Originally Posted by
STRATTONi cant wait to slay these this summer.
It all depends on the race.
Drivers of equal skill. Around a road course or down a twisty back country road, you would lose. Badly.
Originally Posted by
STRATTONyeah itll be as fast as a sti. Originally Posted by
ArticleAfter that comes the light weight of the BRZ 2+2, which, in base trim with manual gearbox, starts at 2,762 pounds.
I asked Masuda-san point-blank if indeed there will be an STI-style turbocharged BRZ by the time this generation reaches the middle of its life in two-and-a-half or three years. A number came out of his mouth that raised my eyebrows. "In future, there is the thought to have as much as 280 horsepower." Well, uh, gosh, that's even a bit more than I was gambling for. "And we are," he went on, "thinking very much about the possibility of a turbocharger." So, could we be digging on somewhere around 250 pound-feet of torque? The master would not confirm or deny, but he did say that such a model would probably not use the acronym STI.
Based on the power to weight ratio, it looks like the performance model of the BRZ will be faster than an STI. And the handling would be no contest, the BRZ.
Originally Posted by
STRATTONitll be 30grand for a car thats 1 sec faster, so 14.3 ROFL. WATCH !
stratton
You don't get it Stratton. You've got straight-line-performance blinders on.
Originally Posted by
ArticleLong story short – and to all doubters who have only numbers on paper or computer to go by – the Subaru BRZ is one hell of a real sports car and, on roads like these, will beat the tar out of all legitimate comers selling for anywhere near the Subie's estimated $25,500, and many selling on up to $45,000. I was actually spotted shaking my head in disbelief while talking one-on-one with the BRZ's senior project manager, Toshio Masuda, following the drive. I felt as though I'd just driven a Porsche Cayman at less than half the price.
...The quick 13:1 ratio steering on the BRZ with electric actuation by Japan's Jtekt goes one better versus even the 3 Series. I had completely forgotten to even pay attention to it as such until the guy I was driving with blurt out, "The steering is really just so dang good. Doesn't feel one bit electronic."
These utterly responsive dynamics via the steering wheel, chassis and my inner ear are due to a sheaf of well-engineered decisions. Some of these details you might already know, but they bear repeating: First, the BRZ has the lowest center of gravity (18.1 inches from the tarmac) and best polar moment of inertia of any car you choose to compare – even a fully optioned Porsche Cayman S or Ferrari 458 Italia. This was Job One within the Suba-yota plan, if you will. Everything branched out from that fundamental requirement.
After that comes the light weight of the BRZ 2+2, which, in base trim with manual gearbox, starts at 2,762 pounds. What we have here is the lightest, lowest, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive 2+2 in existence – a very good starting point for dynamic goodness.
A crucial part of this chemistry was getting that boat anchor we call the engine in the car to sit as low down and as far back as possible. The new FA20 naturally aspirated 2.0-liter boxer looks incredibly compact sitting next to the Impreza's 2.0-liter. As it sits in the engine bay, it is mounted 4.7 inches lower down than the Impreza engine and pushed back toward the passengers some 9.5 inches. The battery has been mounted up and to the driver's right in the bay, again maximizing the 53:47 percent weight distribution fore:aft. This obsession with engine placement also led to the front suspension's lower A-arms being mounted ahead of the axle rather than typically rearward, a change that created a lower seating position for the FA20.
Mix all this physics and engineering together, and the BRZ comports itself effortlessly well on real roads. The Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) in Normal mode will catch things when the tail strays a bit hard from the slip-angle safety zone, but it's not a violent clamping down on the proceedings. I was still wagging the tail nicely on the route's myriad hairpins, and the brake activation was meted out so as to blend pretty well with my driving style. Switching to VSC Sport and its higher thresholds allowed even smoother, slight drifts through entire hairpins.
With the day's excellent conditions, though, I knocked off traction control (TRC) as well and the controlled high-rev dance began. With the confidence instilled by the BRZ's excellent chassis balance, the low amount of roll in turns, standard Torsen limited-slip differential in back, and the exceptional road feel from the tight 14.4-inch diameter steering wheel, we didn't lose our cool once out there, no matter how hairy the road became. Then with the front wheel camber at zero degrees and the rear set at negative 1.2 degrees, the BRZ gave me more and more permission to safely test my skills.
The braking action from the BRZ's seemingly very ordinary discs and calipers – 11.6-inch diameter front with two-piston caliper and 11.4-inch rear with single piston – was never an issue on this day. That's partially because when quickly backing off the throttle, the momentum can be peeled away pretty effectively from the powertrain.
The manual gearbox and its heel-and-toe friendly pedal set is so engaging that anything else comes a distant second. excites me. Both those engineering decisions and the performance characteristics.
In the future factory high-performance model, with 280 hp and 250 lb feet of torque, it sounds downright delicious.
But hey, you'll be able to beat it straight down a 1/4 mile. That's for sure.
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