BRZ Test Drive
 

Went to Somerset Subaru and drove both a manual and an automatic Limited. Both were SWP color. First impression is it is a great looking car.

First thing I checked was the capacity to hold two golf bags, which happened to be a deal killer for me with the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (go figure what some people like myself really care about). The seating, interior, and amenities are all impressive.

My first impression driving it was that it is not fast. My reference point is my daily driver, a 2000 Celica GT-S, and I’d say the BRZ acceleration was about the same, maybe a little better. I thought it would have more low end torque and feel more peppy. The extra torque I thought I’d feel at low RPM from the D4S fuel injection system didn’t materialize. Hitting the higher rev band didn’t urge the car faster, as it does once the Celica hits 6000 RPM. Maybe I was expecting so much that the reality was a little disappointing. The point being: don’t expect it to be significantly faster than a 2000 Celica GT-S and you won’t be disappointed.
The handling was superb. The whole time I wanted to push it harder and it was begging me to. Holding me back was the fact that it wasn’t mine, didn’t want to turn off the nannys and didn’t want to abuse it in any way, since I may not be the eventual owner. But, Oh, does it want to be driven…unlike any car I’ve owned. The chassis is rock solid. Loved it.

I liked the clutch. But, the gearbox wasn’t that short throw of a shifter, I didn’t think, and at one point, when I thought I just layed down the shifter into it’s natural 4th gear, it turned out to be in 2nd. Fortunately, I was only doing 30 MPH, and just gently let the clutch in, so I caught it before totally releasing the clutch, not that it would have mattered at that low speed, but, nonetheless, it was unsettling to have the transmission do something unexpected like that.

The automatic was a revelation to me. Sport mode was fun, paddle shifting was fun. The 1/10th second gear changes I’ve read about are only for the gear change. You pull a paddle, and then wait for anywhere from 1/10th to 3/10ths of a second for the computer to approve your choice (I guess), and then you get the gear shift. I couldn’t feel the automatic being any slower than the manual, except in 5th and 6th, where the gearing Is higher.
I chose the automatic. I’m picking up the car on Monday.

That's pretty much what I was expecting out of the car. How was the pricing on the car? Was there a markup?

It doesn't seem like any of the NE dealers are marking them up. I paid $250 below msrp for mine, the final purchase price ended up being 28 even.

Yea mine I'm getting right at MSRP

MSRP. But, that wasn't promised back in March when I put down a refundable deposit on it. So I was pleasantly surprised. The have a Limited manual on the lot that has a few port installed options adding about $500 to the price. A compass mirror with homelink (I think), rear bumper applique, and wheel locks, as I recall. I liked the dealership overall, and Mike Souza was great to work with.

When I placed a deposit back in November 2011 and up until the day before I completed the paperwork, I never discussed about the price. I took a risk in leaving all of my trust with the dealership. Fortunately they did not mark up the price. They were honest with me about one thing. They will sell all preorders at msrp, but they will mark up $3,000 for their remaining allocations that were not preordered. I think they have only 2 allocations left for 2012, so I guess it is strictly business.