Saw a '17- like the '16 better!
 

I finally found a dealer with a new 2017 BRZ. The dealer was closed, but the car was on the lot.

1) what is with the thick black plastic on the grill?
2) I miss the old wheels
3) I like the old spoiler

But,

4) the new manual has hill assist.

Man, I'm conflicted.

Buy the 2016 while you still can if you like it since I bet some dealers still have some brand news ones left on the lots.

The 2017 is nice, but I also prefer the 2013-2016 for both 86/BRZ.

Unless you care about the new dash and the cosmetic changes, I say get a 2016 and then mod it with the money you saved from haggling a 2016 vs paying full price for a 2017.

Don't miss your chance to buy a 16' new, the clock is ticking on them!

There are a lot of '16's left around here.

I need to decide what I'm doing. I bought a new vette close to a month ago, seven speed manual. We also have a manual Challenger and WRX. I commute 2.5 hrs to go sixty miles on the way home from work. This may need to be an automatic anyway. Ugh.

My daily driver is a Prius with 422k (!) miles on it. When it goes, I need another daily driver.

2016

Just wanted to say that, although it seems like most changes are cosmetics, from my experience the 2017 does feel different from the way it accelerates compared to the pre-facelift models. Not saying one is better than the other, but the pre-facelift seems to have a more smooth revving feel while the 2017 has a more aggressive free flowing rev feel to it in terms of airflow. (I think sound wise is slightly different too, but don't quote me) Some other things that I believe are instantly noticeable are steering feel and suspension softness.

So I guess if you plan to mod the heck out of the car anyways, get the pre-facelift, but if stock maybe consider 2017.

p.s. I haven't owned the 13-16' models just test drove them a few times =p

Edit: Just saw that you need an automatic, then the engine will have no difference.

1) Do you mean the mustache?
2) Stock wheels are very cheap on here, people are practically giving them away
3) I don't know if all BRZs have a spoiler, but the old spoiler should cover the new mounting holes.
4) if you need hill assist, get the new one.

In sense, you can buy the new one and then add the old styled stuff.

If you need to drive that much I'd buy another Prius. Or maybe the Lexus hybrid wagon. Sounds like you've got the toys and the difference in cost of 20 mpg or more for that much driving adds up fast.

BRZ has a real handbrake not an electronic finger switch so no need for hill assist imo.

That new Redline video review up makes the facelifted BRZ in CWP look terrific, can't wait to see it IRL. The new look keeps it very contemporary IMO.

Anyone deciding between the 16 and 17 should check out the Aussie reviews of the new GT86 to get an idea of what differences they are finding with the new chassis and suspension setups (like Subaru, Toyota had the old car there for comparison testing at Fuji). Also if you can drive both yourself.

I've thought about snatching up a 2016 for a better price too, but they don't seem to be offering any deals yet. I've seen a few 16s for higher prices than I can find a 17.

If hill assist plays in to your decision...... buy an auto.

I agree. If I were going to spend close to the new price for a low mileage 15 or 16, there are enough positive changes in the 17 to convince me to pay a bit more for new. I really liked how the 17 drove and it would be great to have steering wheel controls, and improvements to gearing and suspension, LEDs, etc.

However, If I could find a great deal (somewhere around $19K) for a relatively unmolested 13 or 14, I'd gladly spend another $900 for upgrading to a CarPlay friendly stereo and a backup camera and a few other mods. Saving $6,000 over new is pretty substantial, and then you are in a much better position if Subaru comes out with a major 2018 redo.

I'd go for the pre-refresh 2016 model. Sounds like you like it better and if you negotiate well, you'll save a lot of money over the new models.

You can easily learn to drive manual without hill-assist or use the hand-brake if need be. FWIW on my old STI I hated the hill-assist function.

anyone know how brz's new hill assist works?
never driven a car with one

Does it just ride the clutch so that the car is not moving? or does it actually go forward?
or is it braking the car for you until you actually let go of clutch and push on gas?

can you turn it off? i think i would prefer without it, sometimes i WANT to roll back

all hill assists use the brake. there is no electronic control of the clutch

Yes you can turn it on or off unlike the new Miata ND. It is always on. See page 258 below.

http://techinfo.subaru.com/proxy/125...706ASTIS_5.pdf

What he said, its actually intended to help save your clutch over time as well, not just making you look like a better driver

It actually comes disabled from the factory on the BRZ, as a note for all those people who were so worried about there being more nannies on the 17s

You have to turn the feature on first of all. It only actuates with a good and firm brake press at a full stop. Its also only temporary. I haven't timed it but id guess its about 2 seconds from brake release. You can either not come to a complete stop right away or let off the brake and wait a few so you can get the car to roll backwards if thats your intention. It's a really convenient feature. Not intrusive what so ever.

Agree. The only thing I wish is that the dash light was only on when it's actually active, rather than all the time.

If you like to negotiate, are willing to go out of state, and are willing to get an auto you can probably get an amazing deal on the 17. I am sure there are dealers that are dreading getting an auto 17 brz because they know it will sit for 2 years on their lots. On cars.com there are still 14 and 15 autos that haven't sold.

The 2017 got shorter gearing, so it will indeed accelerate more quickly.

Why would Subaru increase the gear ratio for rear diff? I thought the gears are already too short. If anything, reducing it would be nice. This would make the 2017 model less desirable. (Most of the changes are very welcome.) Now in heavy traffic, I can barely tolerate it around 20mph in 2nd gear. With increase in final gear ratio, it would be too loud and 3rd gear is not powerful enough.

what? :bellyroll:

Actually on my 2017 86, the hill assist was disabled by default. I had to do a cheat code combination to turn it on. And it works on especially steep hills only. It's excellent, I'm not sure why people don't like it.

It's a clever and useful little feature. Similar to an electronic park brake which is now very common. The difference is the Subaru system was originally designed to work with the hydraulic brake, like mustang's new line lock to the rear brakes, for drag style launches. It's probably just a electronically controlled valve in the rear brake line. Maybe they figured out how to use the ABS/traction control system to deliver this feature.

Not sure what the negatives might be, seems a no brainer positive feature.

I agree. The original axle ratio was pretty short. Making it even shorter makes no sense. Add forced induction and you will definitely not want the shorter axle ratio.

Probably because everyone was complaining about how "slow" the BRZ is, so they decided to make it faster this way.

Probably. For guys who race the car stock, I can see some benefit. But for those who don't, and I suspect that is the majority, this is a backward step. The one thing I really do not like is how short the first and second gears are on my 13. With an even shorter differential gear, I can see somebody shifting like crazy between 1-2-3 in heavy traffic. Oh well ... Just need to find a wrecked 17 PP and strip away all the good stuff.

Hill assist on this car is CRAP man.. It activates even on flat surface. So don't count on that.

Saw my first 17 BRZ on the road today, and I have to say I thought it looked really good. The headlights especially are nice.

If you're seriously going to complain about being quicker by shifting too much and traffic.... The only place the differential gear change wouldn't be better is maybe gas mileage (doesn't seem an issue) or possibly with FI.


It is a forward step from the factory for sure.

If that's the case with your car, deactivate it, and re-activate it making sure you're on flat ground when you do.

But how could you tell...you are on a flat surface so you wouldnt be getting rollback anyways...

:bellyroll:

He should be able to tell as it needs more gas than normal to disengage the hill hold assist like how Tom Vu takes off in his NSX.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-01BI9L3aGs"]Tom Vu drives an Acura NSX - YouTube[/ame]

Hill assist activates on flat surface? This has never happened to me. In fact, it takes only the steepest hills to activate.

I smell bullshit....

Exactly..

Interesting. I activated in my garage. There is slight hill but shouldn't be extreme. Might worth take another shot sometime on flat surface..