2022 Subaru Brz First Drive Review | Save The Sports Cars!
SHARON, Conn. — Lime Rock Park racetrack, in the hilly country of far northwestern Connecticut, dates back to 1956 and was a cradle of sports car enthusiasm in America. Today, sports car enthusiasm in America seems to be edging toward the grave, as Americans instead embrace trucks and SUVs of every stripe (or just can't afford an extra car as sports cars tend to be). But the new 2022 Subaru BRZ — together with its Toyota's GR 86 sibling — is bucking the trend. And after driving it on this historic track and in the surrounding countryside, we're happy to report that it now does an even better job reminding us why sports cars are worth saving.
There's irony in Subaru, the brand of sensibly shaped all-wheel-drive wagons and crossovers, being one of the driving forces keeping sports cars alive. And yet, with the arrival of the second-generation BRZ, that's exactly what has happened. The fact that there even is a new BRZ is kind of astonishing. The Subaru-Toyota collaboration that produced the original BRZ and Toyota 86 (nee Scion FR-S) was hardly smooth and hasn't progressed beyond this single-car tie-up. Neither model is central to its brand's market viability, either. Subaru claims that the 42,144 BRZs it has sold in the United States since 2013 is a better-than-expected result, but it still barely represents three months of Outback sales.
Once again, Subaru took the lead in engineering, while we can thank Toyota for the design. And those designers do deserve kudos. The new look is a clear evolution of the former, but there are significant changes. The greenhouse is narrower, giving the rear fenders a hippier look. Both the nose and the tail are more rounded, and the overall surface treatment is more curvaceous. There are new, fully functional front fender vents, the deck lid in upper-trim cars is topped off with a duckbill spoiler, and the "double-bubble" roofline returns. The net effect is more sports car and less sporty coupe.
In these times when every new model generation adds inches and pounds, the new BRZ is 1.2 inches longer, no wider and its roof peaks 0.4 inch lower. Good. The wheelbase is just 0.2 inch longer, the front track is unchanged, and rear track is just 0.4 inch wider. As we noted in our 86 first drive, this similarity between generations is the result of modifying the previous platform as opposed to starting off with a clean slate.
Keeping size in check is key to keeping weight in check. An aluminum roof and front fenders join the previous aluminum hood to assist in that effort. Curb weight is stated at 2,815–2,881 pounds, which represents an increase of less than 50 pounds. With the switch from a steel roof and fractionally lower overall height, the center of gravity is claimed to be just under 18 inches, lower than a Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman or a Mazda Miata.
Once again, a Subaru engine sits under the hood. No, it’s not a turbo. Pleas for a turbocharged engine went unheeded, mostly to keep the BRZ affordable, we’re told. The new engine is more powerful, though. It’s a 2.4-liter (essentially, a naturally aspirated version of the Ascent engine) but is physically no larger or heavier than the old 2.0-liter. The extra displacement pushes output to 228 horsepower versus the previous 206/200 hp (manual/automatic). The more meaningful bump is in torque, which goes from 156 pound-feet to 184, and is far more accessible with the peak at 3,700 rpm compared to 6,400 rpm in the old engine. And the fall-off in torque that occurred in the previous engine at 4,000 rpm is largely gone.
As before, your transmission choices are a Toyota-supplied six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic, both driving the rear wheels via a Torsen limited-slip differential. The automatic now has a Sport mode with rev-matched downshifts, but the manual is still the way to go in a purist machine like this — and three-quarters of BRZ buyers agree. That it boasts short throws and a friendly, short-travel clutch is a nice bonus.
Additionally, the manual’s shorter gearing makes for notably livelier acceleration, although both setups are quicker than before. By Subaru’s measurement, the automatic chops 1.5 seconds from the previous 0-60 time, now 6.5 seconds, while the manual is 1.0-second quicker at 6.0. The difference in drivability between the two felt greater than that on the road, however, although neither version was breathless or wanting. And at the track, the manual was carrying notably more speed at the end of both the main straight and the back straight.