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Left work early to see the BRZ at Gillman Southwest Subaru today. I nearly had a heart attack from the level of excitement I was at from just driving to the dealership. Below were my thoughts:
Exterior Appearance- Body shape is so nice. Looks like an expensive car. Car looks lower in person than in pictures. Seemed to be about the same height as a Porsche Cayman. Tail lights looked decent as well; I normally hate altezza-style lights but found the BRZ's tail lights to be more than acceptable. Wasn't a fan of the WRB color though. Looked a little too youngsterish and took away from the classy body of the BRZ IMO. I was actually able to witness SWP on a showroom Tribeca and it confirmed SWP as my #1 choice. Looked very similar to lexus's famous pearl white color. Didn't see the beige look that everyone has been talking about.
Interior Appearance- ****pit felt very spacious, coming from a 6"1' guy. Was bothered about the FRS's speedo looking better than BRZ's in pictures but found the latter's to look really good when the red backlighting was turned on. Overall, everything inside looked pretty classy as well--like an interior that might belong in a Porsche.
Build quality- Doors felt pretty heavy- had a nice deep thud when shut unlike the hollow-tin sound of some lesser cars. The black plastic bar on the front bumper had no play when pushed upon and felt very dense--very nice. The upper dash (extending from driver's side to passenger side) was covered in a very nice soft rubbery material-no play nor squeakiness when pressed (N.P.N.S.). The faux brushed-aluminum panel that ran across the center console had a hard plastic feel (which they used real aluminum instead) but again, NPNS. The center AC controls felt fairly solid as well--no cheap sounds when turned or pressed. However, the nicest feeling button in the car was the traction control (right below the shifter). Damn that thing felt heavy and dense. Wish all the buttons in the car felt that good. As another person has mentioned, the shifter felt so solid and precise- no play whatsoever and the shifter clicked into each gear with strong tactile feeling. My porsche buddy did complain about it being too notchy but I found the silent bumps to provide a nice, reassuring feeling when shifting. Seats felt very comfortable, however, I didn't really like the material. The leather looked a bit cheap and had quite a few creases for a relatively new car. Overall, the build quality was pleasing and seemed to be better than the car's price range.
Exhaust note: Was fortunate enough to be around when the SOA rep had to drive the car to another dealership. Was so excited to hear the engine in person after being impressed from several youtube videos. However, I hate to say that I was quite underwhelmed when he started up the car and revved it a bit outside. It was too quiet for my taste and barely had the boxer rumble. Sounded a bit luxury car-ish. I'll definitely be adding an exhaust ASAP.
Final verdict: I'm still so excited about getting the car. I still believe that this car is a steal for the [predicted] cost. I'd be so disappointed if I had to get something else. Nothing else out there surpasses the BRZ when considering all of the following as a whole: appearance, reliability, fuel economy, sporty drivetrain, engine quality, build quality, and utility.
I also want to give a shoutout to my salesperson, Brian, for being so wonderful throughout my whole shopping experience. Since day 1, he has been extremely nice and patient despite my constant paranoid emails about BRZ details (pricing, showroom demo, waitlist status, etc). He has also gone above and beyond in keeping me (and his other deposit holders as well, I assume) informed about new info which he has received. He contacts me via phone, cell, and even text messages to make sure that I am updated right after he is. I even received scans of brochures and other handouts, without request, when they arrived at the dealership a few weeks ago. Highly recommend him to anyone who wants a young, modern salesperson who's main goal seems to be serving the customer.
PS- Good news for Gilman Southwest deposit holders: Brian told me today that the dealership has agreed on selling the BRZ at MSRP (no markups).
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