Performance Package on Automatic Brz

[Vital]

Originally Posted by NeverInTime

You cannot get a PP on an automatic BRZ.

Hes asking about the price for an Limited Auto vs Limited w/PP Manual...

[yurikaze]

You can get the PP on the automatic. If you live in Japan or Australia.
You can even get the BRZ tS/STI sport with an automatic there.

Subaru and Toyota just choose not to sell this variant in the US, much like how we still can't get the brembos on a Toyota 86 outside of the TRD version.

I've got a manual because I wanted a tS. However, I drove an automatic 86 for a few days through the mountains of Japan, and it was wonderful. The automatic throttle blip on the downshifts were so much fun.

Even though I come from a family of staunch supporters of shifting your own (my 70-year old parents have only owned manuals, my dad has a series.yellow BRZ, and my mom has both a Mazdaspeed3 and Civic Type-R) I would have been ok going with an automatic 86, it's still a ton of fun, and most of my driving is gridlock LA traffic.

[Flarpswitch]

This discussion has driven off into the weeds just a little. I think the question is about a daily driver that is a street car driven often enough in moderate to heavy traffic. An automatic transmission seems to be the best way to go, but at the exclusion of factory performance equipment. Is it a reasonable concession to forego the performance gear? If it's for looks only, then standard equipment is more than adequate. I have driven both M/T and A/T variants of the BRZ and considering how and where it is going to be driven, I got a 2017 Limited A/T and never looked back. The auto trans is an Aisin-Warner A-960E FR unit. Decoded, it is a ninth generation, six speed, electronically controlled automatic similar to ones equipped in some Lexus cars. There is one significant difference with variant found in the FRS/86/BRZ: it is electronically tuned to mimic a dual-clutch transmission. Like automatics found in some race cars, the A-960E shifts faster than a human can with a manual. A friend had a Lexus 250C with this transmission and I compared how it drove to the BRZ keeping in mind that the Lexus was, shall we say, an adult oriented ride. There is a remarkable difference in how quick and deliberate the transmission shifts. One way to convince yourself if the A/T is right for you is take it out, pop it into manual mode and keep the tach up above the torque dip and up to red-line. Another thing is you won't miss a shift when all you have to do is flick the paddle with your fingers. A buddy of mine got talked into getting a new Honda Si, Manual transmission only. Yes, the car has it's appeal, but the fun wears off when driving downtown. You might want to find a car that is already broken in or a salesman that looks the other way. Use the brakes. Use them hard. Does it stop the car OK. Keep in mind that from the driver's seat you can't see how cool the calipers look, but you can feel if performance brakes are important enough to have. There are aftermarket performance stuff for the A/T such as a torque convertor and valve body upgrades. I'm not sure what that would buy me, but I would rather spend that on beer and pizza. Really, anyone stuck trying to decide which way to go really needs to drive the car and not just around the block. Yes, this is a car that needs the manual transmission to fully exploit what it can do on the track and IMHO something you can't currently get from the dealer's showroom... a turbo or supercharger.

[Ernest72]

I have two Subies with autos. So much fun. They are DD and some spirited runs.