In the minds of many, Subaru is all about the Forester and Outback – ultra-safe, practical vehicles able to take on tough Canadian road conditions, perfect for a family ski weekend at Kicking Horse or a camping trip to Algonquin Provincial Park. So, it was no surprise when a real estate office employee in Oliver, B.C., upon first gander of the BRZ in a strip mall parking lot, said she'd always thought of the Japanese auto maker as "dependable." She could have substituted any number of other such words – predictable, respectable, safe, solid, stable, steady and true. …
So, she asked with intrigue in her voice, what is this?
The two-door BRZ (pronounced zee or zed, your call), an outlier in the group along with its cousin, the four-door WRX, is a rear-wheel-drive sports car that grips, slides, zooms and warbles through all kinds of topography with zeal. It's pure fun, a car that gets giddy zipping through rolling roads, a car that thrills to let its tail step out on soft gravel, a car that easily hugs the switchbacks at twice the speed recommended by the yellow diamond-shaped highway signs – and implores its driver to go faster.
In the front seats, driver and passenger are low to the road, conjuring personal nostalgia of driving that old, rusted, much-loved MGB with the inoperable gas gauge. The car does come in automatic transmission and, while we understand that millennials are anti-manual … really?
As experienced in the B.C. Interior's mountainous roads, in particular with a skilled driver on a twisty downhill stretch of Highway 31A into Kaslo, the fun is in downshifting into the turns, accelerating and upshifting through the sharp S-curves. The exhaust emits a baby-Ferrari warble, audible in a cabin that feels snug, just right for operating a performance vehicle. While the interior is nothing fancy, the stick-shift is within a bent-elbow's reach, with an amenably short throw for all six speeds. Traction and sport-mode control buttons are positioned conveniently.
Being lightweight and generating 200 horsepower, a faint touch of the pedal moves the speedometer imperceptibly from 100 to 120 (or, theoretically, of course, to 160 to 170). Reachable speed is 211 km/h.
You'll like this car if ... A performance car in the $30,000 range sounds appealing.
TECH SPECS
- Base price: $27,395; as tested: $29,395
- Engine: 2.0-litre, dual overhead cam, 16-valve, four-cylinder
- Transmission/drive: Six-speed close-ratio manual; automatic six-speed/rear-wheel drive
- Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 10.9 city/7.9 highway (manual); premium fuel
- Alternatives: Scion FR-S, Nissan 370Z, Mazda MX-5
RATINGS
- Looks: Dual stainless steel exhaust pipes and the spoiler on the tech trim accent the roadster appeal.
- Interior: Cozy and sporty. The prominent tachometer, situated precisely in eye range under the top of the racing-style small steering wheel, integrates a digital km/h display. An eight-speaker system with amp nicely complements the Sirius (three months gratis) classic rock station. The GPS required numerous (grr, frustrating) commands to plot directions onto the 6.1-inch screen.
- Performance: Equipped with direct and port injection, the BRZ goes from zero to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds – somewhere between a Ferrari and a generic mid-size sedan – but it feels faster when working the manual transmission. Rear-wheel drive makes it a three-season car in much of Canada.
- Technology: Air bags include driver and front passenger dual-stage deployment, front seat side-impact and side curtain. Owners accustomed to a minivan or SUV may be comforted by stability and traction control systems.
- Cargo: Room for three gym bags in the trunk. Looking to stow the golf clubs? Fold down the rear seat and otherwise, good luck.
The Verdict
8.0
The oddball in Subaru's lineup is great fun; if only it came in a convertible.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
Tom Maloney takes the Subaru BRZ for a spin through some winding roads in B.C.
Posted by Globe Drive on Friday, June 26, 2015
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