Top Gear Online Subaru BRZ review - if you enjoy driving, this is the car for you

[Eldorian]

Originally Posted by LionZoo

This car really is a smaller, less practical RX-8 that gets better gas mileage. Put another way, it's a Miata 2+2 coupe. I will miss the feel of the rotary engine though...

Since I've owned both a Miata and an RX-8, and so has Yenadar, it's no surprise we're interested heh.

I'm hoping that despite being less practical, it ends up being more reliable. My Miata just needed gas and some oil changes, and it ran like a clock.

[Mari0]

Awesome review. Just wanted to point some things out:

Originally Posted by Hachiroku

Toyota has been responsible for the design (which certainly isn’t the most dynamic aspect of the car), and has lent its direct injection technology to the engine. Subaru has done pretty much everything else. Talking to the engineers you get the sense this is very much Subaru’s car...

You can still tell that it’s a Subaru at heart – not just in the engine, but the steering and manual gearbox – but it’s like they’ve let Lotus loose on the chassis. Well, almost. The light frame does get a bit thrown by big bumps, but it never feels unnerving, instead it inspires confidence.

The manual gearbox is really good – mechanical and precise – and the six-speed auto is better than expected. It’s not a double clutch, but it’s just fast enough and intelligent enough to justify its presence in a sports car.

Wait... weren't both the manual and auto gearboxes from Toyota?

[torquemada]

well, the JDM STI for example has an excellent steering, not like the USDM or EDM STI.

[Yenadar]

Originally Posted by Eldorian

Since I've owned both a Miata and an RX-8, and so has Yenadar, it's no surprise we're interested heh.

I'm hoping that despite being less practical, it ends up being more reliable. My Miata just needed gas and some oil changes, and it ran like a clock.

I'm considering the BRZ as a Miata replacement, not an RX-8 replacement though, so it's a practicality gain. And a reliability gain. My Miata has been rather painful to own, including two engines lost (though admittedly the 2nd was just buying a bad junkyard engine).

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by Ikaros

There's that 1,000 per year thing again O.O

What about that? Are they serious? Or are they hedging their bets in case the car falls on its face?

Experts, please chime in at will. :happy0180:

[Eldorian]

Originally Posted by Yenadar

I'm considering the BRZ as a Miata replacement, not an RX-8 replacement though, so it's a practicality gain. And a reliability gain. My Miata has been rather painful to own, including two engines lost (though admittedly the 2nd was just buying a bad junkyard engine).

Woah. Bad luck on the Miata. I only own the one car right now, and until I get a more permanent job I can't really handle two cars, logistically, because I rent and don't have two parking places.

So this would be a loss of practicality. But, since the car is so much lower to the ground, it'll hopefully have that driving feel I miss from the Miata. I like the 8, but it's too upright for me.

[Spaceywilly]

1000 per year will come to the UK

.

[coyote]

Learn to read guys, that's 1000 just for the UK.

And Top Gear is a comedy show done by people who couldn't drive the proverbial greasy stick.

If you're actually interested in a quality review of how something drives (vs what Jeremy Clarkson decided before it even arrived), then 5th gear is far superior.

[Marrk]

I'm pretty sure I know how to read. Thank you.

[nrclptcnsmniak]

Originally Posted by DuMa

i doubt top gear will review both cars. theyre exactly the same driving-wise. best chance of both cars on the show is having them both in the hangar. then again they both are literally twins on the exterior so i cant see that being too likely. it'll be too redundant for them.

that being said, i hope JC reviews the car. hammond and may's reviews are usually boring compared to jezza's

i am pretty sure that the frs and brz are not exactly the same driving wise. they both have different direction in which they feel the car should handle. frs leaning more towards oversteer and drift and brz more towards grip. they will probably have different spring rates and sway bar sizes as well among other things.

[pastuch]

Originally Posted by Mari0

Awesome review. Just wanted to point some things out:

Wait... weren't both the manual and auto gearboxes from Toyota?

Technically neither of them are from Toyota, they are both made by Aisin, though Toyota Motor Corp owns 51% of Aisin. Aisin is the largest transmission manufacturer on earth. The manual is the Aisin AZ6 and it's widely regarded as one of the best manual transmissions ever made. It's definitely my favorite. The Manual is a modified version of the same tranny that is in the S2000, Miata, RX8 and Altezza (IS).

Wikipedia:
"December 1997– AZ6 — 6-speed
Honda S2000, Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster, Mazda RX-8, Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200"

[Mari0]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Technically neither of them are from Toyota, they are both made by Aisin, though Toyota Motor Corp owns 51% of Aisin. Aisin is the largest transmission manufacturer on earth. The manual is the Aisin AZ6 and it's widely regarded as one of the best manual transmissions ever made. It's definitely my favorite. The Manual is a modified version of the same tranny that is in the S2000, Miata, RX8 and Altezza (IS).

Wikipedia:
"December 1997– AZ6 — 6-speed
Honda S2000, Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster, Mazda RX-8, Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200"

Thanks for the clarification. That still doesn't make the article right in claiming that it's Subaru's transmission. Yes, it's their gear shift on the outside, but like you said, Toyota owns 51% of Aisin, so if you are going to argue who did what...

Honestly, I couldn't care less. I see this car as both a Toyota and a Subaru and it won't make a difference (to me personally) when I am behind the wheel. I just find it interesting that people even bring that into light and make it into a debate: "oh they did this, they did that", especially on the Subaru side of things.

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Technically neither of them are from Toyota, they are both made by Aisin, though Toyota Motor Corp owns 51% of Aisin. Aisin is the largest transmission manufacturer on earth. The manual is the Aisin AZ6 and it's widely regarded as one of the best manual transmissions ever made. It's definitely my favorite. The Manual is a modified version of the same tranny that is in the S2000, Miata, RX8 and Altezza (IS).

Wikipedia:
"December 1997– AZ6 — 6-speed
Honda S2000, Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster, Mazda RX-8, Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200"

If you are correct, then that's encouraging, since the gearbox is a major component of the total driving experience.

[DuMa]

Originally Posted by pastuch

Technically neither of them are from Toyota, they are both made by Aisin, though Toyota Motor Corp owns 51% of Aisin. Aisin is the largest transmission manufacturer on earth. The manual is the Aisin AZ6 and it's widely regarded as one of the best manual transmissions ever made. It's definitely my favorite. The Manual is a modified version of the same tranny that is in the S2000, Miata, RX8 and Altezza (IS).

Wikipedia:
"December 1997– AZ6 — 6-speed
Honda S2000, Mazda Miata/MX-5/Roadster, Mazda RX-8, Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200"

can you provide the source that this car is using the aisin az6?