I Test drove the BRZ today! Sexy Beast!

[Mango22]

Originally Posted by KilldaWabbit

Mango, good meeting you today. Glad to be able to chat with you about the car.

The pictures don't do it justice.

I think I'm pretty much sold on it now. I wont be seriously looking to buy one until the fall. Let me know when yours comes in. I assume you're into cruising out in Shenandoah.

Shenandoah, you name it!
Yeah I was back there again today since my brother wanted to see the car and place his order.

If you could confirm, they did ask you if you wanted to test drive the car, right? I just want to clarify for the forum that they are allowing test drives, at least when I have been there the two times.

[KilldaWabbit]

Indeed. Robert (the sales guy) handed me the fob while I was sitting in it and asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin.

[Enemies]

Definitely DGM. Sometimes if you are looking at your monitor from too high or too low it can distort the way the picture looks. Either that or your monitor/eyes suck. :P

[Pakjk89]

Myself and lightning red got to test drive the car as well...wow it was fun! It has been awhile since I have driven a stick shift but man...the car was smooth shifting. The clutch was light...maybe a little too light but that's fine. The stick had a very nice mechanical feel to it...the engine was much stronger than people believe it to be. If you didn't know the power numbers, I doubt you would believe it had 151 lb of torque. The engine gives out a good strong sound. Coming from my gti, this car feels like good raw power.

[kablammo]

You guys are lucky! The dealers here will not give test drives, period. The demo model they have on the floor has 1.8k miles but they still won't let the public touch it. Very, very jealous.

[Mango22]

Sorry, but I forgot to also mention, my brother was all set on a lightning Red but once he saw the Asphalt, or whatever it's called (DGM), he fell in love with the metal flake effect on the car and ordered that color. So any doubters of this color need to see it in person. Its a very rich looking paint job. All i can say is it looked incredible in the sun today.

Also on a side note, the DGM looks different and better than the standard Subaru grey metallic paint, we compared it to other cars on the lot and the BRZ DGM was hugely superior, had a darker base paint as opposed to the standard light grey base on the other Subaru's on the lot.

Everyone have a safe Easter Weekend.

[Pakjk89]

Yeah...I honestly didn't think we would be able to test drive it but it took the tiniest bit of showing some interest and we got a short but sweet test drive.

[Enemies]

Nice, glad you guys enjoyed the drive.

Been a bit concerned that it would be like the movie effect. You know, everybody tells you how amazing a movie is so you go in expecting it to be the most amazing thing you've ever seen and then you come out kind of disappointed. I'm sure I'll be impressed when I finally get to drive it.

[quik1987]

lol @ Scion being screwed. I bet you Scion will sell 3:1

[Sasquachulator]

Originally Posted by quik1987

lol @ Scion being screwed. I bet you Scion will sell 3:1

Espeicially since there is hardly any difference between the BRZ Premium and the FRS other than NAV and HID's....

But im sure some will say the BRZ interior is much better also......

[tripjammer]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

Espeicially since there is hardly any difference between the BRZ Premium and the FRS other than NAV and HID's....

But im sure some will say the BRZ interior is much better also......

Nav and hids make a big difference especially when you get both for only $1315! If Subaru could increase production on the BRZ, I think they would sell more units than scion.

I think what will save scion sales is if the car weights in the mid 2600 pound range and the handling is slightly better than the BRZ.

$1315 is nothing when you are financing.

Like $25 a month difference.

[KilldaWabbit]

Originally Posted by Pakjk89

Myself and lightning red got to test drive the car as well...wow it was fun! It has been awhile since I have driven a stick shift but man...the car was smooth shifting. The clutch was light...maybe a little too light but that's fine. The stick had a very nice mechanical feel to it...the engine was much stronger than people believe it to be. If you didn't know the power numbers, I doubt you would believe it had 151 lb of torque. The engine gives out a good strong sound. Coming from my gti, this car feels like good raw power.

Was that you pulling in with the GTI as I was pulling out with the silver rabbit with the roof rack?

[Zgrinch]

Originally Posted by Mango22

Sorry, but I forgot to also mention, my brother was all set on a lightning Red but once he saw the Asphalt, or whatever it's called (DGM), he fell in love with the metal flake effect on the car and ordered that color. So any doubters of this color need to see it in person. Its a very rich looking paint job. All i can say is it looked incredible in the sun today.

Also on a side note, the DGM looks different and better than the standard Subaru grey metallic paint, we compared it to other cars on the lot and the BRZ DGM was hugely superior, had a darker base paint as opposed to the standard light grey base on the other Subaru's on the lot.

Everyone have a safe Easter Weekend.

That's interesting...I would have thought they were the same paint as other cars.

[Lighting Red]

Originally Posted by Pakjk89

Myself and lightning red got to test drive the car as well...wow it was fun! It has been awhile since I have driven a stick shift but man...the car was smooth shifting. The clutch was light...maybe a little too light but that's fine. The stick had a very nice mechanical feel to it...the engine was much stronger than people believe it to be. If you didn't know the power numbers, I doubt you would believe it had 151 lb of torque. The engine gives out a good strong sound. Coming from my gti, this car feels like good raw power.

Pakjk89, it was definitely good to meet you, broski :happy0180:

To echo what Pak mentioned about the clutch, it was lighter than I expected it to be as well. Once I climbatizing to the feel of the engagement point, then it was progressive and clear. So the clutch was great and the shifter...

Other quick thoughts...

Power: It would be unfair to call it adequate. The power was matched well to the car, and it pulled cleanly in 3rd gear from low speeds (20-25ish mph). I was impressed. I will also admit that I babied the car a bit. It wasn't my car, and just as well because Pak and I did our test drive during rush hour (more like 'era' in our neck of the woods). No doubt the gearing helped, but the car certainly felt brawnier than the specification sheet suggests. The feeling of being able to steer the car with my right foot was not lost on me. I found that aspect very refreshing considering my current car, a 2009 TL SH-AWD, feels much more anemic than one would expect from a 305 hp car. There is a nice, slightly raw texture to the power delivery as well. I liked that the car talked back and I knew what it was doing. In that regard, the driving experience reminds me very much of my Ducati and any car that compares favorably with a motorcycle is never a bad thing.

Ergonomics: I am not going to bore everybody with what has already been said ad naseum. Simply put, the car felt great. Interesting point #1: the center arm-rest was not missed by either Pakjk89 or myself. This is due to the low seating position, as well as the supportive and wonderfully comfortable seats. Interesting point #2: The car felt better once underway. Call me crazy, but yeah, it did! Interesting point #3: The car is sufficiently low enough that I found it unnecessary to drop the side-view mirrors while reversing! My TL drops the left or right mirror, based on the adjuster control being set to the respective side when the car is in reverse. I was initially a bit bummed when I found out the BRZ does not have that convenient feature. That said, after looking again, I realized that the car does not need such a feature because it is low enough. Hell yeah!

The view out of the rear view mirror was awesome. In fact, the view everywhere was great. Credit the generous greenhouse. Personally, my favorite aspect of the ergonomics...skinny A-Pillars. With my TL's A-Pillars, it's like trying to look around goddamned tree trunks. Speaking of the view, I think the concern with blind spots is a little premature. At one point Pakjk89 and I were both maneuvering at stop lights with cars around us, and while I cannot speak for him; I found the viewing area of the side-vew mirrors comprehensive enough to where I was not unpleasantly surprised when changing lanes.

BTW, the HVAC works great... big surprise considering the cabin, right!? Speaking of cabin size, dual climate control is a bit silly but whatever.

Styling: Pak and I had a fellow Ducatisti on a Monster 696, or 796 Dark damned near break his neck while trying to check the car out during the test drive. Enough said.

Handling: First, . My biggest take-away from the BRZ was the immediacy of the whole system. It is the antithesis of my current car. Whereas my car lurches in protest to lateral acceleration, spends time loading up the outside suspension, loading up the outside wheels, digs in, and muscles its way around a corner; I find none of those histrionics with the BRZ. Of course I shouldn't be surprised when the delta weight between my current car and my future car is roughly 1,200 lb Incredible. To me it was so nice to drive a car that didn't need a complex AWD system, or wide tires, or more lines of code than the entirety of the Saturn-V program to keep in on course, or roll bars that wouldn't look out of place with weight plates on the ends. It is just honest communication - there is that word again. Brakes kicked ass too!

Sound System: Here is one area where my TL is head and shoulders above many other vehicles. Pak and I did not play around with the radio too much, but from what I heard it sounded like somebody from the dealership was screwing around with the sound settings and turned the base up, and the treble down. More time for evaluation is required when I get my car.

Gripe: The car could stand to have a visor over the infotainment screen. There was a fair amount of glare on the screen during the afternoon sun. Again, credit the generous green house.

In Sum: Even though I could not spend much time with the BRZ, I really got the sense of bonding with it. It was the same, "Aha! Yes! This is it," feeling I had when I took the demonstration model of my bike out. Now I really cannot wait for mine to come in. To quote an old line from a movie I had never actually seen, "This is the start of a beautiful friendship."

Edit, dsbergc: I know you had some concerns over ride quality. I am pleased to inform you that the ride is not harsh. It has an oily, well damped quality, and felt solid yet did not jar in the least. Farris Subaru's parking lot has quite the gradient, and it is maintained as it meets the flat roadway. The transition did not a) reveal the car to make body contact with the roadway, and b) highlight an overly damped, or sprung, suspension system. Rain curbing did not show harshness in the ride quality either. Normal roadway travel felt amazingly smooth, and yet the car never let me forget that it was light on it's paws and ready to rock when I was. In short...Don't believe what the author of USA Today's BRZ review article wrote; your kidneys will be just fine.