The BRZ TS has the same 2.4-litre direct injection boxer engine that makes 228 horsepower.Chittley, Jordan/The Globe and Mail
If the goal in driving is to put a smile on your face without breaking the bank, two cars that should be high on any list are the Subaru BRX and WRX.
These are not the 500- or 600-horsepower sports cars that cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Starting in the low $30,000 range, they are both quick, nimble and, maybe most importantly for those who appreciate the pleasure of driving, are offered with a manual transmission. In fact, Subaru says more than 80 per cent of buyers of both cars choose a stick shift. If the competition gauged thrills for bills, these two cars would be near the lead.
Both the BRZ and WRX recently got some performance-focused tweaks aimed at keen drivers, but the adjustments are relatively subtle. Subaru, like other mass-market car companies, is investing heavily to develop EVs, so niche performance cars are no longer the priority they once were. (That’s bad news for the fans still hoping for a new Subaru WRX STI.)
The new track-focused BRZ TS and WRX RS are merely new trim levels. Subaru saw how drivers were modifying their cars with aftermarket brakes, suspension, seats and steering to create more focused track-ready machines. It used that as inspiration for a pair of new models designed to pull double duty as daily commuter and weekend track-day weapon.
The manual-only BRZ TS and WRX RS start at about $4,000 and $8,000 more than the base models. Neither car has a sunroof because, as any diehard track rat knows, no sunroof means a lower centre of gravity for the car and more headroom when wearing a helmet.
The dash on the WRX has a large vertical screen, similar to other Subarus.Chittley, Jordan/The Globe and Mail
“The ride is a bit firmer, the brakes are definitely grabbier,” Anton Pawczuk, senior director of product management and connected business at Subaru Canada Inc., says of the new trim. “When you take [the BRZ TS] on a racetrack, that is where you are going to notice those differences with the dampers and the tires. We know that people are looking for that.”
Pawczuk says there are no stats on how many BRZ owners take their cars to the track, but he was at the Shannonville Motorsport Park just east of Belleville, Ont., one day in early May and says “we saw a whole bunch of them come through here. They are all plated. They aren’t on trailers,” meaning these cars aren’t just driven at the track; they’re road-worthy.
What drivers don’t get is any extra power. In the case of the WRX, it is still a 2.4-litre turbocharged boxer engine that makes 271 horsepower. In the case of the BRZ, it is a 2.4-litre direct injection boxer that makes 228 horsepower.
Despite that, the new trims have proved popular. So far, the RS makes up a third of WRX sales and the TS makes up half of BRZ sales, according to Subaru.
In a world where manual transmissions are an endangered species, driving the BRZ TS and WRX RS is a rare treat. Rowing through the gears on a country road in Shannonville, Ont., both cars feel lively and fun. They feel stiff at low speed, but when travelling near the speed limit, the suspension easily absorbs the bumps. Even going over train tracks, the cars didn’t feel unsettled.
On the track is where they really shine, though.
The naturally aspirated BRZ with a lower centre of gravity and rear-wheel drive is more playful, perfectly hugging corners. The WRX has a big practical advantage with its four doors and rear seats that can fit more than a racing helmet. It feels heavier and less alert, but it’s still perfectly track-ready.
However, neither is so powerful that it snaps your head back, nor are they true STI (Subaru Tecnica International) cars, the automaker’s performance brand.
“We don’t want to put an STI full badge on it because it’s not a full STI car. If it was, it would have to have a completely different motor and completely different suspension,” Pawczuk says. “Based on the volume that we sell, it doesn’t really make sense to have that STI. … For right now, the tuning is just what we do.” Which explains the TS – tuned by STI – moniker.
Asked whether Subaru will bring back the full STI version of the WRX, he said, “possibly, but it will probably be electrified in nature.”
Subaru says it is making a business decision to focus on and invest in its electric future as opposed to developing a new gas-powered motor.
The Japanese company, which is known for its all-wheel-drive system and ruggedness, makes most of its money selling family vehicles – SUVs and wagons. Like many brands, it is cutting sedans from its lineup and announced the Legacy will not return after the 2025 model year as sales were in the low hundreds last year. But the company has found success with fun-to-drive sports cars, which make up almost 9 per cent of total Subaru sales in Canada.
The WRX is the top-selling sports car in Canada (it sold more than 3,700 units in 2023) and the BRZ outsells the similar Toyota GR-86 by more than two to one.
But these cars are not long for this world. While most EVs have horsepower in spades, the heavy batteries take away from the responsiveness and playfulness.
“If [the BRZ was] an EV, it would probably be really heavy and you would probably notice a huge difference on the racetrack. You would turn in and you would probably keep going,” Pawczuk says.
How to make electric cars engaging and fun to drive, as opposed to just fast in a straight line, is something a lot of manufacturers have been thinking about, particularly the Japanese ones.
At the Tokyo Mobility Show last fall, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda and Subaru all showed off concept electrified sports cars.
Toyota has even designed a fake manual transmission in an EV where engineers used software to simulate the characteristics of a six-speed manual transmission and clutch. When reporter Mark Richardson tested it in November, he said it worked “brilliantly.”
The Subaru WRX RS can drive kids to school and then hit the track on weekends.Chittley, Jordan/The Globe and Mail
Closer to home, the first all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona will roll off the line in Windsor, Ont., this summer. An electric muscle car will be sacrilegious to some, but the company claims it’s in line with the brand’s heritage.
Subaru’s Tokyo concept was a rugged-looking electric coupe inspired by the brand’s rally-racing pedigree. “We will try to take the character [of Subaru] and put it in some electrified car,” Pawczuk says. The car from Tokyo “is just meant to be a concept to show we have that ability and that is our aim. In an electrified future, Subaru will be the brand it is today,” Pawczuk says.
Creating fun-to-drive, electric sports cars will certainly be a challenge, but, Pawczuk says, “on the way there, we are going to do a lot of fun stuff as long as we can.”