SUBARU DEBUTS NEW 2-DOOR RWD BRZ MODEL FOR 2012 / 2013
Production 2013 Subaru BRZ
Revealed
By Ryan Douthit, Driving Sports TV
Click for Video Version
The heart of Subaru is the Boxer motor. Now, for the first time, Subaru is putting its venerable boxer into a small, lightweight rear-wheel drive sports car. It’s called the BRZ, and after 3 years of teasing, the production model finally made its big debut at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Outside of how it looks, what else do we know about this super-light sports car? First up, the boxer motor.
Both the BRZ and it’s kissing cousin, the Toyota GT 86, come standard with a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated boxer featuring Toyota’s direct-injection system to improve economy. This motor puts down around 200 horsepower and 151 ft-lbs of torque through a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission. That may not sound like much power, but remember, this car is expected to weight nearly 2500 lbs.
A rear limited slip differential is standard.
For those expecting all-wheel drive, here’s something to consider: I’ve discussed this car with someone that has had intimate time behind the wheel of an early development BRZ, and he characterized the handling as “perfect.” According to my source, if engineers decided to cram an all-wheel drive system into the vehicle it would have only succeeded in ruining it.
So there you have it. The 2013 Subaru BRZ.
It will go into full production in early 2012 and, other than a few minor styling queues, is exactly the same as the Toyota version - which is now being called the GT 86.
If you’re looking for a more extreme BRZ, you don’t have to wait long. Subaru’s STI version is certain to be right around the corner.
