EE review of 2017 BRZ

[mdm]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb-KLiQUzHM"]2017 Subaru BRZ Review - Updated Engine & Differential! - YouTube[/ame]

[new2subaru]

Best review yet! Thanks for posting it.

[NLS8520]

Watched this review earlier this morning and was struck with how well he "got" these cars, and the changes made.

[Guru Woodman]

Thanks for sharing. I agree, this guy gets it.

[SmartedPanda]

Just watched this, great review.

[airjonny]

The only thing that I disagree on in this video when he talks about how it's a good thing that this car isn't for everyone. I don't understand why this community wants to be exclusive. If we want to see cars like this live on for several years, it needs to bring people in to justify it for the bean counters. Bringing more people on board also introduces more competitors, which will force the 86 twins to become a better car.

(Obama voice) Now let me be clear...that does NOT mean that the car needs to lose it's identity. You can bring in more customers without doing that.

[Zaku]

I love EE, he's always great with everything! and I love how he explains things.

[guybo]

Originally Posted by airjonny

The only thing that I disagree on in this video when he talks about how it's a good thing that this car isn't for everyone. I don't understand why this community wants to be exclusive. If we want to see cars like this live on for several years, it needs to bring people in to justify it for the bean counters. Bringing more people on board also introduces more competitors, which will force the 86 twins to become a better car.

(Obama voice) Now let me be clear...that does NOT mean that the car needs to lose it's identity. You can bring in more customers without doing that.

He's not necessarily saying that it's a good thing that this car is not for everyone. He's saying it's a good thing that Subaru didn't make a car that everyone will like. There's enough mustangs, not enough lightweight cheap sports cars.

The review at the end shows that he gets it about the car being great for its price, so theres a trade off. But he talks out his ass a lot in the review. Instead of real numbers or a direct comparo of the old car to the new one, he gives his opinions and impressions based on a drive he did a long time ago.

[why?]

Originally Posted by airjonny

The only thing that I disagree on in this video when he talks about how it's a good thing that this car isn't for everyone. I don't understand why this community wants to be exclusive. If we want to see cars like this live on for several years, it needs to bring people in to justify it for the bean counters. Bringing more people on board also introduces more competitors, which will force the 86 twins to become a better car.

(Obama voice) Now let me be clear...that does NOT mean that the car needs to lose it's identity. You can bring in more customers without doing that.

It is not about being exclusive, it is about building the car and keeping it closer to its roots, not watering it down.

You want to see a sports car that is trying to bring more people go look at the modern Z. Big, fat, overweight. That is what this car would be if they tried to bring in more customers, because the 86 is a very niche car and every other sportss car meant to fill its position has been for decades. This car was built on a budget and meant to be as light as possible. Frankly they didn't cut enough corners for me while adding weight in dumb places.

If I wanted a fat boat I would have bought a Mustang.

[jmark]

Originally Posted by why?

It is not about being exclusive, it is about building the car and keeping it closer to its roots, not watering it down.

You want to see a sports car that is trying to bring more people go look at the modern Z. Big, fat, overweight. That is what this car would be if they tried to bring in more customers, because the 86 is a very niche car and every other sportss car meant to fill its position has been for decades. This car was built on a budget and meant to be as light as possible. Frankly they didn't cut enough corners for me while adding weight in dumb places.

If I wanted a fat boat I would have bought a Mustang.

A modern 240Z is pretty much the reason I like the BRZ. The 370Z has strayed far from the original 240Z concept. I originally wanted to replace my daily driver 2009 Civic Si sedan with a ND Miata. Problem is at 6'-2" 200 lbs. I barely fit. My son derekbrz24 has ordered a '17 Ltd. PP BRZ. I enjoyed test driving a 2016. Driving position is superb. Probably order a BRZ with PP once I drive my son's car.

[Jmk91]

I love the twins, I'm also glad they are not for everyone as he stated. There is nothing more annoying than seeing 30 civics a day that think they are fast with rusted rear quarters or missing rocker panels. If it got to the point thay everyone had the twins I would no longer want one. An affordable light weight rear wheel cars are of the past besides the twins and miata.

[mdm]

Originally Posted by guybo

he gives his opinions and impressions based on a drive he did a long time ago.

Yes, and that's always a bit suspicious, anyone with minimal knowledge of psychology of perception understands that such comparison is bound to be skewed by false memories, expectations and inconscious biases.

Originally Posted by guybo

Instead of real numbers or a direct comparo of the old car to the new one,

Here I disagree. I mean, there is no direct comparison and he does not put the old and new car on a dyno, or on track*.

But he talks about numbers and he does it very sensibly, dismissing the minimal difference in hp/torque which so many people fap about, and focusing on final drive ratio instead.

His discussion on 0-60 times and how they can be skewed by gearing (whether a shift comes just before or just after 60 mph) making a fast accelerating car looking relatively worse on paper, is very informative.


* then again, there are "reviews" of a pair of cars with each car being driven ONCE around a track, this is not very meaningful either.

[nikitopo]

This guy sold his previous generation STI to buy a family car and a fun car. In his list for the fun car were choices like the S2k, the MX5 and the BRZ. He finally bought the S2k. I totally agree with his rule of thumb that you can always have nowadays only two of the following:

- Affordability
- Lightweight
- Performance

It looks that times have changed and things will be even tougher in the future.

[daiheadjai]

My favourite parts were his comments about the differential being an example of an engineer triumphing over the marketing department.

Not to mention his rebuttal of those who say "this car isn't worth the money because for the same amount, you could get X with 300+hp", discussing the expenses and challenges involved in making a lightweight vehicle.