My Car just came in! (Midwest)

[Turbowned]

Congrats dude! The waiting is the hardest part!

Getting. So. GIDDY! Only a few more weeks 'til I see mine!! Not that I'm in any rush to give up my Audi... wish I could keep both!

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

Congrats dude! The waiting is the hardest part!

Getting. So. GIDDY! Only a few more weeks 'til I see mine!! Not that I'm in any rush to give up my Audi... wish I could keep both!

Yea man that's true. Especially now that they told me I can't get my car till wednesday! But I guess I'll go to my bank first

[NWIguy]

I just posted the pics at the dealership! see first page. I was able to check out the car today but they told me I can bring it home Wednesday because they had to do a "PDI"

[Ryephile]

Congrats!

I just got a call from my dealership; my BRZ just arrived too

My dealership and I weren't expecting it until next week. I'm going to go later today and give it a once-over and test-drive.

[dsgerbc]

^Thanks for info. Gonna start harrassing my dealer now (I think my salesperson is off today). Should've arrived on the same truck.

[the_3d_man]

What dealership is this? I also have mine ordered at a dealership in Indiana with only 3 allotted... mine is a white premium... no news whatsoever.

[dsgerbc]

Mine isn't here. It's on the truck though, so it could arrive later today.

[Ryephile]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

I'm going to go later today and give it a once-over and test-drive.

Ok, I just got back from the dealership. Here are my very quick stream-of-thoughts:

*Ingress: Due to the large seat bolsters, you can't just flop into the car like a lazy fat slob, you have to actually use some thigh muscle and carefully place your hips and buttocks accordingly. Since this is the case with my Lotus x1,000, it's NBD for me, just FYI.

*Starting: Press and hold the start button and the engine will magically fire to life. Who's driving the ship here? I guess the engine started, I couldn't really hear it. Kinda bland sounding so far.

*Ergonomics: Excellent. Low position, upright driving position is pert and confidence inspiring. Steering wheel is high and vertical, the exact opposite of common Greyhound bus-style hot-hatches these days. Kudos.

*****pit: The gauges are recessed compared to the rest of the items you use [HVAC + vents, Nav/audio]. This creates a tunnel effect for the gauges, IMO not ideal, but it does give the car rare depth in a world where uber-flat IPs are typical

*Controls: The shifter is clunky yet accurate. Engaging any gear results in a "clunk" from the transmission, just like your favorite crotch rocket. Very unrefined and it'll likely annoy those it doesn't impress. The clutch pedal is rather anonymous. Engagement is high in its travel, but very light and easy. The throttle feels OK; it's neither lazy nor responsive, it's just there. The brake pedal....ah, now we're into the good stuff! The brake pedal feel is amazing; firm, solid, confident, responsive, and great modulation. It's among the best I've felt. The steering is good. In modern context, it's great. On-center feel is strong and natural, and there's no slop or dead-space. Overall weight is natural and fitting for the car. It's not chatty or all that communicative, however it's accurate and well weighted.

*Handling & Ride: Honestly, I can't make a big call on this due to the nature of the roads I was on. The ride feels a bit overzealously jiggly, as in the dampers aren't digressive enough. There's also plenty of pitch and roll over rather simple bumps, more than I expected. The car feels a bit amateur hour in terms of body control. I could be wrong, but also remember that my expectation bar is annoyingly high. The handling also has a strange feel to it. During medium-speed 60-odd degree sweepers, the car turns in appropriately, but then it feels as if the front outside tire digs in and the car wants to pivot around an imaginary anchor in the ground, rather disproportional to my steering input. These were not high-g corners, perhaps 0.5g max. It ends up feeling anxious rather than flowing, like it wants to kill all its momentum right at the corner exit. I'd love to spend more time investigating this; it reminds me a alot of the 1st gen BMW Z4 handling dynamics, which was always capable but not necessarily tidy.

*Engine: Ouch. It's quiet, and what you do hear isn't all that musical. All those media reviews where they were bashing the car for its lack of power. They were right. It's not that the car is slow, it's that it feels and sounds like it's under-powered. The acoustics aren't helping, and the way the body moves around during gear changes is more 80's Ford Escort than, well I hate to play this card, but my Exige S. Now before you jump down my throat proclaiming I'm not fairly comparing, hear me out. I've owned an NA Miata. I've also driven every iteration of the Miata, all the way through the current '12 NC2. The Miata is slow in reality, but behind the wheel, it doesn't feel taxed or tedious, it's well-paced and interesting. I'm not getting that vibe from the BRZ, I'm just not. Granted, I was keeping the engine below 5k so as to not get into a philosophical argument about how he & Subaru are wrong about engine break-in. Even then, in daily traffic, I'm not going to be wringing the crap out of any engine just to "feel it", the engine has to seem important and purposeful even at low RPM and part throttle, and I'm struggling to find those attributes here. The engine is bar-none the most disappointing aspect of the car. It reminds me of the first time I drove a Lotus Elise. Great chassis, crap engine. Bolt a supercharger on the Elise and it's a brilliant and well-rounded car. Perhaps the BRZ requires the same treatment to fulfill its destiny. As it stands, my Golf TDI feels more sprightly and point-n-shoot around town.

*Aura: The overall sense I feel while driving the car is mostly calmness and relaxation. The world outside is wholly irrelevant; it really is all about you and the car. I love that aspect. There are very few cars I've driven that nail this chill aura, and I very much love that.

*Summary: I'm very torn. It's obviously a car that's unfinished. It needs some work with the suspension, perhaps as simple as the alignment. It also needs proper engine music and thrust. The seats, driving position, and brake feel are all fantastic, but is that enough to buy a car on?

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by the_3d_man

What dealership is this? I also have mine ordered at a dealership in Indiana with only 3 allotted... mine is a white premium... no news whatsoever.

I believe you pre ordered at Subaru Of Merrillville? I went there first actually but they told me there was nothing for me to pre order.

You must be one of those three who pre ordered.

[NWIguy]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Ok, I just got back from the dealership. Here are my very quick stream-of-thoughts:

*Ingress: Due to the large seat bolsters, you can't just flop into the car like a lazy fat slob, you have to actually use some thigh muscle and carefully place your hips and buttocks accordingly. Since this is the case with my Lotus x1,000, it's NBD for me, just FYI.

*Starting: Press and hold the start button and the engine will magically fire to life. Who's driving the ship here? I guess the engine started, I couldn't really hear it. Kinda bland sounding so far.

*Ergonomics: Excellent. Low position, upright driving position is pert and confidence inspiring. Steering wheel is high and vertical, the exact opposite of common Greyhound bus-style hot-hatches these days. Kudos.

*****pit: The gauges are recessed compared to the rest of the items you use [HVAC + vents, Nav/audio]. This creates a tunnel effect for the gauges, IMO not ideal, but it does give the car rare depth in a world where uber-flat IPs are typical

*Controls: The shifter is clunky yet accurate. Engaging any gear results in a "clunk" from the transmission, just like your favorite crotch rocket. Very unrefined and it'll likely annoy those it doesn't impress. The clutch pedal is rather anonymous. Engagement is high in its travel, but very light and easy. The throttle feels OK; it's neither lazy nor responsive, it's just there. The brake pedal....ah, now we're into the good stuff! The brake pedal feel is amazing; firm, solid, confident, responsive, and great modulation. It's among the best I've felt. The steering is good. In modern context, it's great. On-center feel is strong and natural, and there's no slop or dead-space. Overall weight is natural and fitting for the car. It's not chatty or all that communicative, however it's accurate and well weighted.

*Handling & Ride: Honestly, I can't make a big call on this due to the nature of the roads I was on. The ride feels a bit overzealously jiggly, as in the dampers aren't digressive enough. There's also plenty of pitch and roll over rather simple bumps, more than I expected. The car feels a bit amateur hour in terms of body control. I could be wrong, but also remember that my expectation bar is annoyingly high. The handling also has a strange feel to it. During medium-speed 60-odd degree sweepers, the car turns in appropriately, but then it feels as if the front outside tire digs in and the car wants to pivot around an imaginary anchor in the ground, rather disproportional to my steering input. These were not high-g corners, perhaps 0.5g max. It ends up feeling anxious rather than flowing, like it wants to kill all its momentum right at the corner exit. I'd love to spend more time investigating this; it reminds me a alot of the 1st gen BMW Z4 handling dynamics, which was always capable but not necessarily tidy.

*Engine: Ouch. It's quiet, and what you do hear isn't all that musical. All those media reviews where they were bashing the car for its lack of power. They were right. It's not that the car is slow, it's that it feels and sounds like it's under-powered. The acoustics aren't helping, and the way the body moves around during gear changes is more 80's Ford Escort than, well I hate to play this card, but my Exige S. Now before you jump down my throat proclaiming I'm not fairly comparing, hear me out. I've owned an NA Miata. I've also driven every iteration of the Miata, all the way through the current '12 NC2. The Miata is slow in reality, but behind the wheel, it doesn't feel taxed or tedious, it's well-paced and interesting. I'm not getting that vibe from the BRZ, I'm just not. Granted, I was keeping the engine below 5k so as to not get into a philosophical argument about how he & Subaru are wrong about engine break-in. Even then, in daily traffic, I'm not going to be wringing the crap out of any engine just to "feel it", the engine has to seem important and purposeful even at low RPM and part throttle, and I'm struggling to find those attributes here. The engine is bar-none the most disappointing aspect of the car. It reminds me of the first time I drove a Lotus Elise. Great chassis, crap engine. Bolt a supercharger on the Elise and it's a brilliant and well-rounded car. Perhaps the BRZ requires the same treatment to fulfill its destiny. As it stands, my Golf TDI feels more sprightly and point-n-shoot around town.

*Aura: The overall sense I feel while driving the car is mostly calmness and relaxation. The world outside is wholly irrelevant; it really is all about you and the car. I love that aspect. There are very few cars I've driven that nail this chill aura, and I very much love that.

*Summary: I'm very torn. It's obviously a car that's unfinished. It needs some work with the suspension, perhaps as simple as the alignment. It also needs proper engine music and thrust. The seats, driving position, and brake feel are all fantastic, but is that enough to buy a car on?

Nice Review. I will see how it goes tomorrow when I test drive it

[Ryephile]

One big plus I forgot to mention: The pedal placement is fantastic for heel-n-toe. A big plus right there.

I didn't use the stereo at all so I have no idea how well bluetooth streaming or USB connectivity works. I also flatly ignored the HVAC, I was rather focused on actual driving, LOL.

[sparrowhawk]

All you guys getting your cars now, where you first on the list at your dealers? Im 3rd in mine. I have no idea when its coming...

[brianbot5000]

Congrats! Although I think your Exige has skewed your perspective a bit - that thing is like a street legal go-kart (in a good way).

Of course, that's coming from someone who hasn't driven it yet...still waiting on mine... (dammit!!).

[blu_]

Originally Posted by eikond

Aren't there 4 or 5 from Seattle/Portland already out there.. and those are just the folks who are on this forum. Plus then there are at least two from Chicago area.. so he may be in the first 10 overall..

I'm curous about build specific.. I might still get the first wrb premium model in the country.. lol.. Except the guy in Hawaii will probably beat me to it.

Carr Subaru has delivered 4 already. I assume there are as many as 8 or 9 in Portland alone.

I wasn't near the top of the list at Carr and mine is coming in the next two weeks.