Subaru BRZ coupe

The Subaru BRZ is one of the best sports cars to go on sale in recent years. It's a rear-wheel drive coupe that doesn't cost the earth to buy and puts the driver at the centre of the action. It is the product of a joint venture with Toyota that has also produced the GT86 – and both cars are good looking, brilliant fun to drive and surprisingly economical. In many ways the BRZ sits in a sector of the market that used to be dominated in the Eighties by affordable coupes like the Toyota Celica and Ford Capri. These days, rivals include the rear-wheel drive Nissan 370Z and front-drive coupes like the Volkswagen Scirocco and Audi TT.


Engineers behind the BRZ project wanted to create an affordable rival to the Porsche Cayman – and that tells you a lot about the way the BRZ drives. It has great steering, brilliant agility and yet, thanks to relatively skinny tyres, just the right amount of grip. You can approach and exceed the tyres' limits on the public road at speeds that won't have you
in fear of your licence – and will put a smile on your face in a way that an Audi TT won't. The engine is a 197bhp 2.0-litre flat-four-cylinder 'boxer' which is capable of accelerating the BRZ from 0-60mph in under seven seconds. It needs to be revved hard though – you have to keep it above 4,000rpm for it to deliver its best. But with a snappy six-speed manual gearbox, or a smooth and quick paddleshift automatic to choose from, making the most of the power available is easy. There are some really neat touches that encourage you to work the engine too, such as the change-up light on the rev counter that blinks at 7,000rpm. On the downside, it can feel a bit unresponsive at low revs and the engine doesn't have a particularly racy note – it always sounds a bit gruff.

The BRZ is not as comfortable as a VW Scirocco or an Audi TT – it has a ride that is a bit too firm for that. You will certainly feel (and hear) the thud as the stiff suspension hits a pothole. However, put the BRZ into sixth gear and it settles to a reasonably quiet cruise on the motorway; you could certainly drive 200 miles and not feel too tired. The driving position is very good as the chunky sports steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, while the seat itself has plenty of adjustment, some sporty bolstering and holds you in position even in hard cornering.


The BRZ is very new, so it is hard to predict just how reliable it will be – but put it this way, it is the result of a partnership between two companies who have brilliant reputations for making cars that run and run. Plus, there's the fact that the BRZ is made of parts from existing cars that have certainly been tried-and-tested – the engine is a development of a unit used in the Impreza WRX while the suspension comes from that car too. We wouldn't expect it to be anything less than faultless, and should there be a problem, we reckon Subaru dealers will fix it quickly.