Ben's Subaru BRZ - detail and review

I was lucky enough to detail a brand new Subaru BRZ. And what's more, owner Ben was kind enough to let me take it out for a proper drive!

Its not fast by any means, and has to be over 4000rpm. But it has the best shifter of any car I've driven, the best response, the best steering, overall just an amazing drive. In comparison to the 2012 WRX I also had, the WRX had a CLUNKY shifter, but the interior, being a Club-Spec, was a tad nicer, and it has a lot more power and grip. But the BRZ was able to lose its rear end with so much grace and elegance and the driver aids pull you back in without being obtrusive, it makes you feel like a driving god!

Although its not fast, its a bit deceptive, as you dont think your going anywhere quickly and your doing 130km/h in 3rd! The lack of turbo lag makes it seems slower than it is..

That being said, I did feel the brake pedal on the BRZ was too high - you had to really mash it to be get it at the same height or close to the accelerator to heel toe properly, but could be because the car was brand new, literally only 100km on it.

The tyres it come with aren't that great but thats what make it fun. Stick some 245 or 255 tyres and you would have a grip machine, but less sideways action. The stock height and tyre size do look a bit dated, and Ben will be seeing our partners, Euro1Concept for some new wheels and tyres soon, and obviously Opti-coating them!

The interior is a lot nicer than what people would have you believe, and the seats are wonderful. Be warned if your too much over 100kgs, it will be a tight fit.

The rear seats are more useless than a Silvia, but we all knew that. The steering wheel has no buttons, which I like, as its a clean and simple design, and is nicely weighted and chunky.

Really really really fun car to drive, and handles beautifully, going round roundabouts is a blast! I want one, but second hand so I can afford to inject some more power into it!

Now some pics:

As it came in, pretty dirty:







Snowfoam!



The paint was not in perfect condition (as expected from a dealer) despite being 100km old!







Sticker lines from the dealer - at least it seems they didn't wash it!



After:



Shiny:





Doing the wheels:



Not forgetting the (full size) spare:



Jacking the car up also helps get to the lower areas of the car:



Some more finished snaps:











Which would you have? An ideal garage?



The BRZ/86 really is a tiny car:



Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for an 86 and a BMW M5!