The shortlist of affordable driver’s cars in the new car market is very short indeed. There’s the Mazda MX-5, along with the Fiat 124 Spider, and then the Subaru BRZ along with its near-identical Toyota GT86 competitor. That’s it, really.
And these cars are focussed on giving the occupants a sports car experience at a low price, with attention going to driver-involvement rather than shades of leather upholstery and internet connectivity.
For 2017 Subaru has given the BRZ a facelift in order for it to keep up to speed with the GT86, also recently facelifted. The majority of these changes are aesthetic, with a wider front bumper, new alloys, LED lights and a pedestal spoiler, but there are also some technical tweaks under the skin.
Regardless of any new-found style, the BRZ has always been known for its rear-wheel drive set-up, growling boxer engine and Scalextric-like grip. Have times changed? Or is the BRZ still the same beastly, yet affordable, coupe?
Performance 3.5/5
Subaru claims to have revamped the 2.0-litre boxer engine quite a bit, paying greater attention to polishing processes in order to improve responsiveness, but it’s hard to notice these changes behind the wheel.
At the heart of the BRZ is the same 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated boxer petrol engine producing 197bhp – and it’s the only engine on offer. To performance fanatics, this 2.0-litre may seem underpowered and disappointingly missing a turbo, but the boxer engine is what you make of it.
It may not have the effortless power delivery of a turbocharged unit, but the smooth, gradual and tantalisingly-progressive way in which the revs build will put a smile on the face of any purist.
Sure, you may have to thrash it to 6,500rpm to unlock its 205Nm of pulling power, but the journey is worth it and it comes accompanied with a devilish growl from the exhaust.
For many, that will be enough to keep you entertained, but for others, it may still be lacking some punch – and a 0-62 time of 7.6 seconds doesn’t help the BRZ’s case either. At least there are two brilliant transmissions to go with it, in the form of a highly-mechanical six-speed manual and a paddle-shifting six-speed auto.
Ride and Handling 5/5
This is where the performance of the 2.0-litre boxer engine becomes somewhat irrelevant.
The BRZ is characterised by its low centre of gravity and almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. The driver and boxer engine sit so incredibly low to the tarmac that the car can change direction in a moment’s notice and do so confidently, making it one of the nimblest coupes on sale.
With a fully-independent front and rear suspension set-up, a rear torsen limited slip differential and a sophisticated Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control system, the BRZ allows you to have sports car fun without putting your neck on the line.
Being rear wheel drive, it is easy to whip the tail out in the BRZ, almost a little too easy – and that’s where the Dynamics Control System comes in, giving you just enough slack to embrace its sporting nature but it tightens the reins if traction starts to loosen. If you want total control however, Subaru has added a Track Mode for 2017, which turns off the stability control, heightens throttle response and quickens gear changes.
The BRZ’s steering is razor sharp with plenty of feedback to allow you to feel your way through bends – and yet it has a balanced weight that doesn’t make it tiresome to use. The ride is on the sensible side too. It is taught enough for fast cornering, but due to its low centre of gravity, it can afford to be slightly on the cushy side – and in fact the damper settings have been tweaked for 2017 to further enhance comfort.
Interior and Equipment 3.5/5
As with many other enthusiast cars, the BRZ’s interior is more bare bones than lavish luxury. The cabin seems almost unchanged from the pre-facelift model, with a simple layout of buttons on the dashboard and brilliant figure-hugging bucket seats, but look closer and there are several new additions.
These include slightly different air con toggles, BRZ stitching in the seats, a new dashboard finish to reduce windscreen glare, a slightly smaller steering wheel with a new leather wrap and mounted media controls, an LCD display behind the wheel and a new touchscreen system. The new 6.2-inch Starlink infotainment system, which comes fitted as standard, is a vast improvement over the previous model and brings the BRZ in line with other current Subarus. Our test car was actually fitted with an aftermarket Alpine system, which we wouldn’t recommend.
For £1,250 the Alpine system adds a pretty impressive sat-nav, but adversely comes accompanied with a series of convoluted media screens that end up dwarfing the convenience of the sat-nav.
On top of the standard Starlink system, the BRZ also gets Bluetooth, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and DAB radio.
Space for front passengers is par for the coupe course, with the bucket seats limiting wiggle room somewhat. Rear passengers get the sour end of the deal however with extremely limited space – in fact, any driver or front passenger close to six-foot will eliminate all space behind them.
The boot remains surprisingly useable however with 243 litres and the seats fold down too.
Costs 4/5
The words ‘budget sports car’ get thrown around a lot with the BRZ – but when you see its £26,050 price tag it’s easy to see why. It’s hardly cheap, but when compared to similarly capable coupes from the likes of Porsche and Audi, it is a steal.
In terms of running costs, the six-speed manual BRZ claims an average return of 36.2mpg. Over 500 miles of driving, we found that figure quite realistic, typically achieving around 25mpg when driving spiritedly and 40mpg on the motorway. CO2 on the other hand is quoted at 180g/km.
Verdict 4/5
Usually when a car is stripped of certain luxuries to fit a budget, you get a lower price and that’s it – and you’d typically be happy with that. You do get that with the BRZ, but you also get one of the best driver’s cars on sale.
Given, the BRZ may be a little hardcore for some, purely because it is a driver-focused sports car with little to rave about in the indulgence department. But if an entertaining ride is purely what you are after, and the Mazda MX-5 is not visceral enough, then the BRZ is a must-have.