Now that it’s been reworked from the ground up, can the new Subaru BRZ maintain its cheap thrills ethos while delivering a more complete package overall?
- Mature and curvy styling
- It’s just like the old car, only better
- Safety tech is welcomed
- Michelin tyres bring road noise
- A trim level just for seats? The four-car model range could work harder
- Getting one is complicated and may take a while
Introduction
Can you believe it’s been 10 years since the first Subaru BRZ?
I’m stretching the timeline a little, but the original BRZ arrived in mid-2012. Given the closely related 2022 Toyota GR 86 won’t be here until ‘late 2022’ means it’ll definitely have been a decade between drinks before you can pick between the GR 86 or the 2022 Subaru BRZ.
Obviously Subaru has beaten Toyota to the punch then. After all, it does build the cars, just not many. The brand claims Australia’s first allocation of BRZs – 500 to be specific – are all spoken for.
Subaru head office and its dealer network had been busy collecting $1000 deposits last year, with those vehicles now being delivered throughout the first quarter of 2022 to their first-in-best-dressed owners.
It means if you want one and can’t find one at your local dealer, you’ll need to go on a list and wait for the second allocation, sometime before March 2022. Subaru won’t say how many cars are coming.
But do you want one?
Before we find out, let’s quickly explain the plan. As this is a launch review, we were treated to briefly sample both the new and outgoing Subaru BRZ in a variety of environments including road, track and motorkhana.
The fast stuff was conducted at Sydney Motorsport Park, and the road stuff in the surrounding Western Sydney suburbs that I know well.
| Key details | 2022 Subaru BRZ |
| Price (MSRP) | From $38,990 plus on-road costs (manual) |
| Colour of test car | WR Blue Pearl |
| Rivals | Mazda MX-5 | Hyundai i30 N | Toyota GR 86 (arriving late 2022) |
What’s new?
In terms of the frame, not much. Even though the 2022 Subaru BRZ looks all new, it’s not.
Chances are if you’ve been underneath one before, you’ll be keen to play spot the difference. Keen eyes will notice the 2022 Subaru BRZ’s new lightweight alloy knuckles and how the swaybar now bolts to the body, not the subframe.
Both claimed improvements are Subaru exclusives, too, so make sure you’re looking under a BRZ when attempting to play the game; the Toyota GR 86 will differ slightly this time around.
Under the obviously new and far prettier body are a vast amount of one per cent improvements, though, like an aluminium roof, a new type of structural adhesive used to stick the thing together, stronger mounting points and structural members, and then the driveline itself.
Which dovetails nicely into something else all new, and that’s the engine. It’s still a flat-four, and yes the torque dip is gone, but more importantly it’s a 2.4-litre engine that makes a solid 174kW at 7000rpm and 250Nm at 3700rpm.
That means power is up 14.5 per cent, and peak torque applied a staggering 2700rpm earlier. Codenamed ‘FA24’, don’t consider it a simple 2.0-litre ‘stroker’ that builds on before, despite the spec sheet saying otherwise.
The new engine’s pistons differ, conrods are straight and no longer offset, and crankshaft journals and related bearings have been changed.
The rest of the driveline wasn’t left without a tickle either, with better synchros finding their way between second-and-third and fourth-and-fifth enabling faster cross-shifting, and the automatic copping a higher-capacity torque converter.
There’s also the interior, but we’ll save that for the road review soon.
| 2022 Subaru BRZ | |
| Seats | Four |
| Boot volume | 201L |
| Length | 4265mm |
| Width | 1775mm |
| Height | 1310mm |
| Wheelbase | 2575mm |
Style and design
It appears the 2022 Subaru BRZ’s exterior has benefitted most from the decision not to completely replace its underpinnings. Pretty much every panel is new, and it’s all the better for it, as there was nothing much wrong with the outgoing car to begin with.
As the adage goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Comparing the old and new in the flesh was a great exercise, too, as it revealed warts and all.
The outgoing car looks positively slab-sided and one-dimensional, whereas the new sheet metal appears swoopy, scalloped and sleek. It’s a mature shape that looks far more expensive than it is – the trick of great, honest design.
I say that because the exterior design changes applied are not vanity-led ones, but rather ones led by engineering and science. Replacing those strange and fake fender vents from the old car is aero that you can both see through and put your hands in.
That’s what I mean by being honest; the new adornments on its body are all purposeful. New bumper openings funnelling air to the right places, and a pair of deep front-quarter vents now expel turbulent air to promote stability.
Even the roof is now lower and made from aluminum, both reducing its centre of gravity and overall weight. Speaking of which, despite better materials and myriad technology improvements, the manual weighs roughly three kilos more, and the auto about eight.
Both could be equalised by the owner going on a diet, at least in my case.
Safety and Technology
All 2022 Subaru BRZs now feature a wide range of safety assist systems.
On top of seven airbags and the usual forms of traction and stability control, both manual and automatic versions now receive blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-change assist.
If you buy the auto, you’ll also get reverse automatic braking and automatic high beams. That’s not all, as the auto is also the only one to receive Subaru’s signature EyeSight driver assist system.
That means autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, pre-collision throttle management, lane sway (driver fatigue detection) and more.
It makes the automatic a great choice for someone who’s planning to cover miles and genuinely use the car rain, hail or shine. The 2022 Subaru BRZ has not been tested by ANCAP.
| 2022 Subaru BRZ | |
| ANCAP rating | Not tested |
Value for Money
Prices start from $38,990 before on-road costs for the range-opening 2022 Subaru BRZ Coupe with a six-speed manual transmission, or a price rise of nearly $4000 versus the outgoing car.
Considering the new engine, improved transmissions both manual and auto, structural improvements, and the styling, it’s a more than reasonable hike.
The same car with an auto costs $42,790, or $3800 more. Not bad considering the value of the twin-camera EyeSight safety system – including AEB for the first time – that comes standard on automatic models only.
The 2022 Subaru BRZ Coupe S – introducing nothing more than leather and Alcantara-clad heated sports seats – costs $40,190 or $43,990 with a manual or auto respectively, both before on-road costs.
Given the effort to create and market two trim levels, it feels wasted to have them almost identical in terms of specification.
A likely cross shop, however, is going to be the 2022 Mazda MX-5, which switches to an all 2.0-litre engine range. The cheapest soft-top version starts from $37,690 before on-roads with a manual, or $39,690 with an auto. The novelty of an ‘RF’ version with a power-folding hard top starts from $42,000 plus on-road costs, or $2000 extra for an automatic.
| At a glance | 2022 Subaru BRZ |
| Warranty | Five years / unlimited km |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Servicing costs | $1339 (3 years), $2474 (5 years) |
Other alternatives are going to be front-drive hot hatches, which I see no problem with personally. A best in class is the 2022 Hyundai i30 N that now starts from $44,500 before on-roads with a six-speed manual.
If you’re a rear-drive elitist, you’re sort of pigeon-holed here. And before you ask, pricing for the 2022 Toyota GR 86 has yet to be revealed.
Fuel Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Fuel Usage | Fuel Stats |
| Fuel cons. (claimed, auto) | 8.8L/100km |
| Fuel cons. (on test, auto) | 8.8L/100km |
| Fuel type | 98-octane petrol |
| Fuel tank size | 50L |
Driving
We’ll start with the road drive and work our way up in speed.
Getting the worst part of the experience out of the way, the 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres induce too much cabin noise. To some it’ll be a moot point given the grip and performance they offer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some eventually replace them with a high-quality, quieter touring tyre.
Touring sort of sums up the roads we travelled: country-esque, flowing, and akin to how you’d want to be spending time in your Subaru BRZ.
Overall, it’s noticeably more polished than before. The new suspension parts and body strengthening help it handle the rough stuff with more dignity, and there’s plenty more composure and grip to play with than ever before.
Sometimes the old car would feel hollow and jarry on a crap road over 70km/h, whereas the new 2022 Subaru BRZ instead feels both flat, planted and secure.
Performance from the 2.4-litre motor is now just right. Just like before you still need to string it out, but at least the ride is now flat and rewarding.
That terrible torque dip is no more, enabling the 2.4-litre to happily sing through the middle and to the redline with a new sense of vigour. The decision to lengthen the differential ratio (4.3 to 4.1) and run with a bigger, torquier engine is a sound one, as both work in harmony to create a two-fold effect.
Not only is there better-suited gearing to play with and explore, but there’s more effort to help turn it.
Another thing about peak torque is the fact it’s delivered a whole 2700rpm earlier than before. Consider that another reason why the bigger engine can turn a taller diff ratio and get away still feeling perky and responsive.
Moving on to the motorkhana, things got slidey.
Through the patchy wet-and-dry surface, the 2022 Subaru BRZ has enough guts to turn splashy wheel spin into smoky stuff without fuss. The brake pedal bites far better than before, and the overall travel from here on in is consistent and trustworthy.
It shows the power of calibration and sensitive improvements, as the new BRZ uses technically identical twin-pot sliding front, single-pot sliding rear calipers as before.
Over on the track, the biggest shock was the amount of speed gained from old to new. We had the chance to back-to-back both, and the conditions were just right: slightly damp and awfully slippery.
Aside from more of everything, the computers have been better tuned to help you misbehave. The degree of slip now offered by sport mode is both tantalising and scary, as it’ll happily demand healthy amounts of opposite lock – in third – with little to no provocation.
Remember, it was slippery. The steering feels linear and consistent, and it’s overall such a hoot on a wet track. Instead of attacking the clock, I preferred to spend my exiting with early power-on, just to feed it what it’s clearly asking for.
It’s incredibly engaging, and the halfway traction mode now offers more fun on-track with a degree of safety.
| Key details | 2022 Subaru BRZ |
| Engine | 2.4-litre naturally aspirated flat-four |
| Power | 174kW @ 7000rpm |
| Torque | 250Nm @ 3700rpm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual Six-speed torque converter automatic |
| Power to weight ratio | 137-139.6kW/t |
| Weight (tare) | From 1246kg (manual) / 1267kg (automatic) |
| Turning circle | 10.8m |
Conclusion
If you don’t mind the automatic, the writing’s on the wall, whether you’re simply upgrading your old one or looking for a new and interesting daily driver.
The safety features are worth it alone, especially as we’re talking about the addition of both forward and rearward automatic braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise, and plenty more.
For the purist, well, you may find it easier to rationalise the beginning of the end instead. The humble Toybaru collaboration sports car has been in our lives now for about 10 years, and given this one is much the same as before, it means the time is nigh.
The next, if ever, will surely be hybrid, electric, or possibly offered in both, and almost certainly on an all-new framework designed to accommodate such power sources.
If that’s where your mind is at, deeply consider an upgrade. I know your current eight-year-old example with 160,000km runs flawlessly – I expect nothing less – but the improvements here will be so well-loved and felt by a returning customer.
As I said earlier, I’m glad both Subaru and Toyota didn’t meddle too much. The reason the original Toyota 86 won Drive Car of the Year outright in 2012 was because it set the standard for value-for-money sports cars.
Arguably, the first generation also ushered in a new era of accessible and fun performance cars with value for money and dependability at their core.
I can’t say now whether the 2022 Subaru BRZ will age as gracefully, but given it simply emphasises what’s good about the original, I’d say it’s fait accompli.
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