{"id":29553,"date":"2022-07-30T14:42:13","date_gmt":"2022-07-30T18:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29553"},"modified":"2022-07-30T14:42:13","modified_gmt":"2022-07-30T18:42:13","slug":"payne-dancin-in-the-rain-with-the-nimble-subaru-brz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/07\/payne-dancin-in-the-rain-with-the-nimble-subaru-brz","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Dancin’ in the rain with the nimble Subaru BRZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oakland County<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The last time I drove the Subaru BRZ was at Lime Rock Park in\u00a0Connecticut, one of America\u2019s great race tracks. I flogged the rear-wheel-drive skateboard mercilessly around the 1.5-mile circuit (and accompanying infield autocross track), rowing the gears to 100-plus mph on the front straight, pushing the envelope around the Turn 2-3 Carousel.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be happy to know the $30,555 sports car is entertaining around Metro Detroit at 55 mph, too.<\/p>\n

The affordable \u2019Ru is an outlier in today\u2019s premium performance environment. These are the days of super-performance with track-focused, six-figure cyborgs like the Porsche 911 GT3 and Corvette C8 and Ford Mustang GT500. Ooooh, my knees are getting weak. These monsters are a joy to drive on track with operatic exhaust notes, sophisticated electronics\u00a0and race-car-inspired suspensions. But how many track days can you manage in a year? Driving them around town is like walking King Kong on a leash.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

For sports car lovers on a smaller performance envelope \u2014 and smaller budget \u2014 there are affordable treats like the Mazda MX-5 Miata and BRZ and its sister Toyota GR86.<\/p>\n

For just $30K, my Ice Silver tester was nearly as playful on public roads as on track. On a rainy weekend morning, I took the Subie out on north Oakland County\u2019s deserted public roads for some fun. Turn on TRACK mode, turn off traction control. Taking a Michigan U-turn, I goosed the throttle and the rear end stepped out \u2014 my right foot managing the slide easily with the BRZ\u2019s 184 pound-feet of torque. Try this on slick roads with the 470-torque Corvette and you might swap ends.<\/p>\n

I repeated the fun as I headed north through low-speed, 90-degree turns and out into lake country on S-turns and switchbacks. Subaru and Toyota co-developed the BRZ and GR86 twins, and this second generation\u2019s biggest improvement comes from the upgraded\u00a02.5-liter flat-four engine pulled from Subie\u2019s toolbox. Where the first generation car was underpowered, the new\u00a0228-horse mill allows drivers to take advantage of the chassis\u2019 sublime handling.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I powered merrily out of turns using the paddle shifters to maintain revs since the non-turbo engine\u2019s rev band is fattest over 3,000 RPM. For such reasons, the 6-speed manual is preferred over the automatic (75% of BRZ sales are stick) \u2014 and it\u2019ll save you the $1,500 upgrade to the automatic.<\/p>\n

Styling is also a major improvement for this second-gen BRZ \u2014 maturing nicely so that it looks like it belongs next to the Porsche Boxsters and BMW Z4s that inevitably populate the tennis club parking lots where I spend my leisure time.<\/p>\n

I admit, however, that I have had a couple hot affairs with the BRZ\u2019s GR86 twin in the year since my first date with the BRZ in Lime Rock. And, ahem, I must admit I prefer the Toyota\u2019s looks. It\u2019s leaner, meaner, more timeless.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The interiors are identical, with cupholders awkwardly placed in the center console, which makes it difficult to keep a drink and a smartphone connected by wire to the console. I quickly made a habit of storing my bottled Snapple in the door cupholders because, when you have a sports car, you are constantly navigating to the countryside to find twisty roads.<\/p>\n

The BRZ has a small competitive set, as previously noted, but Michigan Subaru fans eyes may also wander across the showroom to the excellent Subaru WRX. Ooooooh.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

With all-wheel drive for all-seasons, a whopping 271 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque from the same\u00a02.4-liter boxer-4\u00a0and roomy rear seats, the WRX pocket rocket is the better all-around car. And since its platform was developed by Subaru, not Toyota, it has all the latest \u2019Ru tech features like a big center screen. It\u2019s why there are few small sports cars offered these days \u2014 electronics and suspension advancements have made compact cars nearly as compelling to drive as smaller, less utilitarian sports cars.<\/p>\n

But like a junior 911, BRZ is determined to offer its own form of utility. No, its rear seats can\u2019t swallow six-footers (I had to take my legs off to fit back there), but at least they exist. Unlike, say, the Mazda MX-5, the \u2019Ru\u2019s second row complements its rear boot so you can load it with extras on a trip north. It offers daily utility to complement its daily drivability.<\/p>\n

So BRZ has more bandwidth than you first realize. In the end, though, you buy the Subaru for what it unabashedly is: a lightweight, 2,864-pound sports car that \u2014 in its second generation \u2014 truly justifies its place in the auto world.<\/p>\n

Sleek lines that no pocket rocket can match. A low center of gravity to make even an electric car jealous. Stick shift so you can row it through the twisties. Rear-wheel drive so you fling it around an autocross course.<\/p>\n

Or dance in the rain on an overcast day.<\/p>\n

2022 Subaru BRZ<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-passenger sports car<\/p>\n

Price: $29,615, including $960 destination fee ($30,555 Premium, automatic model as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.4-liter Boxer 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power:\u202f228 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmissions: 6-speed manual; 6-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.4 seconds (Car and Driver, automatic); top speed, 140 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 2,864\u202fpounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA, 20 mpg city\/27 highway\/22 combined (manual); 21 mpg city\/30 highway\/25 combined (auto)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Fun, affordable daily driver; 2.4-liter power<\/p>\n

Lows: Quirky console; not as attractive as cousin Toyota GR86<\/p>\n

Overall: 3\u202fstars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oakland County\u00a0\u2014 The last time I drove the Subaru BRZ was at Lime Rock Park in\u00a0Connecticut, one of America\u2019s great race tracks. I flogged the rear-wheel-drive skateboard mercilessly around the 1.5-mile circuit (and accompanying infield autocross track), rowing the gears to 100-plus mph on the front straight, pushing the envelope around the Turn 2-3 Carousel. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29554,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29553\/revisions\/29554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}