Autocar first drive - BRZ Cheaper than FT-86?
Autocar just posted up a Subaru BRZ first drive, and perhaps the most interesting quote is...
Quote:
Hirakawa promotes Subaru’s version of the car as more focused at the enthusiast than the better-equipped but pricier Toyota. However, despite early reports that the Subaru may have more power, he also confirms that the differences between all three versions of the car are limited to wheel design, badges and interior trim, plus price.
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So does this mean that the BRZ will be cheaper? I thought that it was almost certain that it would be the costlier version. Forgive me if I've got my wires crossed or this is old news but this seems like a bit of a bombshell, no? Sure, this is still speculative as the price is TBA at the top but listed as £21k at the bottom but the bit in bold appears to be quoted from Hirakawa...
Full review:
Quote:
What is it?
This is the Subaru BRZ development prototype, which is most easily introduced as Subaru’s take on the Toyota FT-86 – athough that statement is factually contentious.
When, in 2008, Toyota chairman Katsuaki Watanabe decided he wanted an affordable 2+2 coupe, he found that his company was already at full capacity building cars it could sell, and its development engineers were flat out working on alternative powertrain projects. As a result, the Toyota FT-86 and Subaru BRZ rear-drive, front-engined coupes are, in fact, mostly a Subaru production. Oh, and there will likely be another spin-off, badged as a Scion FR-S, for the US market.
BRZ project leader Yoshio Hirakawa refers to the car as "ours" and confirms that Subaru was responsible for its development, testing and production, with Toyota – a 16.5 per cent share holder in Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries - taking the lead on project planning and design. To this end, Subaru has also built a new production facility for the car, near ist main facility in Oizumi in Japan.
Hirakawa promotes Subaru’s version of the car as more focused at the enthusiast than the better-equipped but pricier Toyota. However, despite early reports that the Subaru may have more power, he also confirms that the differences between all three versions of the car are limited to wheel design, badges and interior trim, plus price.
He also confirms the BRZ was benchmarked against the Porsche Cayman R, a car which they are eager to point out it is 100kg lighter than (at 1270kg) and that it has a centre of gravity 2.5cm lower than. The more than 100bhp power deficit is not dwelled on so long, however.
It is worth stressing that this was a development car, and that much of the data is estimated.
What’s it like?
At its heart is the Subaru 2.0-litre flat-four front engine, codenamed FB20 and established already in the Impreza. However, it sits 12cm lower in the engine bay than in the Impreza, and 24cm further back. The result is a claimed 45:55 per cent weight distribution front to rear.
In the prototype we drove the result was a joy. Subaru was claiming 210bhp at 7000rpm and a redline than starts at 7500rpm, plus maximum torque of 170lb ft at 4000rpm. However these were estimates, and are up on the projections for the identical FT-86 unit.
Regardless, it felt quick enough, and, thanks to the Toyota derived cylinder head and direct injection it speeds up faster than any other normally aspirated Subaru boxer engine. Only from 1800-3000rpm is the absence of boost slightly noticeable.
The Subaru BRZ feels agile and light-footed. Turn in to a fast corner and it understeers only very slightly, but trail the brakes or lift mid-corner and that quickly turns in to controllable oversteer. At high speeds it feels very stable – thanks in no small part to ist relatively long 257cm wheelbase.
The engine can be linked to manual or automatic six-speed gearboxes. The first three gear ratios of the manual are shorter than the steps of the automatic box in order to increase the low torque gap and sharpen the sporty handling. The automatic box, which image-wise probably fits better to the Toyota version, comes with the three modes 'Auto', 'Manual' and 'Temporary Manual', the latter allowing downshifting via paddles behind the steering wheel. Both work well, but the manual is more fun.
The only real note of caution concerns the interior, and it’s worth remembering this was a development prototype. Subaru may describe the interior as pure, but some customers may regard it as spartan. No premium materials were visible in this car. However , that emphasis on basic functionality has its merits - from the driver’s seat you are confronted by a big rev counter, the speedometer sitting off to the left and the temperature and fuel guages to the right. The design is clean but basic; if readibility at speed was the only goal, then they are a success.
Should I buy one?
Yes. The growing conclusion is that the hardest decision will not be whether to part with your money, but choosing between the Subaru and Toyota.
Subaru BRZ prototype
Price: £21,00 est; 0-62mph: 7.0sec (est); Top speed: 130mph (est); Kerb weight: 1270kg (est); Economy: 35mpg (est, combined); CO2: 190g/km (est); Engine 4cys, horizontally opposed 2.0-litre petrol; Max power: 210bhp at 7500rpm (est); Max torque: 170lb ft at 4500rpm (est); Gearbox: Six speed manual/auto.
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