Test drove a premium '15 BRZ then base '16 WRX then the BRZ again.
I had the wife sit in the premium and limited BRZ's which were both in Ice Silver parked next to each other - convenient! These were both 2015 models. I gotta admit, I'm not a fan of the plastic fiber weave in the dash - I remember it being a solid silver color.. what happened?
Anyways, she felt the Limited money difference should go towards wheels/tires. Done!
So the drives.. first drove the BRZ with the salesman and re-familiarized myself with the car. I forgot how easy it is to drive. I also forgot how tight the interior is. I definitely has a Miata/S2K-top-up claustrophobia with similar visibility. Great steering as before but I recant my old reviews on the FR-S brake pedal. Maybe I had a bad sample because today's pedal was the tits. Lots of feel/feedback and pressure from high in the pedal travel all throughout. Love the brakes. Hated the clutch - must be that helper spring that makes it pop part way through the release. Shift action was better than I remember. I remember it having a Fisher Price plastic notchyness but today it went relatively well into gears both up and down.
Our little route featured a couple of moderate speed turns. I didn't touch the nannies so no tail out fun but I remember how easy it was in the race car. I also don't remember my previous FR-S test drives having such a balanced suspension between firm body control and bump absorption - I was genuinely impressed with how well the car handled bumps/dips/cracks. It's like.. entry level BMW of days-gone-by good. All in all, it put a HUGE smile on my face. Back to the dealership we went.
Then it was the WRX's turn. A base 2016 model with 5 or 6 miles on it. Virgin as can be (and stayed that way). This time the wife jumped in the back with salesman shotgun.
Firstly, kudos to Subaru for not resting on their laurels with the WRX. This gen is heads and shoulders above the 2012/3 model I test drove a few years ago. The interior, the shifter, the power, the seats and the handling. It's a bonafide new generation.
Right, same route we took as with the BRZ. We let the car warm up and then worked out a couple of gears to 6,000 rpms. I still don't get WRXs. No fizz in the pants here. The power delivery leaves me hanging. I don't recall how bad the previous gen was but I remember voicing similar criticism. Too much, too fast and over too soon. It's torque from 3,000 to 5,000 rpms then shifting. I bet short-shifting the car is the most enjoyable way to drive it....
The shift throws a little longer than the BRZ but not by much and had slightly less feel - blind fold me and I'd like to think I could tell the difference but could just be in my head. Maybe I was already used to it but the clutch in the WRX felt more linear in its release - I preferred it over the BRZ's pop action. I thought the WRX brakes had adequate feel - maybe it's due to the longer leg angle position in the BRZ but the pedal didn't feel as pleasurable to modulate in the WRX. Steering felt good - it gave feedback and had a little weight to it. The D flat bottom shape reminds me of my GTI. Now the chassis and springs are definitely turned up. Initial turn in feels
sooo much better than how I remember it. That being said, it felt stiff - not necessarily compliant, just stiff. Corner entry and mid-corner control were much easier to feel through but the car was just a bit more crashy than the BRZ. The WRX evolved into a much better car with fun BRZ like moments built in.
So we returned to the dealership, stared at both cars parked next to one another and discussed what we liked and didn't like. Then the wife and I took the BRZ out for a little longer spin, just the two of us. Prior to take off I asked her if she would watch, listen, feel for any difference in how the car took bumps compared to the sedan we were just in. In my head, and maybe I'm taking crazy pills, but the BRZ has a much more sophisticated approach to handling over the WRX - I don't know why and I don't know if that's quantifiable or even true. The WRX felt like over the counter coilovers and sway bars were thrown on and an alignment done. It almost feels immature in that way. The BRZ feels like a team of engineers with a big(ger) budget designed a great handling car from the ground up. Which they did. She claims my hypothesis is correct - likely confirmation bias, we'll have the ethics panel look into it.
Anyways, the missus liked the car, liked the feel of the car and saw the big s*** eating grin on my face while we drove it. So she's all for it.
After dinner and some time reflecting on it... I feel like I'm back in 2012 making that same decision. This time, instead of sweating the miles traveled every week for work and car comfort - I'm worrying about if a baby seat is going to fit in the car and if that will be something I will regret in a year or two. Deja Vu.
Over dinner the wife also brought up our memories in the S2K - it's a dear, sentimental machine on four wheels to us for sure. She supports the BRZ exchange but I suspect wants to keep both the GTI and S2K in the family.
I, on the other hand, really want to pull the trigger on the BRZ. It's just as fun as the S2000 while being 80% the car. I
wish it had an extra inch in interior width, height and length. Alternatively I could also wish the WRX were more like the BRZ in the ride and comfort. And I can't believe I'm saying this but I prefer the lower HP output n/a FA of the BRZ over the boosted WRX because it builds the power well. I'm now relieved they didn't use the boosted FA in the BRZ (flame suit on!). Just 10% more power on that FA would go a long way in seat oompf. Or supercharge it, best of both worlds - right?
Lastly, I stupidly forgot my helmet at home so I will need to go back Saturday for a test fitting. If I fit comfortably with the lid on, I will count the dollars and work out a trade-in plan for a 2016 model. If I don't fit, I'll keep the S2000 and continue to build on it.
And before anyone suggests it again, the STI is simply beyond the budget. I asked the dealer about pricing during our WRX test drive and at $37k+ with nav on a base it is simply too much, so I didn't bother test driving something I don't intend to purchase.