Car and Driver Tested: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited vs. Route Napoléon Is the Japanese sports car back? Can it be drifted? The beauty of rear-wheel drive hits one of France’s most beautiful highways. Subscribe! bit.ly Twitter: bit.ly Facebook: on.fb.me Read the full article here: www.caranddriver.com Hosted by the editors of Car and Driver magazine, this show puts the audience into the action on new-car reviews, comparison tests, auto-show coverage, and more. Our experts drive and test the latest models, attend automotive events around the world, and check out the latest in-vehicle technology like massaging seats and night-vision systems. Viewers will also have the opportunity to write in and extend the conversation. Connect to Car and Driver: Twitter: bit.ly Facebook: on.fb.me Each week, the Car and Driver YouTube Channel will launch episodes of The Full Hoon, Driver Rehab, Battle of the Beaters, Car and Driver: Tested, Popular Mechanics Saturday Mechanic, and Road & Track Presents.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
a larger man or woman lol
I still think in the Z you need to turn away when the Mustang GT pulls up next to you. Remember if the BRZ had 50 more HP it would need larger better brakes, Tires, wheels, a beefed up rear diff and clutch and a larger gas tank. You are talking at least 150 more pounds and more un-sprung weight. The z’s weight disadvantage decreases to 250 pounds. We just don’t have the same taste in cars. I would rather have a 2500 pound 180 hp BRZ. With responsible power comes weight.
TOP GEAR IS BETTER… if only they reviewed this. This is still a pretty great review though. Not enough funny though.
It’s hard to explain. Driving my Evo at road legal speeds it feels quite boring. When I test drove the FRS at the same speeds it was a lot more entertaining. When you’re having fun in the Evo, you are doing very illegal speeds cause the limits of the car are so high.
Well part of my point is that the BRZ isn’t a exactly fast car, but even with 50 HP more, still much less than the Z, it’s still going to be almost as fast because it’s a couple hundred pounds lighter and honestly yeah it may feel slightly heavier, but i think it’ll balance itself with both sides of performance (handling&power) a lot better. It’ll sorta be like a 2 door Evo or WRX, which are as good as balance gets with turbo 4′s. As long as the power/weight ratio is good, it can take most roads
Under 3000rpms eh. How longs that last. 1 second? maybe 2.
Yeah the car needs more power (maybe another 50hp). I own an Evo 9 too and after a test drive I discovered that this car is fun at any speed. My Evo is boring and slow as hell under 3000rpm.
The amount of time I’d spend on a track or really windy road enjoying the BRZ/FRS’s true nature is minuscule and insignificant compared to the amount of time I’d spend on open highways. So I’d prefer a balanced package with more passing power like the 2013 Genesis 2.0T, Z or hell… ever a used turbo Sky/Solstice if I wanna stay really cheap. As long as it reasonably light, inexpensive, RWD, 6spd and drifts easy, then I’ll live with everything else.
Have they cut out a crash with the armco at min 3:50?
There will always be faster cars than you. The considerately faster Mustang GT makes 100 more RW hp than the Z for the same price but you must deal with another 400 pounds. Someone with a turbo charged s2k powered 81 Corolla can outrun the Mustang GT. If outrunning other cars makes you happy be prepared to spend lots of money on upgrades. It is allot cheaper to find a car that makes you happy who cares what cars are faster if it makes you happy.
The Z and the G are excellent cars for those folks that can fit in them. The Z is the exact reason why the BRZ is so good. The Z has 130 hp more than the BRZ for only 5k more. It is also 400 pounds more weight. Far less efficient. For guys like you it is a better car. Like I said if the BRZ had 50 more Hp you would still like the 70 hp stronger Z. For me the Z is cramped sucks fuel and it is nose heavy and unresponsive to slight steering corrections. I t not fun on a winding road.
Well being in the sea of all those RWD cars isn’t a bad thing, especially if yours is better. And yes it wouldn’t be any faster than most sport coupes under 30k, but being under 3000 pounds is a lot lighter than a mustang and many other of the competitors. This cars handling, weight and overall value would still be better than most. Also to some, a straight line isn’t much, but many people are fans of keeping up or beating another car at a light. It;s just my opinion, but i rather drive a Z or G
For those who have the money to buy a proper and I mean a PROPER sports-car like the Porsche Cayman or a BMW Z4 but aren’t completely confident about their driving-technique and would like to improve on it before they buy something much more expensive, the BRZ is a great place to start. It allows you ‘learn the ropes’, if you will.
hell yer but i whould get the toyota 86 gts then the brz
but with a turbo also comes turbo lag so the throttle response isnt as accurate and precision is what this car is all about. it’s not meant to be a race car. it’s meant to be an everyday driver where its limits can be pushed on regular roads so if you increase the power, you increase the limits which decreases the fun since those limits are not as easy accesible.
I think you proved your own point when next year they’ve already improved it on the sti version with 250 and it still na. Also adding a tubro adds like what 50 pounds to the front max? So now its 51/49.
If the BRZ had a turbo 4 it would be 30k and 150 pounds more weight. It would be another 2900 pd 250 hp car in a sea of 300hp + cars and you would still say it was slow. The 23k Mustang V6 would still be just as fast. For me I dont like Turbo cars for the most part. I would rather have the extra $4,000, 5 mpg weight savings and the instant response of a N/A engine. I purchased the car. I am happy. I have no need to drag race the cheerleader in the Mustang. It is more fun on the winding road.
i can see why some people may want it with more power in it, which wouldnt be a bad thing but i hope they dont over do it if Subaru decide to increase it. i would like to be able to use all the horse power that the car has to offer unlike some really expensive cars where the horse power is insane but your not able to use the majority of it.
I just used Minivans as the slow comparison.My cousin just got a FRS and its a fun car to drive. He used to have a 350z and honestly, i would take that over the FRS. I do love the high RPM revs of this car but, even at peak RPM, there isn’t a whole lot of power. This is a great car, and i believe they’ll include a turbo 4 (shared with the STI) in the future. And if i have the money then, i would definitely consider this car. But for now, IMO sticking with a sports car with sport car power >>>
just using it’s straight line speed in comparison with a van, which is slow. didn’t think that would be to hard to understand right? and for a “sports car” to not be able to hit 60, or be able to pull away from a normal commuters car, is pretty sad. and i’m a big fan of the BRZ/FRS, and if they included a turbo version, and if i had to money, that would be one of the first cars i would want.
What is with you and minivans? Most minivans have engines much larger than the BRZ. Heck, my aunt’s Sienna has a N/A V6 in it, not sure of the displacement though. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the BRZ lost in a drag race with a minivan.
It wasn’t an excuse to give it less power, they had to maintain the near perfect 50/50 weight distribution ratio. A larger engine or a turbo would have ruined that. The BRZ never really had higher expectations in terms of power. Why would people expect so much from a N/A 2.0L flat four? I thought that it would have been around 150 HP, let alone 200. Plus, the STI version which is planned to come out next year has 250 BHP due to tuning the VVT.
Minivans have allot more torque. All the BRZ torque and HP peaks between 6 to 7k rpm its all up their. It makes good power and torque from 4500 rpm. The BRZ weighs 2000 pounds less than a minivan. The BRZ hits 60 in 6.3 seconds. 7.3 is with a granny start. If power is what you seek look elsewhere. Dont drive the BRZ. If you drive it you will be hooked. Only the MX5 is more connected to the driver in this price range.