Japan's Subaru BRZ Declares War on the 2013 Ford Mustang V6

After we learned how much Subaru's all-new BRZ costs in the States, someone was bound to put the Japanese sports coupe up against the quintessential American pony car, the 2013 Ford Mustang in V6 trim. And that someone was Angus MacKenzie from MotorTrend magazine. The similarities between the two sports coupes begin with their price and end with their front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.
The 2013 Ford Mustang is a modernized version of an old formula that combines a solid rear axle with a contemporary 3.7-liter V6 that churns out 305hp at 6,500rpm and 280 lb-ft (380Nm). Ford's pony car tips the scales at 3,511 pounds (1,593kg).
In the U.S., the Mustang V6 starts at $22,995 (€17,400), with the model tested by MT in this comparo priced at $30,830 (€29,400).
The BRZ was designed by Toyota and Subaru from a clean sheet of paper with the goal of creating a modern and reasonably priced, nimble sports car for the masses. It sports a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four with direct-injection that generates 200hp at 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 151 lb.-ft. (205Nm) at 6,400 rpm. It has a curb weight of 2,747 lbs (1,246kg).
Pricing for the BRZ begins at $25,495 (€19,300), with MT's tester listed at $28,245 (€21,400).
If you believe that the Ford's 105-horsepower advantage over the BRZ (despite the weight handicap) matters when it comes to straight-line acceleration and track times, you are right, but does that make it a better sports car?
You probably already know the answer to that question, but if you want to hear it for yourself in detail, hop over the break to watch MT's video test.

VIDEO

SPECIFICATIONS

Read More

2013 Subaru BRZ Completes 0-60mph in 7.3s

Something tells us that in the States, the 2013 Subaru BRZ will most likely carry a similar MSRP to its sister model, the 2013 Scion FR-S, at around $25,000, but until the Japanese automaker announces official pricing, we have a new video to share with you. The crew over at Edmund's Insideline took the North American specification BRZ to the race track to see what kind of numbers it could put down.
Like the Scion FR-S and the Toyota 86, the BRZ is motivated by a 2.0-liter flat-four fitted with a direct fuel injection system yielding 200-horsepower and 151 lbs.-ft. of torque. Power is directed to the rear wheels via a standard six-speed manual gearbox or an optional automatic transmission with the same number of gears.
The news site tried out the manual version that completed the 0 to 60mph (96km/h) sprint in 7.3 seconds (7.0 seconds from a 1-foot rolling start) and the quarter mile run (400m) in 15.3 seconds with an exit speed of 92.1mph (148km/h).
Edmunds notes that the BRZ did considerably better on the slalom (69.1mph or 111.2km/h), the skid pad (0.92g) and in braking (114 feet to stop from 60mph), beating the 2013 Hyundai Genesis in all three tests (67.4mph, 0.89g and 116 feet respectively), and the 2011 Ford Mustang GT in all but braking (67.3mph, 0.91g and 109 feet respectively).
You can watch the test in the video that follows below.

VIDEO

Read More

Subaru Shows European Market BRZ and New Impreza

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show marked the European debut for Subaru's newest models, the rear-wheel drive BRZ sports coupe and the latest generation of the Impreza hatchback. The 200PS (197bhp) BRZ, which as most of you know by now was developed as a joint-project between Subaru and Toyota, will go on sale across Europe by this summer offered with a choice of two 6-speed transmissions, a manual and an automatic.
While most countries will get two trim levels, certain markets like the UK will also get a third, low-cost and stripped out grade similar to the one offered in Japan. Pricing for the BRZ has not yet been announced.
Also making its acquaintance with European buyers is the new five-door Impreza hatchback that is shown alongside its sister model, the new XV compact crossover. Engine options at launch will include a 114PS 1.6-liter petrol, a 150PS 2.0-litre petrol, and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel producing 147PS and 350Nm.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

Subaru European BRZ and Impreza Hatchback in Geneva

The upcoming 82nd Geneva International Motor Show in March will host the European debuts of two new Subaru models, the BRZ sports coupe and the latest generation of the Impreza hatchback. The BRZ, which recently went on sale in Japan after its world premiere at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, is expected to reach European showrooms this summer, with more detailed information including pricing to be released in Geneva.
The rear-wheel drive sports coupe comes with a 2.0-liter boxer engine producing 200-horsepower and a choice of 6-speed manual and automatic transmission.
Following its market launch in North America and more recently in Japan, Subaru's new Impreza hatchback will soon go on sale Europe where it will be offered with the same engine line up as the XV Crossover, which includes a 114PS 1.6-liter petrol, a 150PS 2.0-litre petrol, and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel producing 147PS and 350Nm.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

New Stripped Down Toyota 86 RC and Subaru BRZ RA

The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ go hand in hand, in whatever they do. The two brands have launched stripped down variants of their respective models in Japan offering a low cost solution for those buyers looking to use the coupes for track racing, as a blank canvas to create their own project or simply to own the most affordable variant. The Toyota 86 RC and the Subaru BRZ RA are very similar, the only main difference being that the Toyota model gets unpainted front and rear bumpers. From there on, on the outside, both models come with unpainted door handles and mirror caps, 16-inch steel wheels, while there are no fog lights up front.
On the inside, the two companies removed most amenities including, but not limited to, the air-condition, audio system and speakers, the aluminum-look trim, alloy pedals and mats, while plastic covers the steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift levers. The Japanese carmakers even went as far as removing the decorative plastic covers in the engine bay.
Furthermore, there's no limited-slip rear differential while the rear brakes are not ventilated any more. What remains untouched is the 2.0-liter boxer engine rated at 200-horsepower. Both the 86 RC and Subaru BRZ RA are offered exclusively with the six-speed manual gearbox.
As a result of these changes, the base Toyota and Subaru coupes are 20kg /44lbs to 60kg/132lbs (depending on the trim-level) lighter than the regular versions.
In Japan, the Toyota 86 RC is priced at 1.99 million Yen (~US$26,000 / €19,900), while the Subaru BRZ RA 2,058,000 Yen (US$26,900 / €20,600).
In both cases, the base Subaru and Toyota coupes cost approximately 500,000 Yen (~US$6,500 /€5,000) less than the next grade level.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

Subaru BRZ Black Edition

Prova, one of the more notable Subaru tuners in the Land of the Rising Sun, teamed up with the Japanese automaker to display a bespoke edition of the new BRZ sports coupe at this past weekend's 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon. The BRZ Black Edition is supposed to be a more mature tuning take on the rear-wheel drive model that goes on sale worldwide this spring.
The package combines a blacked out body with orange pinstriping and a styling kit that includes a front lip spoiler, side skirts, a different rear diffuser and a (not so mature…) massive rear wing, along with new 19-inch alloy wheels from Enkei shod in beefier rubber.
A high-performance braking system and a sports exhaust system with central mounted tail pipes plus body hugging Recaro bucket seats and a new audio system inside round out the changes on the Black Edition showcar.
Neither Prova nor Subaru said if they have any plans to produce the BRZ Black Edition.

Read More

Meet the 1999 Subaru Impreza Casa Blanca Limited Edition

Subaru is one of those automakers that will either bore you to death or irk you with the styling of its products, but scarcely, if ever, cause any excitement with its designs.

The Impreza series is a characteristic example going from boredom to controversial and vice versa not only with each new restyling, but sometimes even within the same generation.
Time to meet the Impreza Casa Blanca - a special edition version of the first generation Sport Wagon with the 1.5-liter boxer engine that was introduced in Japan in 1999 to address the craze consumers had for retro styled cars at the time.
And yes, you read that correctly: the Casa Blanca isn't a abomination creation from some unknown coachbuilder but an official Subaru product and it was produced from 1999 to 2000 in a limited run of 5,000 units!
Burn your eyes to some pictures from a used model found up for sale in Japan along with two videos below.

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More