Red BRZ Premium @ Carter's Subaru WA Photos & Impressions
 

Hey guys. Here's the BRZ at Carter's Subaru, it has 28 miles on it, and they pulled it off a truck. They will have it for two more days, it's a premium automatic. (Sorry for the cell phone quality pics :()

This thing had pretty bad orange peel unfortunately. The wheel felt great, the seats felt far better than any other subaru seat, even the 02/03 WRX seats. Wingsofwar got some pics of some model numbers for the tranny and engine as well. We couldn't figure out how to turn on the front lower LED lights, if someone can chime in with that.

I was able to start it up and look at all the lights when on, including the reverse light (the triangle at the bottom is just a reflector unfortunately). The car sounds pretty good, definitely not like a subaru though- and not super smooth like a honda, sorta in between- of course, like a direct injected high revving boxer. :)

Joe Spitz @ carter (who runs cars101.com and has been a wonderful source for us) would be the person to talk to if you wanted to put a pre-order down or just talk to a Subaru guy that knows what he's talking about. They have 6 confirmed pre-orders, and are selling at MSRP, and getting 3 a month. here's his number: 206 769-7821

Overall, it felt really great. You sit really low, so you cant see much past the hood, very much like a 370z/rx-7 or similar car. Very "connected" to the car, it'll be hard to text and drive or do anything else thankfully, because the steering wheel and shifter commands all of your attention and focus away from everything else, which I really like.

Last note- I tried to capture this in a picture- but the stock wheels and tires do NOT fill the rear wheel well very well, very sunken in. It looks *hungry* for a bigger set of wheels and tires with better offsets. :party0030:

It was great seeing Wings there! Looking forward to following this car around as it goes to Chaplins and then Walkers.

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Nice! It looks like the cleaned it up since I saw it!

Some more pics in this post: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=48

were you able to look at the LED lights when the parking brake wasn't engaged and the engine on and not in park?

if i remember right on the owners manual pdf, the car needs to be running, in a drive gear and the parking brake off.

ah, that's probably it... I had the parking brake on the whole time.

Yeah they were detailing it while I was there, and then they pulled it into the showroom.

Ooh nice! I like that fog-less look

HOLY F BATMAN! Huge ass pics. I gotta see this red in person cause that is on top of my colors list.

It seems like the cherry blossom sti red to me.

:thumbsup: Agreed. Premium is so much cleaner looking to me without fog and trunk spoiler. :)

I did like the premium in person.. I just wanted the nicer seats so I ordered the limited.

me too ... my car has fogs ... but the way its set up reminds me
of the GOLF R and porsche with the lil LED strip where normally fogs
would go.

[[grr this puts me in a bind ... I like the better center stack and push start
and limited leather seats... but I can go either ways with the FOG/spoiler.

Pricing for the painted spoiler is like $600 and fogs are like $350
if my memory is not too far off from reading that options price sheet
a while back

If I can do a custom order for better seats & PUSH START center stack]]

Were you able to sit in premium and limited seats back to back?

Also I assume the spoiler will take a decent amount of labor to put on correctly.

Question for OP: How was the red in person? Was it like an S2000's darkish red? Or is the 10th pic accurate (sort of pinkish, almost faded red)?

I realize it depends heavily on lighting, but what did you think?

No I just saw the premium at our car show (roped off).. I have not even seen the limited yet. I liked the alcantara on my STI though, besides the bright blue color.

Also push button start seems like a cool gimmick i am willing to pay for.

I was in the same bind. Really just wanted the nice seats but wouldn't mind the push start and ACC switches (not sure I want the ACC itself. Just the switches ). Without knowing the pricing I wasn't willing to "commit" to the limited just for the seats primarily.

Oh yeah the climate control dash look I thought was a lot better than the base.

Darker red. the flash on my phone was giving off the pinkish/lightish hue- it's the same as the red WRX/STI *I think*, a lot darker than these photos generally are. A very good red, imo.


also... the premium controls for the air/AC and stuff is terrible. just like a base model impreza. One of the main reasons I'm going limited... definitely confirmed my choice on that one.

also note this had the leather doorcards. Not sure if that will be standard on the premium or not.

Great meeting Joe and Tainen..lots of great things i want to say about the car..but all has been said already.

..only thing that surprised me is...its both big and small at the same time.

Dat contrast.... Dat exposure..... mmmm

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

very good thing

Very awesome to hear, thanks! :thumbup:

Sorry for the bad pictures. Didn't realize that I set ISO really high.
http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/...a/DSC00500.jpg
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So this link says that it's leaving tomorrow:

http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/north-...20th-21st.html

Can anyone confirm that it will be staying for two days as the OP stated? I'd like to check it out after work tomorrow, but if I have to take a sick day to see it, I will!

Whoa that red looks really REALLY good

I didn't expect the interior in the front to be really good. It's almost like Lexus grade in the front, but it's a bit let down at the back with hard plastic everywhere. Seat position is good, the center console is really cheap in Premium trim level. The exterior is... PURE AWESOME. Red is not that bad as in some pictures.

dark and wings: yall got anymore pics??

the BRZ is small on the outside and big on the inside. big enough to accomodate my giraffe and grizzly hybrid proportions. :D

The car looks really small, but a bit roomy inside. I'm 5'8" and there is a bit more space at the back when I sit. I didn't get any seating shot, but there was a pretty tall guy about 6ft sat in the car comfortably.

As said before, images are a bit noisy because of ISO.
http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/...DSC00494-1.jpg
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BRZ in NW
 

Thanks for sharing!!

Cool they have one making stops through the NW!

I wonder if it will be in Spokane soon?

Damn, now I want a red one. The Limited is a must now that I have seen the interior of the Premium.

I'm really feeling the same way. I think I would spend another $2500 for the options because the premium really stinks inside... Crap hurry up and release the pricing.

Not any different than how it is in my WRX so this isn't an issue for me, but goddammit I want those seats.

Here are some more pics. I stopped in today and the car is pretty cool.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4252979...7629271763132/

oh cool. thanks for pics. So this same car will be shown all over washington? I thought different dealers will be getting different version of the cars. I guess I can expect similar experiences as all ya'll this Saturday at chaplins.

Always good to get your own "feel" of the car.

wow good to see another color other then WRB...Red doesn't look half bad :)

one problem i have is that the steering wheels in Subarus usually feel kinda thin. coming from the M3 world, the wheels are thick and meaty. i really hope that the steering wheel on this car isn't thin like on the STis or WRX (which i have owned both, multiple times). can any confirm this?

From the BRZ at the Hermosa Beach event I got to sit in, the steering wheel I would say is a bit thinner than that of the E46's. Which is thinner than the E9x's. I could be wrong of course, but that's the feeling I got from gripping the BRZ's wheel.

Also, with all this talk about the car being bigger on the inside, I'm beginning to think everyone should get it in blue.

Only 3 people will get that joke. :bellyroll:

I assume it will be thin to your standards. I have no problem with it though since I think it helps, imo, for better steering, but hey everyone has their own preference.

I thought I needed fog lights but now I say it looks clean without them.

BRZ at Carter Subaru in Shoreline, WA -- First Impressions
 

Hi everyone,

I paid a visit to one of the traveling BRZs at Carter Subaru in Shoreline, WA. I took a bunch of photos and wrote up my own personal impressions :) Enjoy!

http://www.nwmotiv.com/cars/subaru-b...t-impressions/

Thanks,
Armin


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Since the joint venture between Toyota and Subaru was announced last year, few cars have received as much hype, excitement, and naysayers as the upcoming Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. The spiritual successor to Toyota’s AE86 of Initial D anime and drifting fame, both the FR-S and BRZ have swooned automotive journalists around the world with its handling prowess, low weight and center of gravity, and above all, low projected MSRP. We’ve definitely had our eyes on both of these models here at NWMotiv, even coming up with a concept composite of what our future BRZ might look like. However, despite all the peer pressure, Facebook polls, and constant research, nothing could possibly mean more than actually seeing, feeling, and ultimately driving the car in person. While we weren’t able to get any driving impressions this time around, we were at least given the opportunity to closely examine a new Subaru BRZ on the showroom floor of Carter Subaru in Shoreline, WA as this dealer demo vehicle continues its tour across the country.


Story and Photos by Armin H. Ausejo

Carter Subaru cleared out its main area just for the BRZ, putting the Lightning Red coupe front and center at their dealership. You can easily see the BRZ from the street and seeing it up close and personal instantly leaves an impression. The car’s body lines are truly sexy: from the fender bulges, to the shape of the roof, to the mean tough-guy stare of the headlamps, the BRZ just looks like you’re ready to kick it into ludicrous speed just sitting there. It’s definitely a small car, being about 3 inches shorter than the first generation 350Z and 2 inches shorter than the FC RX-7. Once you open the hood, you see what all of the low center of gravity hubbub is all about. The motor is completely and literally below the hips, and you pretty much have to give a very honorable bow just to touch the motor (more on the motor and engine bay later). The HID and LED headlamps truly differentiate it from its Scion brethren, although the clear reflectors in front were easily mistaken for fog lights. The wheels are – well, they’re very stock-looking wheels, and the 5×100 bolt pattern is a bit disappointing for the sake of aftermarket wheel options, much less possible future wheel bearing issues. Thankfully, there is quite a bit of space in the wheel wells and reports from the FR-S camp have said that fitting 10-inch wide wheels on the rear is as easy as destroying your 2002 WRX’s transmission with an AWD burnout. The stock tires are laughable Toyota Prius tires, which means you’ll be able to get your dori-dori on with little effort, but we’re already dreading the future forum posts complaining about the tires and 12 mph spool on wet roads.


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Opening the door to the interior, our suspicions were indeed correct about the backseat. Both Subaru and Scion list their respective versions as a “2+2,” but the only 2 things you might be able to fit in the back seat are half of your 17-inch track/auto-x wheels and tires. Unless you’re a very vertically challenged individual, there’s absolutely no way you can even fit a toddler in the back seat, much less a child or small adult. One would believe they left in a couple back seats in for insurance purposes, but they truly are useless, so you might as well just keep them folded down the whole time. On the other hand, the front seats are quite comfortable and while they don’t have a name like Recaro or Sparco stitched onto them, they could easily pass as one of their models. If anything, the design of the front seats is similar to a Bride seat. The interior plastics and other materials have a nice feel to them, very similar to that of Subaru’s 2008+ STI. Even the gauges glow red like the STI, and the interior stitching also has an STI look to them. Visibility out front and to the sides is excellent, almost bubble canopy-like, however the blind spots offer a pretty thick C-pillar that doesn’t give a very good rearward view for quick lane changes.


Stepping out once again, we next take a look at where Subaru and Toyota decided to save weight. One of the main draws of this new model is the fact that the curb weight is going to be in the 2700-2800 lbs range, depending on your options and choice of transmission. Subaru lists its most basic version of the BRZ with a manual transmission weighing in at a mere 2762 lbs and upon further examination, you can really tell where they decided to skimp or go cheap to save weight. One glaring example was the fender liners, which were simply exposed rubber pieces in the engine bay. You could press up on the fender liner from the wheel well and the exact same piece would be popping up in the engine bay. On the contrary, the hood is extremely light, easily lighter than an STI’s aluminum hood, thus Subaru decided to spend a little extra for weight savings in this case. Overall, the car didn’t feel cheap in any way, but making sacrifices such as the fender liner does give off an air of cutting corners, even if that could potentially lead to a better driving experience.


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Ultimately, driving experience is all that really matters for this car in the end. With a 200 horsepower, naturally aspirated motor under the hood, many people will easily scoff at the idea that this car will be any better than a Hyundai Genesis Coupe or even an RSX Type-S. “Needs more power” was the phrase heard the most when standing around the car with fellow enthusiasts and unfortunately this car was not available for any test drives. We were at least able to hear the motor, which definitely had a nice boxer rumble to it. We have no doubt that an aftermarket exhaust will make this motor really roar. Nevertheless, there is definitely some room in the engine bay for additions. The motor is quite pushed back toward the firewall, so any aftermarket turbo system would most likely need to be mounted in front of the motor, much like the current generation Subaru Legacy GT and opposite of the WRX and STI. However, rumor has it that this motor uses the same motor mounts as the WRX and STI, which of course begs the question of why not throw in an STI motor from beginning if that’s the case? As completely valid as that question might be, one has to remember while Subaru did the vast majority of the design and manufacturing of this vehicle, the original idea and concept is Toyota’s, and as the spiritual success to the AE86, keeping it a lightweight, naturally aspirated car just made sense. Nevertheless, perhaps Subaru’s H6 3.6L motor from their Legacy 3.6R might prove to be an interesting swap in the future.


Full article continued at http://www.nwmotiv.com/cars/subaru-b...t-impressions/

Verdugo? of NASIOC fame?