The BIG BRZ Bickering Brief!

[rage-wrx]

First one is in.Saw it at my dealer today.Looks fantastic

[Ingen]

It's so pretty

[mangostick]

Got a ride in a FRS yesterday afternoon.. all I can say is "HOLY BALANCE BATMAN!" .. and this was from a passenger seat point of view.

Its exactly what I thought and hoped it would feel like. Almost zero body transition (f/r or l/r) but not stiff, it felt very planted. Super smooth turn in even on 215 tires. Since the car was still in dealer detailed trim with full tire shine treatment.. (how they get that crap everywhere still amazes me) it was easy to see that again even on narrow tires with taller sidewalls that it wasn't rolling onto the sidewall at all and even then wasn't even getting to the edge of the tread. This was on all 4 wheels after some pretty interesting cornering. (50+ into 35mph bends was pretty much effortless) This is what proper suspension geometry, cg and roll center placement do for a sports car.

It accelerated smoothly and even though the numbers say its slow it really didn't feel all that slow. No rocket, but no slouch either.

And again, proves that raw paper numbers dont mean diddly effin squat in the real world.

Now, I did not get to drive but with only 23 mi on the car I can certainly understand why Josh would be hestant. I'll get to drive one this coming weekend at the oc meet. A buddy of mine in Anapolis has snapped up a black FRS and has already stated that if I dont give it hell he's going to give me hell lol.

So far my friends seem to be snapping these cars up quickly. Rob (Anapolis) is a big porsche guy and his position on the car was that it performed on a level far above its price range.

after seeing both in person now I'm also starting to like the FRS's more bare look and feel vs the BRZ's luxury appointments. Dunno.. either way they've built a fine car.

[Ingen]

If I could afford either car, I wouldn't be searching so hard and debating in my mind about what vehicle to buy. The war with my mind would be over and I would be buying one of those things. I don't care if I have to do a hand stand to get in and out of it every day. They're too pretty, and they drive too well, to find fault with.

[RayfieldsWRX]

You're coming to CF, right Shawn? I'd like to talk to you in person about your impressions of the car.
My current thinking is that, about a year down the road, I may get rid of the Rayngar, keep the wagon as my DD/family vehicle, and get a used Cayman S or 911, assuming I find one that drives the way I want. The BRZ could become a possible contender in that slot..

[rage-wrx]

I spent an hour looking over a BRZ yesterday.

I did not now that it gets 35mpg highway. It also has HIDs with levelling & NAV.Rear seats are very Porsche-esque,i.e.,non existent. Front seats are very nice.

.

[Ingen]

You're coming to CF, right Shawn? I'd like to talk to you in person about your impressions of the car.
My current thinking is that, about a year down the road, I may get rid of the Rayngar, keep the wagon as my DD/family vehicle, and get a used Cayman S or 911, assuming I find one that drives the way I want. The BRZ could become a possible contender in that slot..

In terms of swapping the BRZ for the Cayman, I really do think it's a valid contender. You're looking at a brand new car vs. one with 50k miles on it. The cayman will probably handle slightly better, but you can actually afford to work on the BRZ / FRS.

[RayfieldsWRX]

Yeah, that's on my mind. Plus...I'm less likely to have to work on it.
I need to drive both before I do anything. The Cayman S, even the old ones, make nearly 100 more hp, and, having a midengine setup, may "feel" very different to a driver in transition, etc.

[434WHP]

I spoke with some techs at my local Subaru dealer who all test drove it and said it was an absolute "dog". One actually said he thought the Impreza may be quicker. I think Subaru really messed this one up by not at least putting a turbo in it. I guess you could define it as "tuner ready" but even that is a bit of a stretch. At least it looks good.

[Ingen]

I really can't imagine that an impreza is faster - did the guy try going around a turn? It really, truly never was intended to be fast in a straight line. I can't imagine that was even an objective. If someone test drives this car without tossing it into a couple of turns, or at least taking it through a round-about, I think they would find it extremely disappointing.

[zax]

I spoke with some techs at my local Subaru dealer who all test drove it and said it was an absolute "dog". One actually said he thought the Impreza may be quicker. I think Subaru really messed this one up by not at least putting a turbo in it. I guess you could define it as "tuner ready" but even that is a bit of a stretch. At least it looks good.

I really can't imagine that an impreza is faster - did the guy try going around a turn? It really, truly never was intended to be fast in a straight line. I can't imagine that was even an objective. If someone test drives this car without tossing it into a couple of turns, or at least taking it through a round-about, I think they would find it extremely disappointing.

This^^

Sorry but I'm glad that the car doesn't have a ton of horsepower. It really goes to show that a small car doesn't need 300+ hp to be a sportscar. The way the car will put the power to the ground helps to bolster its balanced nature. At 2700 lbs, 300hp may be difficult to keep traction on such a small car and be much less drive-able for the masses. Let the 600whp crowd have their 600whp cars. I'm glad the BRZ isn't one of them.

[michaelwfox]

Attachment 105502

[zax]

LOL the Atom500 is insane!

[Ingen]

hah for sure. Get that or the caterham R500 if you want a tiny car with loads of HP. IMO, the Toyobaru is perfect - not too fast, not too slow, and perfectly balanced. What more could you ask?

And if it's not fast enough, I'm sure someone will come up with something to stick on there and make it faster.

[spirited09wrx]

hah for sure. Get that or the caterham R500 if you want a tiny car with loads of HP. IMO, the Toyobaru is perfect - not too fast, not too slow, and perfectly balanced. What more could you ask?

And if it's not fast enough, I'm sure someone will come up with something to stick on there and make it faster.

I wuold love to have/build a caterham. Although I would be sure to put a small windshield on it, ha! I saw one driving the other day, and I never realized just how small they were.