Anyone coming from more powerful cars to the BR-Z?

[Yoshoobaroo]

I came from a 2007 BMW 335i with the whole intake/exhaust tract modified except the turbos themselves. 245F/265R tires, M3 control arms, full Coilovers, upgraded brakes, stiffer engine/tranny mounts, the works. ~425 WHP, 450WTQ, tons of grip and balanced handling. Or so I thought.
I love that car still, and miss it. It was amazing and perfect to me.

Got a Saab 9-3 for baby needs, but that wasn't cutting it for me and I soon went on the search for more.

I drove an FR-S on a damp Saturday morning and by the first turn I was in love, as the salesman was grabbing for the ohshit-handle. The engine doesn't have any torque from 3-5k, but that is okay because between 5-7k it buzzes around like the angriest little bee that just wants to rev and rev and rev. Some places the car feels thin in the metal and a little cheap, but that is okay because it's legitimately light. The interior is spartan when compared to my previous BMWs, but that is okay because the seating position and driver controls are brilliant.

I fell in love, started researching the twins more (i remembered them from the concepts in 2010) and decided on setting my sights on a BRZ limited for under 20K. My modded 335i was so much fun, but only when you could use the power, which was almost never. Cars aren't much fun when driven at 25% speed. The BRZ is fun 95% of the time, because you can push it whenever.
If the twins didn't exist, I would still be commuting in my Saab 9-3 and taking the wife's 335i (which we still have) out for a spin when I need an automotive adrenaline shot. Now I'm on an IV.

Originally Posted by geezerbrzeezer

for many of those that 'get it', this car is primarily about daily driving fun. - The BRZ is slower (in a straight line) than many of my past rides, and I've never been more thrilled - this one makes you work for your pace -

This

Originally Posted by Yanbags

The BRZ is slow as a slug in a straight line compared to the STi, but driving dynamics and the way the car moves around around a corner has me with an ear to ear grin every time. I don't think there's a single *new* car out there in the market that comes close to what the twins give you for the money.

And this, also used the value is even better. I got one of the best sports cars money can buy, fully loaded for 18K

[VTEC]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

The engine doesn't have any torque from 3-5k, but that is okay because between 5-7k it buzzes around like the angriest little bee that just wants to rev and rev and rev.

That's what I love about the FA20. Everybody always says the FR-S is only fun on mountain roads. I don't live anywhere near mountain roads. I have fun just driving it to work everyday. I love revving it out to RPMs that most other engines can't touch. And when you do rev it out it's actually pretty peppy.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by VTEC

That's what I love about the FA20. Everybody always says the FR-S is only fun on mountain roads. I don't live anywhere near mountain roads. I have fun just driving it to work everyday. I love revving it out to RPMs that most other engines can't touch. And when you do rev it out it's actually pretty peppy.

Exactly! And when you wind it out the engine sounds straight out of Initial-D!

-Josh

[guybo]

It's still kind of weird to run the revs up to 6000 and it's not a big deal. Still 1400 to go! I love revving the engine too just tooling around having fun around town. I really wish there was a mountain near me

[Speed2th]

welcome, my previous car was a 04 wrx and G35 6MT coupe. I have most of fun in the BRZ. It is true, it is funner to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow. Even driving my BRZ to a supermarket i can feel the thrill lol.

[Silver Cervy]

Before the BRZ, I drove a 2013 328i with the premium package. Had 260 hp and 210 torque so it was noticeably faster than the BRZ. Probably the only thing I miss from that car was the ability to mash the gas pedal and take off. BMW inline 6's are just wonderful things to behold.

That being said, I got the same "fighting" feeling that you got from your 370z. When I revved high the car felt very uncomfortable and wouldn't shift right. Essentially, the engine wanted to go, but it was being held back by the small stock air intake and two, that's right, TWO big mufflers. Even at redline I could barely hear anything. It annoyed me so much that I could barely enjoy driving it. With the BRZ, I feel like it just wants to do whatever I tell it to. Whether I want to rev, downshift early, go around a corner outrageously fast, whatever, it says "ok! Let's go!". True, the lack of power is embarrassingly obvious at times, but you learn to get over it, and it's relatively easy to fix.

It's also very fun having such a wide and accessible tuner market, as this car is easy to mod. BMW's get all hissy when you try to do anything to them, and usually you have to go to a professional, but the BRZ is just so open to change.

[Twinz]

Last car was an STU-prepped 350Z.


A friend of mine totalled it at ZdayZ in May. I get to drive a lot of cars at the track so I had a nice "short list" of cars when I started shopping. The FRS is classed well in CS, so I went with that.

[n8dog11914]

I have a very similar experience as the OP.

- Started out with a 95' Honda Civic VX model back in high school and college. Manual transmission, 95HP model that was purely built for fuel economy. Most people don't even know about it but it got right at 50MPG on trips, even had a shift light to tell ya' when it was best to shift for fuel economy.

- In college, I landed a nice internship out in Mississippi. I saved as much as I could to finally get a 'real' performance vehicle. I had my sights set on the S2000, 350Z, E36 M3, and a Mazda Miata. I test drove the S, Miata, and the 350Z. Ultimately, I got the 350Z. It was a fun first RWD car that I honed my skills on and got lucky a few times when it ended up in the ditch. Learned to autocross and run the North GA mountains with it. I always liked the looks of the car, but the transmission was rough and as the OP mentioned, the engine sounded horrible above 5K RPM. My gosh, it sounded like a grenade preparing to detonate at redline. What a rough motor.

- Fast forward to 2012, I was planning on trading it in for an S2000 when my brother told me I might be interested in the FT86 platform. I put a $500 deposit on a WRB BRZ at a dealership in North GA. They informed me it would be a 6 month wait time in which case I said no thanks and waited another month or so. I then purchased the first BRZ that was sold on this forum as 'used'. The seller had 800 miles on it and claimed that his kids simply didn't like the back seat. Fast forward to today and 36,000 miles later, it's been a great ride these past few years. This car has seen Road Atlanta, Atlanta Motorsports Park, Carolina Motorsports Park, Tail of the Dragon, autocrosses, you name it. It's my daily and even carries around my 55" RC airplane.

[Swagopopotamus]

This is the least powerful car I've ever owned by a long shot, only 4 cylinder, still a ton of fun.

[BRZoomTX]

Came from a string of boosted Mustangs, all of them over 400whp and my last Roush put down 570whp. Driving experience is night and day, though I quickly missed the power.

[DatsunDimer]

Originally Posted by n8dog11914

I have a very similar experience as the OP.

- Started out with a 95' Honda Civic VX model back in high school and college. Manual transmission, 95HP model that was purely built for fuel economy. Most people don't even know about it but it got right at 50MPG on trips, even had a shift light to tell ya' when it was best to shift for fuel economy.

This is my daily work beater, but the 93 model. Try driving this car and twins back-to-back... then they feel like a rocket ship!

[Da Brz]

I've had three LS1 cars and a 04 Mustang GT.


I miss the power, or rather, I miss the torque.

[VR4EVER]

I have a turbo FRS and I still think it's slow lol. But it's peppy enough for a DD and i'm extremely happy with it so far!

[Agent 86]

I traded my less than 2 year old 2013 Golf R for my BRZ, and I'm glad I did. I looked at the BRZ when it was first released, but did not think I could live with 2 doors and 2 seats. As a VW Audi fan, it was not difficult to buy the R. There were a lot of things I liked about the R. Nice interior fit/finish. Comfortable and quiet. Utility of a 4 door hatch. Quick and sure footed handling (with a bit of understeer). Rising Blue color.

But, I don't miss it at all.

The BRZ is so much more enjoyable to drive. I feel connected to the suspension, steering and the chassis. It just feels good.