SUBARU BRZ
THE WORLD NEEDS A HERO
Words: Marco Mancino
Photography: Ron Morgenstein
Everything changes as you grow up. The world changes, our interests do, our fears, our hopes – we change indeed. And when we turn to look back, there are more and more things that we bring with us, emotions, memories, moments that fill our memory. I remember those summer days spent in the country with my grandparents, those sunny and hot afternoons that forced me to leave the bike in the yard and look for some shade under a tree. I would browse my favorite readings, which for an 8 year old child were not cars or motorcycles magazines yet, but a bunch of fantastic superheroes comics. Everyone had a costume, a secret life, an identity that would not even reveal to their family, and I lived those stories as if I were a second protagonist, a hero feared by villains and loved by good people. My comics mania has become a collection and despite growing up when I can, I give myself a healthy reading that takes me back in time, where the biggest problem would be to eat broccoli at dinner. Nothing more serious than that.
The Subaru BRZ, like its Toyota GT86 twin, has brought a breath of fresh air into the car world, especially in that slice that matters, that of real fans who want a fun car as well as beautiful. Expectations were many and the attractive price opened a door inside which many wisely decided to enter. Sales are going in the right direction and time has come for a mid-life update aimed at refreshing a sporty but never arrogant look. Small and light bevels to a clean design that can please everyone and be useful in dealing with the frenzy of the working week, waiting for a weekend when tires health will be severely tested. For me it’s a good opportunity to get back on the 2+2 coupe and enjoy another week of peace of mind. “My” BRZ is white, pure as an angel landed to give me some other moment to keep together with my beloved comics collection. The superhero in question has almond eyes, a double exhaust at the back and the most canonical features that make it idol of the masses: rear wheel drive, naturally aspirated (boxer) engine and a manual gearbox. Obviously it is in perfect shape and its weight of 1,338kg gives it great agility between the curves – yep, the curves, its favorite habitat. The BRZ is at ease in any circumstance, I see it as an urban hero given the softness of the pedals and the gear lever, as well as the discreet load capacity of the trunk, but it really does not expect anything other than taking the situation in hand when in front of us a series of bends stand out.
The 2-liter 4-cylinder delivers 200 horses, which are distributed on the rear axle through a 6-speed manual, but the transformation from Peter Parker to Spider Man takes place when you start doing heel-and-toe, constantly tapping the red line and using as much as possible the “only” 205Nm of torque. A profane will be disappointed, he will not understand the secret of the BRZ, he will not even approach those mentally fast cornering, with a chassis that seems to have come out of the special issue of “Crazy-Car”. You have to get used to it in order to make the best out of it, and once the conveniences are set, the Toyobaru can cause unprecedented addiction. Time to turn off traction control and play with the rear – even in this case you have to approach corners very fast, be rude with steering wheel and pedals and feel the mechanical self-locking differential that makes its dirty work. It is not about speed in the pure sense of the word, it takes 7.6 seconds to go from 0 to 100 kph; the BRZ likes curves, it’s a mature car and knows exactly how to satisfy its driver, but first he will have to prove he is up to it. I’m sitting down, hugged by the fantastic leather and alcantara seats, the shift lever is close and the gear ratios seem endless with that 2.0 boxer puffing but always ready to be abused. You feel like driving a sports car, ‘cause you are on a sports car, if only the exhaust wouldn’t be so bloody delicate. I have to slow down the pace or I may end down some ravine and so I look around for a moment, noting that the cockpit is really a good place to be. Wide in height and width, with two small seats at the back and some good episodes (center console buttons, instrumentation behind the steering wheel) and some less good ones (clock, 7-inch navigator screen), but which do not affect at all my final opinion towards the car. I want one. I want one for all the remaining days of my life, I want to turn it into a project car and spend hours and hours watching it after having properly changed the wheels (yes, maybe sacrificing a bit of its agility, but in favor of a more sexier look).
I drive miles after miles and I can’t get tired of it, I feel rejuvenated, I feel like in those beautiful and radiant summer days, but instead of reading the adventures of some fully dressed hero, I’m actually immersed in the action. The branches of the trees become more and more blurred around me, the road ever smaller and I keep tasting the technical capabilities of the Japanese coupe. If 200 horses are not enough it is because you are not going fast enough. Lucky that someone has realized that fun is a luxury that has to be felt by all sort of enthusiasts and that in a Country (Italy) where we are oppressed with taxes and stupid restrictions, there is a car that doesn’t care about high-end connectivity (still present in the BRZ) and can act as a car for the whole week and a fun weekends’ tool, or for any time the road ahead allows us. Becoming one with your own car without talking about the mythical Lotus? Done. And without giving up any luggage space, also by forgetting the number of my chiropractor.
SUBARU BRZ (2017-)
Layout – front-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder boxer – 1.998cc
Transmission – 6-speed manual gearbox
Power – 200 hp @ 7.000 rpm
205 Nm @ 6.400 rpm
Weight – 1.338 kg
Acceleration – 7,6 sec.
Top Speed – 227 kph
Price – from € 32.990