Test Drove a BRZ today
 

So on my day off today I decided to go visit the local subie dealer to see what the fuss about these BRZ's is all about. My impressions:

1. First the seats. I am tall (6'3") so the first thing I wanted to do was squeeze into the car to see how fit. I was very pleased with the sitting position. The seats cup you just right and the ledge on the door (glass sill) was just the right height for resting my elbow and had enough width to rest a good portion of my arm. The seats were leather and were very snug. I tried the standard seats on another car at the dealership and was not impressed with the feel. The overall position was good and vision through all windows of the car was fantastic - which surprised me.

2. Test drive. The first thing I noticed and kept fixated on almost the entire test drive was the giant rpm gauge directly in front of you. I don't think I ever noticed the speedo. Just the rpm needle and the digital speed indicator. It took me a little to get used to the clutch - so much lighter than my ole STI. The gearbox was good although I had some trouble trying to figure out what gear I was in at times. The reverse being to the left in the gear tree is strange to me. In any case, off we zipped. The car is an absolute brick in the low rpms - maybe even worse than my ole celica, but ironically I think the car is actually quicker than it let's on. I found myself getting to 60-70mph with relative ease. I had opportunity to gun it from a light as we neared our return to the dealership and it was a blast. The car came to life and growled like a panther. Overall it drove almost exactly as I imagined it. Kinda reminds of a 2.5RS but not as torquey.

Conclusions: i should say first that I come from a stage 2 07 STI but I did go into this with limited expectations to not mess up my impression. Overall it is a gorgeous little car - I absolutely love the cockpit feel of the BRZ. It doesn't really throw you into your seat but it has such a good road feel you kinda overlook it. I just felt so comfortable in it. Still it was a tad slower than I imagined it would be. Don't get me wrong it feels sporty but you really have to be rolling around in the upper rpms to see it - and it's very loud at the high end so you won't be fooling anyone by holding it in a lower gear to get a quick jump.

I think it would make a good replacement for my commuter celi for sure. I was curious if there is anything on the BRZ when you purchased it that you really wished you had upgraded. I think I may just be picking me up one this year. :)

Hey @rgt,
Sounds like you had a good experience with the test drive. In my opinion, the car gets better and better the more you drive it and get used to it.

As to your question about options....I assume you know there are two trim levels...Premium versus Limited...and I assume you are in the USA. I think the Limited is a no brainer....the seats sold that for me as well...plus the fog lights are nice to have. The only other option I got was the Homelink mirror. If I had to do it again, I would not get the Homelink Mirror. I've had to have it replaced twice because it falls out of the mount (the engineering for the mount was not well done). Supposedly it has been fixed with an upgraded mount...but we will see. The mirror is really too heavy to be mounted directly to windshield in my opinion. You can search the forums and see that this has been a problem for a lot of owners.

Otherwise, I say go for it. I'm coming up on my one year anniversary and am still in love with this car.

Also, there is a great community here. Jump in and join us....there's a lot of great info and support here.

Thanks. Yes, I did have a good test drive. Good info on the homelink mirror. Will be sure to drop that from my list of options.

That car is just such a beautiful package.

I needed the mirror with garage door opener/Homelink. I bought the basic model BRZ. I am totally happy with the cloth in the Subaru. I didn't get the spoiler because I think there are some aftermarket ones far better looking. I didn't bother with the trunk mat, I bought Weathertech after for trunk and floor. Love them for the winter. Save some money up front and buy aftermarket you will be happy. I use my car as a commuter. Love it.

@rgt if you play with the dash buttons (I forgot which one), but you can turn on the gear number so whenever you shift it shows the current gear.

Hope you find a good deal and buy one! My co-worker bought a brz after driving my frs. I love the brz led drl.

I've had my BRZ for about 6 months now and it's been a great fun car to own. I still turn around to look at it when I park, and that feeling of beauty never seems to fade. The only thing I find somewhat tiring is how jarring it is when you go over bumps or large changes in elevation--it's pretty harsh. Other than that, the car is pretty compliant.

Excellent. I was hoping there was an option to show it. I just cannot get this car out of my head after driving it. Like i really want to go back and get back in it again. It's so wierd because, like i said, i am so used to the power i had in the STI but there is something about the BRZ that is very alluring.

Hopefully the vehicle you test drove already had over a 1000 miles on it if you were going past 4000 RPM.

Aside from that, the car is fun, it is even more fun when you can fully open the engine up.

Aside from the Homelink mirror issues... I have not had a single issue with mine, other than a slight rattle. But the dealership took care of it and have not had an issue since. I have had the car for over a year now, and coming from a 2010 Cobalt SS turbocharged GM Stage 1, I still love the BRZ. It has been proven to be more versatile than I thought.

AT only

Yeah but... the mustache :barf:
My scion came with led drl

Gear indicator is not AT exclusive. Works on my MT frs :)

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk

No, even on the MT you can turn on gear indicator display (G-On).

too bad the base FR-S comes with lame headlights. :)
of course there's aftermarket answers to everything.

Yeah.. mine is MT and I turned on the gear indicator. I believe you bought a 10 series FRS! Good for you.

By default the MT has the gear indicator display turned off, but if you read the manual, it gives instructions on how to turn it on.

I normally know what gear I'm in, but sometimes my mind blanks as I'm doing rapid shifts in changing freeway traffic, and I forget if I'm in 3rd or 5th, or 6th or 4th. Then it's nice to have the gear indicator to remind me before I realize I forgot.

I've accidentally began to upshift to 5th when I was already up in 6th, thinking I was somehow in 4th (despite indicators of speed to rpm that that wasn't the case) and nearly money shifted.

Mine isn't 10 series. But it has a strip of LED DRL you can turn on and off under the steering wheel.

Also, my apologies. I swore I read through the manual twice and didn't find anything about a gear indicator.

Ignition on, but stationary. Press the "Display" button a few times and you'll see "G-off" in the display. Hold the button and it changes. :-)

I have the HomeLink mirror and it has fallen off twice (the first time was before I took delivery). The second time I just got out my Torx screwdriver bits and put it back on myself. Hasn't budged since. My dealer said that they are putting in longer screws now, so I'll either try that or Loctite if it gets loose again.

That said, I'm quite happy to have the HomeLink mirror. I live in a gated community (I don't recommend it...) and I programmed the second button on my mirror to open the gate.

the car LOVES corners. highways and straights do not show the cars true colors. I love everything on the limited model I got and I am also very impressed with the A/T very fun and I get to do what I want when I want to (shift).

Didn't read through, but the head unit is complete $#!t...

I have the Premium trim, I would have liked the aditional creature comforts of the Limited, but they put the car beyond the budget I wanted to stay within and saving more cash would have left me sans car in the winter.

Anyways, After 14 moths of ownership I've had zero problems and too many smiles to count. I do have the HPFP crickets occasionally, but it's not enough to bother me. I also came from an 08 STi, modified 06 Evo MR, and modified 04 STi. Comparing all of them, I think I like the BRZ the most due to it's seating position, light weight, overall balance, driving feedback, etc, it's just so damn much fun. I look forward to officially welcoming you to the club!

I'm sure you're as chagrined as I am, that now prices are negotiable enough that you could probably buy a Limited now for the price we paid for the Premium a year ago. :sigh: But at least we got to enjoy driving them over the past year. :)

And I thought I was the only one corny enough to do the same thing! :D

Have your dealer fit the updated adapter plate under warranty. Fixes this problem permanently. Mirror no longer shakes either.

Test Drove a BRZ today
 

Did anyone get the subwoofer add from the dealership? Is it worth it ?

I'm a bit surprised you found the visibility so good - compared to what, a Camaro? Yes it's terrific to the front but the rear quarter visibility is dreadful, as many here have noted.

I guess the vis is better than my celi. I just recall not having any trouble looking out towards my right side blind spot.

I was reading the grimmspeed strut bar reviews and they said it made what you described much better.

OP: I love my limited. I dumped a 2012 Evo X with 500 BHP for my new BRZ. I have no regrets, and my wallet thanks me too.

I'm still contemplating a test drive... Thinking about going this Friday. I currently drive a 2003 Celica GT

Are you driving a GT or GT-S and what do you notice in the differences between the Celica and BRZ?

I'm still contemplating between Subaru and Scion, color options (wanting Ashpalt, and want to have all the creature comforts.)

Let me know your thoughts.

I am looking to purchase an Asphalt Monogram (but I live in Canada, not available) or BRZ with all the options. I think it might just be easier getting a BRZ, but everyone complains about the mustache. I like the standard fogs, DRLs and angels eyes on the BRZ, but the front end looks more agressive on the FR-S...

I had a 2002 GT before the BRZ.
I notice the BRZ pushes less in sharp turns, and feels way more confident in turns. Where the Celica did feel like it would push me into a curb a couple times (though this could be due to lousy tires), the BRZ always feels great.
Engine note is growing on me, but initially, I actually thought the 1ZZ sounded better.
Clutch was heavier in the Celica, and gas pedal more linear in response (Drive By Wire, what can you do?) so that initially, I found it harder to drive the BRZ smoothly (got used to it though).

You build up speed much easier (200hp is a big jump for someone used to 140hp), and it just feels more composed (in some regards, even more compliant than the Celi - despite low profile 17-in wheels/tires vs. 60 sidewall econobox 15-in wheels/tires)

It's nice to have TC and VSC - but one area where the Celica excels is practicality - there is more room for things like your phone, sunglasses, garage door openers etc. in the Celica's cabin - and the hatchback trumps the trunk everytime.
Rear legroom is better in the Celica as well (if that matters), and the split folding rear seats are also better than the single piece folding rear seat in the BRZ.

Vs. Celica!?? Are you serious?

Just go test drive it today.

I had tinted my windows so the autodim mirror was useless to me. I also didn't have a garage so that will be the only feature I don't get on the next one

They are actually surprisingly similar (FWD-RWD is the big difference).
Both are revvy, relatively low-power, and nimble.

Similar except FWD - RWD.

That's world of difference.

Not sure where you're from but contact Clint from @HeubergerMotors in Colorado. I'm not ready for my car yet but when I am, I think I'll contact him. From what I heard he could get you a great deal ;)

170 members helped so far.

always glad to help a member out, especially someone who's done so much for the community ;3

Attachment 64631

Here's all the ones I have for sale

^ seriously...i've been thinking about the monogram frs cus i like the frs look more but the brz has grown to me. I wanted the limited features that the brz has and it grew to me...work your magic clint! lol get more into the community!

I wish my dealer could sell more than BRZ but that would be well hectic!

I have a 2003 Celica GT, but its auto, so its a night and day difference as far as power control. The BRZ was great but didn't feel significantly faster than my GT. That's why I am going with aftermarket power upgrades as soon as I get it. The celica has a nice cockpit feel but its no where as nice as the seats and driver feel of the BRZ, plus I hate its FWD. I almost like my Celica dash more than the BRZ with the exception of the all digital display stuff and the sat/nav screen.

As far as initial upgrades, here is the list of typical first mods: drop in air filter in stock box (similar gains to whole intake solutions at a fraction of the cost), wheels and tires, exhaust.

As for me, if I could push a magic reset button and do things in a "better" order, I would have done wheels and tires (planning on 17x8" rpf1 with 235/40r17 as I am staying N/A) then upgraded the exhaust manifold (the stock manifold creates a major dip in torque between approx. 3.5-4.5k depending on dyno). My $0.02.