Subaru BRZ Enthusiasts Test Drive Feature
 

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/third/car3.png
FT86CLUB Homepage Featured Story


Subaru spent a couple of days photographing the all-new, highly anticipated 2013 BRZ. They thought, why not bring a couple of enthusiasts along, let them drive the car and tell us how it felt? This is what they had to say.

One of the enthusiasts featured is an active FT86club member (scotto) and his additional review and thoughts are below in this thread.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfRFtiVqNQ"]Subaru BRZ Enthusiast Test Drive - YouTube[/ame]

Thanks! It just makes it more difficult waiting for the car. :bonk:

I wanna know how these two guys got picked to drive the car...

2 cars, 2 enthusiasts, 1 cup :lol:

There was a selection process by Subaru for this event. Since I was selected, very happily, I can tell you a little. I signed up for email updates for the BRZ on Subaru's site. I received a survey for 'what color BRZ' would you want? After sending that back I received another survey having to do with this event - which got the ball rolling to eventually getting to drive the amazing Subaru BRZ :thumbup:

^Cool. Welcome aboard and please keep us updated with your experience unlocking the candy store. :)

Thanks for the kind welcome! I, like a lot of fans here, have been following the BRZ since it was foreshadowed by a proof of concept car made by Prodrive and featured on Top Gear years ago! The P2 ( thanks flu1D and Calamity Jesus) just looked like the most fun anyone could ever have in a car! Prodrive was hoping that Subaru would take the bait and build a smaller RWD sports car based on their example. Didn't happen, though perhaps in spirit the collaboration between Toyota and Subaru reflects the potential that Prodrive saw and demonstrated to the world! Then in GT5 driving virtual versions of the concept, and recently the virtual production car ( FR-S ) in the game I was just so impressed with the way the BRZ behaved. It just went where you pointed it with out any drama and was pretty hard to spin out - really stable, and you could out do more powerful cars - so this got me really curious about how the BRZ would drive in real life! When the chance to drive the BRZ came along I went for it :D

I was even more impressed with the real car OMG it's good. I've never gotten into a car and just gone for it so quickly. The first corner I was like, wow, I felt so connected - the steering is direct, linear, and quick, but not darty - just right! Braking the pedal is firm and intuitive to modulate, again just right. The bulges over the front wheels locate the corners of the car perfectly. They mounted the mirrors a little further back with peak a boo windows which make seeing apexes a breeze. The thigh, lumbar, and shoulder bolstering is excellent, so you don't have to fight to stay planted in the seat while cornering. The pedals are really perfect for heel and toe shifting. The shifter is right by the steering wheel, has nice short throughs, is accurate, and up and down shifts are sweet. The tach has all the info you need right there - rpms, shift light, digital speedo. The car is so stable, in a good way. It just stays planted in transition, over bumps, and whether in banked, flat or off camber corners, it's all good. It's so agile in corners, changing direction into corners feels effortless. The balance is terrific. It's so easy to balance the car in a corner with the throttle. And if you get the back to step out it just comes back in on it's own pretty much. And we were driving w/o the stability turned on! It's pretty much a dream when it comes to handling. The engine has good power, that seems well balanced with the whole driving experience, and the engine revs willingly with very linear delivery. The BRZ is so rewarding to drive, it's like it is hard wired straight into your brain - no interpolation necessary. The BRZ was obviously created by those who love driving for those of us who love it too!

I'm into tuning cars, but I couldn't think of anything I'd want to change after driving the BRZ!

Thanks for the nice welcome!
 

This is the most polite forum I've ever been on! Very cool!
:thanks:


Here's a link to the preview videos:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-LfLjS03A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-LfLjS03A[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbwxp30h554"]Subaru BRZ Enthusiast Drive Preview #2 - YouTube[/ame]


BTW how do you thank people for their posts? That's a great feature, and nice!

:thanks:

That red looks so good!! Btw, does the frs red look same? Same paint, right?

Same paint, but it's a little darker (in a good way) in person.

I believe after 10 posts, you will see the thanks button on other people's posts.

Thanks sportsguy83, I was really trying to figure out how to be as polite as the others around here :)

That's a good incentive to post some more ;)

Here's a couple more thoughts on the BRZ:

I fell in love with the BRZ. It is so rewarding to drive. That's really the key with this car for me. It doesn't matter if it is the fastest thing ever on wheels. Friends of mine who race have said the cars they've enjoyed the most have been the ones they were able to drive spiritedly on the street as daily drivers. That's the beauty of the BRZ; how involving, rewarding, and fun it is to drive. It's like the handling is in 3D-HD vs. 480p The BRZ does what you want, when you want, and how you want it to vs. being stuck with what other cars are able to do if and when. That's a huge difference!

Subaru BRZ Enthusiast Test Drive by Subaru
 

This is a video review by two enthusiasts Subaru invited out for a day of driving the new Subaru BRZ - unscripted driving and car impressions!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfRFtiVqNQ"]Subaru BRZ Enthusiast Test Drive - YouTube[/ame]

Been waiting for this since I saw the teaser vids. Thanks for posting!

Thoroughly enjoyed that video, I can’t wait to have that same kind of feeling and giddiness every time I get in and out of the car. Thank you for posting scotto! :thanks:

Note to mods: Scotto's video review smells worthy of FT86CLUB Homepage Featured Story status. :happy0180:

:respekt:

Thanks GMU-BRZ, jenzan, switchlanez, and all! It was a real honor to be selected, and get to go drive and share our impressions on this wonderful new car! Alex and I did our best to sit in for you as enthusiasts, and to try and convey what makes this special car so special! I had so much I didn't say at the shoot, that I went home and wrote out a 4 or 5 page review, and sent this back to Subaru. The car is that inspiring to drive. Subaru edited our remarks down to under 4 minutes, and it seems they got the feeling and the essence down!

:happy0180:

kinda funny how 2 every day enthusiasts can convey how a car feels and how it makes them feel better than an automotive journalist =p

Loved everything about the review except for one thing: comparing the BRZ to the E30 M3. I have to respectfully disagree with that comparison. The M3 was truly a racing car for the street, built purely for homologation. Not saying the BRZ isn't capable on the track, I'm just saying that the track wasn't it's singular purpose.

I question if these guys would say anything negative after being flown out and probably spoiled to hell in an upscale hotel.

Either way if they did I would tend to believe the respectable reviewers on this car like Ignition TV, Chris Harris, and hopefully some day Jesse Lang. Her in the BRZ and me in her :wub:

Thanks! There have been loads of reviews by auto-journalists, so it is kind of refreshing getting an enthusiast's perspective. Though the BRZ seems to have rekindled enthusiasm even in jaded writers!

That's a very good point touge-noob. Alex owns an E30 M3, so I think that's why he uses it for comparison because it is his own personal reference. The BRZ is a bit more modern, yet depends on simple and sound principles for it's ability to excel like the iconic E30 M3.

Alex and I both drove our cars out to the shoot location and back which was 4 hours plus one way for me. We got to drive another hour to a hotel between shoot days and back. The hotel didn't exceed 3 stars. We were genuinely impressed by the BRZ, and we were both honored to get to go and drive it. It was all worth it!

WHAAAAAAA? Them cheap bastards! :lol: Thanks for answering my criticism tho

Not to ruin everything, but I already saw this yesterday. Other than that, congrats to both drivers, hopefully you both fully enjoyed it I saw both expressions on the Premium and Limited. All I got to do is just wait for mine to come in. Patience is a virtue.:w00t:

toyota/scion dropped the big cash and flew 50+ people to Long Beach, wine and dine, 4 days. subaru invited 2 people to drive to the shoot location, no wine no dine no bell no whistle.

result? same off the chart excitement.

lesson learned: the car is just that damn good, it sells itself. :D . congrats scotto.

Welcome. Glad to see one of the forum members put his input about the BRZ. Great job. :w00t:

Lucky guys. I just want to see the damn car lol.

Yes I'm even more inclined to be swayed toward his opinion due to the fact that I now know he owns an E30. But in my mind the E30 is and always will be a homologation special that only exists because BMW wanted to race Mercedes.

I see where the similiarities are between the two cars, but the E30 wasn't designed to be a road car that could be competent on a track, the E30 was built to be a race car competent for the road. Two different philosophies (comparded to the BRZ/FR-S) that just so happened to meet in the middle.

Scotto, thanks for the little tidbit on the other guy owing an E30.

Well, my post was deleted. Guess I got a little over-zealous.

I think it's fair to argue the BRZ/86 are even more pure in design considering the E30 M3 was a modified version of the standard entry-level BMW sedan, whereas the BRZ/86 are purpose-built sports cars. To say that the E30 M3 is a race car made into a street car is only half true. Like most homologation specials, it started life as a street car before being turned into a race car, and then tamed back into a street car. Not to say the E30 3 series was a slouch; I had one and it was rather sporting.

This:
http://s4.hubimg.com/u/4341139_f520.jpg

Then this:
http://jonsibal.com/blog/wp-content/...375&zc=1&q=100

Then this:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploa...bmw/148915.jpg

vs. this:
http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...z-7_460x0w.jpg

Then this:
http://www.motorward.com/wp-content/...RZ-GT300-1.jpg

Then who knows? STi version?

Ahh I got that survery as well. I didn't get the second one though. Very cool!

The point I was trying to make is that the M3 wouldn't exist without the race car whereas the BRZ would exist even without the race car.

But you do bring up a great point on the M3 being essentially a souped-up 3-series. No arguing that the base cars are in different classes.

I was thinking the same thing! They did a great job and almost seemed like professional journalists. Great job guys!

Skeettastic!

Can't wait for mine

my excitement level is now at 120%. It was at 100%, but after watching real reviews by real people and not journalists, oh man!

Where the heck is my GBS!? All you WRB and SWP are super lucky! Super jealous. I have no idea how much mileage I'm gonna put on that car as soon as I drive off the lot. What's the total distance from Seattle to New York? ;)

Yeah, it's like reading, or listening to movie critics' reviews, sometimes I just rather pay no attention to them... :iono: and see for yourself. :thumbsup:

Good point on both Premium and Limited being featured in the video.

At the end Alex preferred the Premium he drove because it had everything he needed and nothing more. (Red BRZ)

I really liked the WRB Limited I drove. I liked the Start Button, the cool row of switches below the climate controls, and the Alcantara held me in the seat very nicely, though usually I prefer cloth seats for comfort and grippy-ness.

It may have been that we had just really bonded with the cars we drove!

Thanks! The catering I have to admit was tasty ;)

Thanks very much. I've been following the FT86 development inch by inch, and even before that the Prodrive P2 looked like a promising inspiration for Subaru. The Toyota and Subaru collaboration is magical!

Anytime!

Great pics turbowned! The last one is really funny! :)

Thanks so much :) It was an honor, and I felt a responsibility to do my best to convey my experiences both for Subaru since they picked me, and especially for any enthusiast who would watch the video. Alex and I were both expecting the BRZ to be good, but how good it actually was, was surprising to us both.

:w00t: BRZ + twisty road = heaven

I got one of the first WRX's when they first came out. I was all over every review. I emailed back and forth with one nice reviewer several times.. Still to drive it yourself is your own experience which there is no substitute for. I'm smitten by the BRZ having driven it though. My WRX is a great car. It's modded to my specific taste, and still the BRZ killed it in resolution of driving involvement, feedback, and directness of input response. The only time I've felt anything like that in the WRX was at a track day. There is just a deeper connection with the road, the car, and the experience in the BRZ by far. My WRX even carefully modded feels like skimming over the road by comparison if that makes sense.

I love the comparison to the E30.

My family has been mad on BMW's forever, it's all I grew up with as my dad has a major boner for them. I'm kinda take it or leave it but the E30 is the car that opened my eyes when I was a kid.

Im more a JDM kinda guy and that comparison floats my boat for sure.

It's a long wait to December.....:sigh:

That's a great point Metabrz about cars that open your eyes when you're a kid! I'll date myself, but the first car that I fell for was the early 60's Corvette. It just looked so mean and purposeful, strong and determined, yet the styling was quite aero dynamic for the time.

My first taste of good handling as a teenager was getting to drive a BMW 2002. All the American cars I drove, our big v8 family cars I likened to 'boats' :) No offense, but they were heavy, rolly, ungainly. I remembered laughing at Cadillacs of the day because when they came to a stop the car wiggled every which way on their suspension - whacky! The 2002 was composed on it's suspension, it was light and nimble, the steering was direct by comparison, it had a manual - Yes! - , and it seemed to carve through a corner - it was so much more rewarding to drive! This car opened my eyes for sure!

Cars have improved so much over the years! In GT5 on the PS3 I tried a 2002 on the Nurbergring.. and it felt rolly, unsettled, and slow... In it's day the 2002 was a revelation, as I'm sure the 911's were.
:bow: Today, I see the BRZ in the same kind of light, a revelation! :)

Congrats on your decision!