BRZ comes last in EVO group test
 

The June edition of Evo landed on my doorstep today.

Only had a quick chance to glance through it. 26 pages dedicated to the BRZ! :happyanim:

Unfortunately it came last in the group test against a Megane 265, 370Z and MX-5. :thumbdown:

Really?? I wonder what the criteria were. It'll be a good read either way though. Evo's a great mag.

Pics!

Yes. Please post scans of the article. :thanks:

TTIWWOP.

Ruh roh...

:needpics:

Sorry guys, scanners packed up!

The general opinion behind all four articles is that the BRZ was great when driving at 10 10ths but average everywhere else.

I hate how my EVO subscription is almost a month behind; I just got my May edition a few days ago. :(

Anyway, I'm not too surprised to hear they didn't like it <10/10ths. The past couple articles from other publications [at least the Miata vs. BRZ in Pop Mech] that have been released where they drive the car on the road have alluded to the car being "almost boring" when just cruising around. It makes me think that the steering and chassis don't wake up and communicate until it's literally at the limit of adhesion, which makes me think the much derided Prius tires are really the key to the cars fun.

I thought that was the point of the car. To have something you can actually drive at 10/10ths rather than to never be able to access that in others. Whatevs, doesn't change my opinion whatsoever.:iono:

Never heard of a car that succeeded in what it was built to do lose in a review that said it met the goals it was supposed to... Oh well, I agree with IntenseDVDA: BRZ for the WIN! Doesn't change my opinion at all to hear this news!

I think the 10/10ths thing indicates that it has very high limits for what it is. So if you're not pushing the limits, it's too capable.

Which, if true, is absolutely hilarious. Essentially, in trying to make a fun low-limit car, Toybaru has made the car TOO GOOD. They have effectively failed by succeeding.

But I think it might be more complex than that. I can't wait to read the article.

see i did an interesting test, i went from my ultra high performance summer sticky tires to low rolling resistance tires, and my car became funner, but at the same time i didnt feel as safe in the rain, but did learn a lot about my cars behavior at the limit, now i live at that limit, the chassis on my car is pretty damn good for a street car, and this car is supposed to be better, and about the same speed :D

i could personally care less how fast it is, if its too slow ill add power, if it doesnt turn as hard as i want to ill throw sticky rubber on it...

:needpics:

Keep dreaming. From what I've heard they complained about power being very peaky and lack of torque making it boring on normal roads.

x2 or article

And CAR magazine is going to have a slight twist on that:
http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Magazin...azine-out-now/

You did note the "if" and "But", right?

Here goes...

some more...

I'm just making fun of you.

last of group test.

Track Test.

There are two other articles in the BRZ section (drive up from South of France to UK and comparison test with an original Impreza Turbo).

I'm afraid I don't have time to scan these now (I'm supposed to be packing to go on holiday!) but will upload after the weekend if anyone is interested.

Enjoy!

I can't believe they wasted their time comparing the automatic.

Yeah, I have a feeling the longer gears, extra weight, and torque converter was a big part of the problem. Why would they waste their time? Oh well, still a good read. Between this and the Tsukuba videos though I am starting to wonder if I should wait for a more powerful version. I really wish they tested a manual... what a waste.

#1. Automatic
#2. No mention of turning off the VSC
#3. It's already been said the Subarus are a set up a little more stable.

So this is as surprising as it was at first.

I'm kinda surprised, I hate to be one of those annoying people that says "MORE POWER", but it really seems like the chassis is over-engineered for the power. I'm sure Subaru did this on purpose, but after reading that review, I'm not even gonna dare to think anymore about wider tires, and instead continuing to hope there's a lot of untapped potential lurking somewhere within the ECU, intake and exhaust.

They were given what they were given by Subaru UK. If they had already planned this feature and sourced the rest of the cars, they did the best they could.

Regardless, Evo generally and Jethro specifically will be contrarian for contrarians sake in some of their pieces. So I think the BRZ was going to have to be super eff-off great to not get beaten by the Megane.

What was more surprising for me, was John Barker's track review. That really was not positive apart from the brakes.

Also remember that these are press cars with fresh rubber. Even Summer tires wear out and loose their grip after you beat on them over months of use. I've got a set of 235's on my Civic Si worn down to the indicators, they've all but given up up ghost in the traction department.

I wore the Si's stock 215's down to the threads, trust me 150ft-lb of torque will be plenty enough to to keep you busy during the last 25%.

It's interesting that they love the MX-5 because it's really so bad it challenges you to pull it all together, and that is what's fun. And they say much the same about the 370Z. The BRZ is found to be boringly competent on the road given its limited power.

While these comments may seem discouraging, the testing context mollifies my concerns. These guys are far from your average drivers, that is pretty obvious. It's clear that for the typical enthusiast getting near the limit is going to be far safer and more predictable in the BRZ than either of those 2 - and it's probably going to be bloody enjoyable, since most of us won't be nearly as jaded as these reviewers, who have spent countless hours flogging the best cars in the world and have honed their skill levels to the point where anything not incredibly difficult for the average enthusiast is going to bore them to death.

Anyway, they surely would have had had more fun in a manual GT 86 - better gear ratios, more neutral handling and so more amenable to throttle-steer.

These EVO articles are a bit disconcerting to me as I have an automatic BRZ pre-ordered. The BRZ will be my first RWD car, so I'm actually glad that it's so easy to maintain control in it. I just don't want to always feel like I'm just short of having enough power to have fun.

A lot of this car was hype, evo just blew some of that away. Perhaps this will be a "better" car than my WRX, but if it's less fun...I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with that.

Waste of journal space.

Months ago we had indications that Subaru had tuned the BRZ suspension for greater stability.

Remember that time attack BRZ/FR-S side-by-side video of a couple of days ago? The BRZ had little understeer... and precious little oversteer, either.

Oops?

Next they should review a manual BRZ versus automatics of the other cars, and maybe throw in a 10-speed bicycle for good measure. If an auto is all Subaru would give them, why not review it on its own instead of making a comparison, or compare it with other automatics. They probably still wouldn't like the BRZ but at least it would have some meaning.

Yeah, same here, the Mustang I was considering (that's kinda in the same camp as the 370Z in the article in regards to driving feel) is starting to look more and more appealing. The spirit of the AE86 was that it was kinda crappy, and that's what made it fun. The way everyone portrayed this car with the skinny prius tires and whatnot, I thought this car would have the same spirit. And all the other reviews have given me reason to believe this. That's why I'm so surprised by this article.

The only solace I can give to us doubters now is that this car will be rare and if we don't like it, we can almost definitely sell it for almost what we paid for it. Normally a test drive would sort all of these things out, but with getting an entirely new car at launch, this is a chance we are taking...

They certainly did a good job of downplaying the good parts about the BRZ. So it has better steering and brake feedback than the MX-5? Sweet.

The low power is going to be more noticeable with the auto's wider gears. Definitely test drive before you pull the trigger.

I honestly think they reviewed the wrong car! I mean that in a good way.

I wonder what they would have said if they actually got to drive a manual GT86 instead. After all Chris Harris writes and drives for EVO mag and he flew all the way to Japan just to drive it for 20 minutes and loved it!

If they had reviewd an GT86 instead, I'm sure the softer springs would have given them the "tail out drama" they were missing from the BRZ.

Also, comparing the BRZ to the Trophy Megane is sort of not a 1:1 comparison on the track in my opinion. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Trophy edition of the Megane sort of like equivlent to a STI version of a WRX? It has like 70+ HP on the BRZ in the first place plus its FWD. So there's less loss of power in the Megane when talking about drivetrains.

I don't understand where they got the idea a 370Z is even closely comparable to a BRZ as well. It's got a way bigger engine and I'm guessing the price is the real reason why it was considered. But if thats the case, its totally out of proportions in the first place. For example, the MX-5 in Canada is more money then a BRZ / FR-S. A base MX-5 is $28,995 where a FRS is $25990 and BRZ is $27,295.

I like EVO mag and all, but I think they got some of the priorities slightly wrong with this article. It still doesn't stop me from buying the FR-S I really want.

bneale

Because...?