As someone that recently purchased a new BRZ
after reading CR's ratings, I can tell you it did weigh in on my purchase, but clearly didn't make the choice for me. It also didn't tell me anything I didn't already know by reading forums like this one. The radio/nav unit has had some issues. There are also some rattles. While the overall "reliability" circle gets filled with black (bad) because of those two things, those of us doing our research look closer and the breakdown shows there are actually quite a few things that are VERY reliable on this car. And in my mind, the important things for reliability are reliable.
The following is the list of item that got
better then average reliability ratings:
- Engine
- Transmission
- Drive system
- Fuel System
- Electrical system
- Climate
- Suspension
- Brakes
- Exhaust
- Paint
- Body Hardware
- Power Equipment
Again compare that to the two items that are marked as "much worse than average":
- Squeaks and rattle
- Audio system
I suspect that these items will improve. For instance, my 2014 BRZ doesn't exhibit some of the Nav system issues I've read about. It's still not a great system but I don't seem to have any issues picking up Sats and such.