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| Subaru BRZ at the LA Autoshow |
It appears that it won't be marketed as such, but in all reality should make perfectly affordable weekend racer to drive to the track and back. To myself im thinking "FINALLY! A low slung coupe that is powerful, economical, isn't a convertible (sorry miatas), has enough room to haul a set of track wheels/tires, and I can drive it to work as well as the track." No official pricing has been released as of yet, but there is speculation of around $25k. The car has a sexy interior, one that can both impress ladies, and compare to high end sports car interiors. The exterior reminds me of a baby Lexus LF-A, which can also impress ladies, and compete with high end sports cars like well, the LF-A.
Performance wise it has a 197hp 2.0 litre Subaru developed flat-4 that revs to 7500rpm. It inherited its direct injection fuel system and variable timing from its other parent Toyota. Subaru's flat engines normally sit low inside the engine bay to help lower the center of gravity and improve stability in conjunction with their AWD setups. Edmunds reported that the flat-4 in these cars sits nearly 5 inches lower in the engine bay, further lowering the center of gravity. However the Scion model not being offered in AWD im sure that the lower center of gravity, 53/47 weight distribution, and limited slip differential together make for a well balanced and safe track/street car. Not to mention this car scales in at under 2,900lbs which should make for good fuel efficiency. Edmunds also reported that car had slight understeer at higher speed cornering. Maybe we can fix that with a few suspension adjustments, and a staggered set of RPF-1's wrapped in R compound tires, but we will have to wait and see. I'm sure that when the two automakers decided to place a button in the cabin to turn off the stability control, that they had more in mind than the typical young street hoon wanting to burn rubber in order to catch some tail. For us track hoons, we are really glad they decided to include such a button.
For the not so rich track travelers that don't have a trailer to tote race day extras, cars like this have been very limited. With similar vehicles priced nearly twice as much as this car is expected cost, we are driven to look for older alternatives. The older alternatives are also getting harder to find. For instance an original late 80's early 90's BMW E30 325is would be a great car, (soft spot in my heart for these because I learned to drive and take corners in one.) however it is hard to find one that hasn't been molested by young, slammed stance fanatics. Miatas are a nice choice however, they are also falling prey to previous vehicular molestation and they're convertibles (yuck). The Lotus Elise/Exieges are out of the price range for most that are looking to get started in motor sports; as is the pinnacle of my dreams the BMW M3 (all but the E36, after having the pleasure of having driven all 4 generations.)
I have owned 3 Subaru's, and currently track an 01 Impreza 2.5RS, I also own a Scion tC. Having owned both makes that have come together to spawn this cross branded love child, I can say that I have been very impressed with the quality and reliability of both marks. I am excited to see something arrive for my niche, that has modern technology, and a modern look to it. For its expected price tag, I would imagine that many people, like myself would be interested, as well as many young street hoons that want to slam it and show off. So if this car comes with a reasonable price as expected, I may be one of the first in line at the local Scion dealership offering to trade my current tC. I could also see the streets becoming loud with the classic sound of Subaru flat-4's applied with unequal length headers, the Subaru rumble!
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