Mad's BRZ Review: or how I came to love a Scooby Doo

[themadscientist]

You can get all that as options.

http://www.subaru.jp/brz/brz/grade/s/

I have been running the info through Google and put together some stuff in English so I can decide what I want.

BZR RA ¥2,127,600

205 / 55R16 tire
HID high and low beam lamp
Digital speedometer
Dual SRS airbags, SRS side air bag + SRS curtain air bag
SEAT CLOTH: tricot / tricot

Other standard equipment
■ Front Ventilated disc brakes (15 inches)
■ Rear disc brakes (15 inches)
■ air conditioning less (heater function only)
■ Speaker
■ 1 power socket
■ dual tail pipe
■ UV cut glass (full)

Manufacturer installed options
■ Performance package: [(en brake pads) front 16 inches, rear 15 inches] Ventilated disc brakes / Torsen LSD / Rogiyado Final gear This can be ordered by itself as option DI ¥43200
■ Manual air conditioning This must be ordered with the performance package as option DY ¥248400

BRZ R ¥2,559,600

205 / 55R16 tires and 16 inches aluminum wheel
HID high and low beam lamp
Electric retractable remote control door mirror
Manual air conditioning
Door trim (red stitch)
Removable front seat cup holder
Dual SRS airbags, SRS side air bag + SRS curtain air bag
SEAT CLOTH: tricot / tricot

Equipped with other standard
■ Front Ventilated disc brakes (15 inches)
■ Rear disc brakes (15 inches)
■ 2 speakers
■ passenger seat walk-in slide
■ plated inner door handle
■ driver and front passenger vanity mirror
■ 2 power socket
■ trunk room lamp
■ large muffler cutter
■ out side door handle (colored)
■ UV cut function with dark glass (rear quarter, rear)

Manufacturer installed options
■ Sport Interior package: leather-wrapped steering wheel and selector lever (MT car shift knob) / Leather-wrapped hand brake lever / paddle shift (AT vehicles) / with aluminum pad sport pedal / Silver decorative / stainless steel side sill plate This can be ordered by itself as option JY ¥32400
■ 215 / 45R17 tires and 17 inches aluminum wheels rear spoiler ■ Performance Package: Ventilated disc brakes [front 16 inches (en brake pads), rear 15 inches] / Torsen LSD / Rogiyado Final gear (MT vehicles) These two can be ordered with the sport interior package as option NK ¥129600
■ full floor under cover ■ rear spoiler These two can be ordered with all the others as option 2K ¥183600

BRZ S ¥2,894,400

215 / 45R17 tires and 17 inches aluminum wheel
Front 16 inches (Private brake pad) & rear 15 inches-ventilated disc brakes
HID high and low beam lamp
Front fog lights
Electric retractable remote control door mirror
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and selector lever (MT car shift knob)
Leather-wrapped parking brake lever
Paddle shift (AT vehicles)
Sports pedals with aluminum pads
Automatic Climate Control
Keyless access and push start
Removable front seat cup holder
Door trim (red stitch)
Frameless inner mirror
Dual SRS airbags, SRS side air bag + SRS curtain air bag
Stainless steel side sill plate
SEAT CLOTH: fabric / tricot
Equipped with other standard
■ Torsen LSD
■ Heated door mirrors
■ front passenger seat back pocket
■ plated inner door handle
■ 6 speakers
■ passenger seat walk-in slide
■ door Courtesy lights
■ driver and front passenger vanity mirror (with lighting)
■ 2 power socket
■ trunk room lamp
■ large muffler cutter
■ full floor undercover
■ out side door handle (colored)
■ UV cut function with dark glass (rear quarter, rear)
■ trunk lid trim
■ Silver decorative [panel center, instrument panel Center side, shift panel, door grip, air vent grille, aluminum center bench louver knob]

Manufacturer installed options
■ rear spoiler This can be ordered as option SB ¥43200
■ Leather & Alcantara Package: Alcantara * 1 / leather * 2 sheets (with front seat heaters) This can be ordered alone as option GF ¥75600 or with the spoiler as option SF ¥118800

OPTIONS

RA cannot get any options
R and S can have the following base kit option packages

¥81540
■ Floor carpet ¥37800 ■ Number plate frame ¥3240 ■ Number plate lock ¥3240 ■ Wheel lock set ¥7560 ■ LED daytime running lights ¥27000

¥85860
■ Number plate frame ¥3240 ■ Number plate lock ¥3240 ■ Wheel lock set ¥7560 ■ LED daytime running lights ¥27000 ■ Floor carpet (sports) ¥43200

¥136620
■ Floor carpet ¥37800 ■ Number plate frame ¥3240 ■ Number plate lock ¥3240 ■ Wheel lock set ¥7560 ■ LED daytime running lights ¥27000 ■ Side blade fin ¥12960 ■ Rear under diffuser ¥54000

¥140940
■ Number plate frame ¥3240 ■ Number plate lock ¥3240 ■ Wheel lock set ¥7560 ■ LED daytime running lights ¥27000 ■ Floor carpet (sports) ¥43200 ■ Side blade fin ¥12960 ■ Rear under diffuser ¥54000

[Agent 86]

I enjoyed reading your write-up. Technical aspects, and opinion sprinkled with humor.

With just over 1200 miles on my BRZ, I pushed it to just over triple digits this weekend for the first time on a deserted highway. Stable, smooth and confident is how it felt to me. I understand why many complain about not enough power/torque, but honestly for me this car is the closest to the perfect sports car I have ever owned.

It's to bad so many people dismiss the twins because they don't have 300 hp.

[themadscientist]

I'm old enough to remember when 200hp was enough. My FJ20 only had 200hp back in 84 and nobody called it underpowered. All those SR20 kids treat it like it's made of magic and it only had 200hp when it debuted and that was in turbo form.

[pche]

I wish I live in Okinawa.

[themadscientist]

Don't. Wish you live in mainland. They have famous wind roads, legit road courses and a drag strip at Sendai. We have none of that.
This is about as good as it gets around here.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9w5eXk53Bc"]baka naka at takoyama 1 - YouTube[/ame]

That guardrail at about 1.04 in and I are intimately aquainted.

[meWant]

Thank you for the excellent write up, was a good read. Also helped me decide what color i will get mine in

[Mim]

Great read! Domo

[kdmBRZ]

Nice write up. I wish every car review was as thorough as this! I believe the car is perfectly balanced and all you need to do is properly drive it like it was meant to be. Then, it will reward you and you will have many smiles to come. Get the car!

[cjd]

Awesome read.

I think the real problem is it doesn't *feel* powerful - but damn me, I look down and realize I'm 20 over my intended speed and didn't even realize it. It gets there plenty fast and is oh so much fun.

[themadscientist]

It does zip along without you realizing it. I was looking down at the speedo when I was going hard and it was always faster than it felt like because the car was so much more sorted at whatever speed it was than I am used to.

[themadscientist]

Just got back from Subaru. The papers are signed, the car will be ordered.

I'm excited, but I'm dizzy. that's not a lot of money in today's new car market, but it's a lot of money to me.

I wound up going with the S, the Premium in America.

I was sure I would go with WR Blue. Not sure why, but the color just doesn't come through in pictures in the brochure, but when I saw the rental car I knew that was the color.

Well, today, again, the dealer had no showroom car, but, again, the dealer, a different guy than last time also showed me his personal BRZ. His was white. Just like the WR Blue, the white is done no justice in pictures, it's is beautiful. The blue Subaru emblem on the blue car dissapears, on the white car it shines like a sapphire. He had the STI aero parts on it as well which finished the car in a way that just white on the bottom doesn't. I realized where I last saw that combination, the tS.



With blue, the STI stuff was a would like to have, with the white it was a must have so I added that. His car also had the leather and alcantara seats. I had pretty much talked myself down from really needing the red stitching on the S and was about ready to go with the RA, the one we can get over here with the steel wheels. On the leather, though, it stops being neat and becomes excellent and I sat down to make the final test. F-me if the seat doesn't poke me like the stock S seat did. I'm not sure if it's just in my mind or if it really does feel better, but my right kidney didn't lodge a protest in the leather seats. Well, gotta have em.

No floor mats? What are we, animals? Add that. Head unit, nope. I want to play DVDs and if I get the overpriced stuff offered by the dealer, they are the wrong zone. America is zone 1, Japan is zone 2. That and I wanted more choices so it will be delivered with a gaping hole in the dashboard.

I know this is the car I have been waiting for. I know I checked all the right boxes and I know I will love it, but I'm still dizzy at the idea that i just ordered it. I'm going to see how much of this Old Smokey apple pie moonshine it takes to make my heart stop pounding.

[lionbacker54]

congrats, mad. thanks for the fun review, especially all the pics

[themadscientist]

I hate my indecisiveness! Every time I see a WR blue one I think I made a mistake ordering the white, but then I see a white one and think I made the right choice, but then I see a blue one and I'm mixed up again.

The blue is so youthful and in your face which is cool, but that white is so sophisticated and understated which is where I think my head is at at this age. Either way, I know I'm going to happy, but I am playing mind games with myself hard right now and I have two months to go back and forth. I should be proper insane by then.

[Speed2th]

Paint the white car half side blue. Problem solved