive - WHY?
 

I did a bit of research on line and found this on Subaru website...which in my books is absolute BS especially:

"Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is not just about driving all four wheels! Of far more significance and importance is the low height Boxer engine, transmission and drive line all being symmetrically positioned on the vehicle centre line. Well balanced weight distribution with the heaviest components, namely the power unit and transmission, positioned low in the body for a low centre of gravity is one of the most significant design enhancements that can be made to improve vehicle handling and stability.
The Subaru BRZ has all of these important attributes in spades. In fact it was to further improve weight distribution and obtain an even lower centre of gravity that the engineers decided to sacrifice the advantages of All-Wheel Drive."
LInk to the full article: http://subaru.com.au/brz/key-feature...ar-wheel-drive

We all know that Subaru rejected this project at the begining, it is even documented on Wikipedia and also mentioned by Tada San and Sasaki San in thei live interview:

Originally, Subaru had rejected the plans of a rear wheel drive sports coupe, due to the rear wheel drive set up, and did not want to be part of the project, predominantly selling all wheel drive vehicles. However, Subaru did plan to provide the engine. Eventually the project came to a 6 month halt and was suspended before being revived again. Toyota eventually invited journalist and Subaru engineers to a vehicle test of its first 2008 prototype to show what it was capable of, which is believed to be one reason that Subaru changed their minds, being impressed with what they saw. This prototype led to the development of the FT-86 which was revealed in 2009.

HMMMM!

What you posted clearly explains what happened.

They saw how good the car was without AWD.

So what is your point, a troll? This has been discussed to death before the car even came out...

I wouldn't have bought it if it was AWD. I wanted a RWD sports car, plain and simple. If I wanted AWD, I would have bought a WRX or STi.

But yes, this topic has been BEATEN TO DEATH!

Less fun in an AWD car unless it's got WRC like horsepower to do 4WD donuts & burnouts. ;) Still love the AWD idea though, especially when it rains !

i have 0 interest in awd, i know it has some advantages but i prefer a car thats more fun to drive, if i was looking to break records i would want dct and awd like a gtr

don't want AWD due to the extra weight and complexity.

and RWD is more fun (for me)!!

AWD with a FA20 will be too slow and miss the point completely. and if they put a turbo in then they have created the new WRX/STI.

Highly doubt I would have considered the car if it was AWD.

Ok, lets try again for the slow one!
 

No offence buddy, but if you would've read the whole article you would've gotten the point. But, so I save you the effort of doing so, I will put it in a nice, easy to understand sentece for you: Subaru made it sound like their engineers came up with the RWD concept instead of simply mentioning something alog the lines of "due to colaboration with Toyota which was the brain behind the 86 concept, we (Subaru) had to agree that this car will benefit more from a sales point of view as well as driving experience to have RWD". There!

And let me guess: Subaru engineers didnt know how fun a RWD car is and Toyota had to step in to show them? I mean there are several tuners out there offering kits to convert Subaru and Mitsi from AWD to RWD.

Marketing 101.

/thread

Pointless thread

Slap a turbo and AWD on to a BRZ and the car would be absolute perfection. Basically, it would be a WRX without the ugly styling!

BTW, there's PLENTY of fun to be had with a good handling AWD car.

sorry, slap AWD on the BRZ and it will become a WRX/STI because the AWD drive train won't fit the BRZ chassis. so engine has to raise/move forward and body style will change accordingly.

slapping a turbo on the BRZ on the other hand is a great idea.......

The FT-86 concept was riding on a modified Subaru Impreza platform.

Hawk...You're like 3 years late to the party. No one really cares about this anymore.

This topic was beaten to fk death start of this year, last year, year before, even end of last decade..
Someone please lock and delete this thread..

the key word was highlighted for you.

Sorry if I wasted your time bud! :thanks: I didn't know there was a limit or a requirement of the type of thread people should post here (well..as long as it is related to this car). And also that you're flat out reading everything here.

I came accross this info and realised that it was and still is a marketing fluff which I thought would be interesting to share with no intention to troll, seek attention, bag any of the FR-S/BRZ/86 etc. Heck, I wouldn't care a bit if no one posts a comment on this, really!

Little did I know that on a forum (and this one in particular) everything that goes on is of the highest quality (sarcasm). Dude grow the heck up!
All I did was share some information. I will be more considerate of your time (considering this is my job right?) next time! :happy0180:
Let me guess: you're driving a BRZ?:thumbup:

Lets also not forget guys & gals that brand T owns about 20% of Subaru and so can dictate terms to an extent.

Thanks for the post Hawk, I understand why you posted it, even though no one else does.

AWD would have upset weight distribution, added more weight, and raised the centre of gravity. None of which would have been good.
Subaru preach and carry on about how the boxer engine gives their cars low centre of gravity... Evo 10 with it's (upright) inline engine has a lower centre of gravity than the STI.....

I'm more amused by the number of people outside the region who've come in specifically to be insulting.

I don't get it at all. It may not be the world's newest or most exciting thread, but why would you go to a regional sub-forum purely to be rude?

Because internet.

:word: I sometimes wonder why too!

Many of us just press "new posts" and don't look at the sub forum.

:laughabove::lol:

Shiiiiiitt!!!!!!!!!!!! its on Wiki! Must be true! :p

Rwd is fun! Because race car

Not sure what the problem is and why I had to read all this

Well, that ... and when you dress a Japanese engineer in a lab coat and slippers and get him to read from a marketing script, everyone buys it ... hook, line and sinker.

Why is this thread still going? This is seriously a stupid thread.

Both Toyota and Subaru have credits for making 86/BRZ, sure Toyota came up with the idea and designs but don’t forget Subaru has "engineered" majority of the car.

Do you honestly think the 86 would have happened without collaboration of Subaru? I highly doubt it would and let’s say it does how much do you think you will paying for it? The answer is much more since they would have done their own engineering and will need to use their own production plant to make it. Low CoG? Not as much as they want it to without a boxer engine. Will the reviews be as good as they say it is now? Highly doubt it.

Put your differences aside Hawk77FT, neither or the manufacturers are better than the other. This car was designed to be fun and Subaru originally rejected the idea which may be true but what does it matter to you now that they have decided to put it in production? If they agreed with Toyota to place it in production they obviously have a reason to do so.

Yes I own a BRZ and I'm also a Toyota enthusiast. They are practically the same cars with revised suspensions and both amazing cars.

Shut this thread as it is just going to be leading to a flame war.

nahhh dont close it, i wanna have fun thread jackin this and shit stiring everyone :D

:threadjacked:

I blame that Tada guy.

Well Toy own close to 20% of Fuji industries. So not sure what %,Subaru business is in Fuji industries. So if Subaru is about 20% of Fuji, then Toyota virtually owns Subaru entirely.

In the end who cares. To most consumers they all think they are seperate companies.

Westfarmers and coles own virtually every department store, supermarket, petrol station, liquor shop etc... and most people, dont even know that.

As for OP's link. Typical marketing bullcrap.

So I've been told, power and grip are boring. The FR-S/BRZ has neither of these characteristics to water it down.

Cause they can.

The point is, I have been on here for years, reading MOST of the threads. Countless hours. So the guys that chime in have pretty much done the same and sick of seeing the same sh*t come up again and again.

Rudeness is just uncalled for. There has been MUCH MORE useless threads on here than this.

........

^^ well its nearly as fun when you picture it like that... lol.

Seriously? Out of this? No offence guys but to start a heated conversation/war on a subject of two cars pretty much the same is just plain stupid. I will be more than happy to have this closed down as it seems that brings out the stupid ego's in most individuals.

In the end bbqsauce you are right: who the fuck cares who came up with the idea? Yes, the credit should go to both Toyota and Subaru for delivering a great underpowered sports car. And let's not get into that subject - the power - as it will indeed cause a war. :slap:

So yes, there you go...admin close this asap please!:happyanim:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...1&d=1353639373

I reckon Tada is full of shit too, but man ... that picture is gross.

Finally someone that understood the OP! Thank you sir!