BRZ Test Drive
 

I got an opportunity to test drive a new BRZ yesterday at the dealership I ordered my own from. I've been harassing their internet department manager enough that he was able to make the necessary arrangements (and now having driven the car, I'll be harassing him even more-so.)

Firstly, the gearshift selector is unreal, there is zero play in the linkage, in fact at first I thought the car was in third, not neutral as it was. I'm also a huge fan of the seats, although I'm slightly concerned I may have trouble fitting a helmet on without contacting the headliner, I'll have to play with seat position more thoroughly once mine arrives.

Steering the vehicle feels heavy, and exceptionally responsive -- the entire chassis eagerly anticipated every bit of input and sought out more; this was particularly evident while driving about on a clover-leaf between two highways as I felt a sense of enthusiasm for more speed in the corners. Once the path straightened back out, and I headed back to the dealership, I put my foot into the throttle while in second-gear. The RPMs climbed quickly. There was no sudden lunge of power pushing me into the back of my seat, rather a nice, linear gallop to 5000 rev/m before shifting into third. The boxer rumble was present, but modest and yet an awesome compliment.

I really like the audio system for a factory (non built-in) unit. The car was the "Limited" variant, and with it parked in the dealer lot, I played with the iPod control -- works just as it should. Nice bass, and the audio timing feature is an awesome add-on.

I'm not super pleased with the depth of the dash, particularly near the center of the car, where I could easily park a 17" laptop up for storage. In addition, the clutch pedal has no feedback, merely pedal in and pedal out. I hope to find this is the result of a delay valve or related mechanism that can be removed later.

The worst thing about the car (and venture thus far) is the constant amount of naysaying from people within various car communities; but I would attribute this to more of an issue with certain personality types than anything else. It's obvious that this is no straight-line racer, plainly obvious. The acceleration isn't going to impress any auto enthusiast, and the exhaust note isn't all that reinforcing of the whole, go-car-go persona. What is clear is the fun that will be had cutting along on the backroads, commuting down the highway and casually conversing with a passenger, or 1.5 (something that isn't easily accomplished in my STi) and pushing my abilities as a driver (while at an appropriate venue.)

I am thoroughly excited for my own to arrive, and thankful that I'll be traveling for work over the next several months so that I can remain distracted from the mounting impatience. I've also coined it, my man-miata.

Yeah, its hard to convince people on the BRZ's wide range of abilities as a car.

Where I come from, a brand new one is good enough for a used GTR R35 from 2010.

The truth is, not many cars are sports car in the strictest sense.

But the BRZ is a genuine sports car and its 39 days till I will be sitting in mine. :)

Well said and seconded.

Completely agree on the clutch. Its not very progressive and the grab point is really high, well higher than my WRX was that's for sure. I do like the lightness of the pedal feel though.

Thanks for your review. Did you test drive a pre-production BRZ or was it a demo car? Hoping it wasn't another customer's car.

Can you guys be more specific about the clutch? I'm not well-versed in car terminology, so I didn't quite get your descriptions about the clutch...

Do I have to step all the way down before I'm allowed to shift? Or do you mean there's a bunch of deadspace on the pedal, where stepping on it a quarter of the way does nothing (e.g. like some gas pedals or brake pedals have that 'dead space')? Or do you mean how if you're rolling in traffic at the red light, you have to step all the way in in order to 'roll' forward (no gas pedal involved), vs. only having to step the clutch in a little bit to have the car accelerate forward?

Please advise da noob :P TYIA!

The dealership had two arrive this past week, one of which is a sold unit. The other auto is currently unsold and was made available for my test drive. I've been tracking the orders from the dealership and ensured I wasn't driving someone else's expected garage addition.

I didn't examine in great duration for such notable items as: the pedal position at initial bite, and clutch release point. Rather what I am pointing out from my observation is the lack of residual pressure in the assembly. With very little force, you can fully depress the pedal. During pedal travel, there is no indication of release/grab, merely a fluid movement to/from the pedal stop. I compare this to the pedal feel/resistance to my 2011 STi, which I don't hold in high regard in this department, and the comparison is drastic.

very cool!! thanks for that review :D

Thank you! So I guess it's like how my 99 Civic was, before I replaced the clutch. It was soft and easy to press down (the entire way to/from), and when I got a new clutch it was "pressured" and took some effort to step on it to/from and in between.

I've only driven a few standard cars, but for those who are knowledgeable/experienced, what's the correct way a clutch pedal is supposed to be? Soft and fluid, or firm/pressured? I'm talking about brand new, stock clutches btw---NOT those racecar driver kinds ;)

I see you're in the PDX area... I assume you mean Portland, OR? Which dealership is this? I've got one on order from a dealer in McMinnville but I've been dying to give one a try...

depends on the car. expect economy cars to have soft clutches; that's so they are easier to drive in traffic without fatiguing the driver's leg.

sports cars or high power cars in general should have a firmer pedal