BRZ First Impressions

[Doug&Julie]

Thanks for the reply Doug, I was more curious then anything else. You bring up good points and definitely show you are an intelligent buyer and not being sold on the "hype".

Thanks for the kind words. I don't know about "intelligent", but definitely an experienced buyer. We both turn 42 this year and we're on Subaru #10 and Porsche #14. Of those, I've made a few mistakes in buying and some regrets in selling. I've got a pretty good idea of what kind of car I (we?) want. I think the BRZ is a great way to get a fun sports car with Subaru reliability and efficiency...a true daily driver. But in doing so, I'm giving up on a few things (for a while, anyway), so I want to make sure this is an it car before I buy.

It is interesting they would add aftermarket heated seats, seems more problematic then it would add to comfort, imo. Definitely keep us posted!

Supposedly they've been doing this to all models and have figured it out pretty well. But yeah, I'm with you in that it makes me a little suspect of the quality. I may need to do more investigation.

[onbooSTi]

I'd would definitely see how they implement the system, does it effect the cushioning of the seat and feel, where will the switches be located...

Having an "it" car for your reasons is very understandable, but I do hope you join us with a new BRZ

[Doug&Julie]

I'd would definitely see how they implement the system, does it effect the cushioning of the seat and feel, where will the switches be located...

I'm guessing it's a heated wire system. I get the feeling the peel off the seat's fabric, lay the wiring down, and put the fabric back on. I say "fabric" because I can't spell upholstry. ..upholstery? Anywho...the switches will be on the side toward the front. (Another moment) If I get the car, I'll probably wait on the heated seats as we're rolling into summer now. Hopefully then I'd get a chance to learn more or even see an example of this "aftermarket" trick.

Having an "it" car for your reasons is very understandable, but I do hope you join us with a new BRZ

Thanks! I do really like the car. If I don't get one, for sure every time I see one I'll think "I coulda...."

[jhh3000]

I'm definitely interested in seeing how this car performs in the winter. I live in the northeast, which is not a death trap for a RWD + snow tires (since removal is quick and efficient), but nevertheless I get the feeling that people will be getting stuck a lot in this car since it's so light.

I have to agree that the exterior was gorgeous with the Galaxy Blue Silica paint. I would have liked to see the Limited interior with the leather/Alcantara seats but coming from a dull Dodge pickup as a daily driver and having a 07 Subaru Forester LL Bean, I didn't find the interior a disappointment. I have a few lbs on Doug but otherwise have about the same personal stats and found the seats comfortable. The bolsters on my back did provide a little pressure that may become an irritation on long drives unless I lose a few lbs. The steering wheel and position of the shift seemed well placed. Visibility was excellent, especially compared to the mustang all the BRZ nay-sayers say is a better value.

One concern I have living in a region where heavy snow and ice is a possibility, the windows open a crack automatically upon opening the door to allow clearance for the door seals on the frame-less windows. I've had the windows freeze on my cars where it takes several minutes before the car is warm enough to open the windows so that could be a problem if I can't get into the car to start it. I ride the bus to my job and if a freezing rain happens during the day I could be in trouble.

I guess the real test will be when we can actually take it for a spin, but so far I like it a lot!

[raventare]

People have been driving in the snow with RWD for 100 years or more and lived to tell about it. The lightness of the car is offset by the weight distribution. The limited slip will certainly provide a little more excitement but once the coefficient of friction goes away, all bets are off the table. I would be most concerned about areas that aren't plowed yet and driving a car with very little ground clearance. Good snow tires and good judgement will be the best defense...remember though, " Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment." the Mechanic 2011.

[shaneB]

I believe first impression lasts. My impression on BRZ is cool.

[Doug&Julie]

BRZ Second Impressions -

So just to fill you all in on what I've done...after sitting in the blue BRZ and feeling underwhelmed, I decided to get my deposit back. I couldn't drive the car and just wasn't 100% convinced enough that this would be THE car for me, so the plan is to wait until I can actually drive one, and maybe next year Subaru will have some different option packages (I still want factory heated seats, but don't want some of the other options in the Limited).

Interestingly, my dealership went ahead and ordered the car as I spec'd it. They claim they couldn't cancel the order in time, but I think they had surprisingly few orders and left "mine" in to help fullfil quota or minimum order or something. Soooo...a couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from my salesman mentioning this, and that the car would be in May 29th if I was still interested in it. I told him for sure I'd love to see it and drive it if it were possible.

Well the car came in a couple of days ago. Sadly, by then it had been spoken for, so no drive. But I went to see it yesterday and I have to say my second impression is much better than my first! I couldn't sit in it, but the new leather interior looked, felt, and smelled much nicer than the car we saw earlier. I'm not entirely convinced it's still "worth" $30k (the sticker was $29,459), but it definitely felt like a much nicer car than the Premium. Having said that, I think the biggest difference here was that this was a brand new car, not a used demonstrator (with missing floor mats and muddy door sills and kicked / scraped door panels). So I'm thinking, were it a new Premium, I'd still feel better about it overall.

So am I sorry I didn't go through with the purchase? A little. Emotionally and as an enthusiast, I'm definitely sorry I didn't. But Julie and I have a lot going on in our lives and I'm not sure I'd feel good about dropping the $30k on a sports car, as good as it is.

Of course, the other problem is we've sold the Cayman S, so suddenly I'm just driving a "boring" ol' Legacy 3.6R! So I'm not sure what the future holds...but I'm not giving up on the BRZ just yet!

Here's "my" BRZ...Limited in Black (which looks great, BTW).

[Jeredin]

Doug, hope you don't mind me using your thread for my first impression.

Back story (jump down a paragraph for impressions): I live in Show Low, AZ, a rural city, and so it came at great surprise when I saw a BRZ Limited Pearl White sitting in the Subaru lot across from the Safeway I was pulling out of. Now, I must say that I've never learned, nor ever had any real interest in learning manual transmission but I knew there was a very good chance this one was--yet that wasn't going to stop me. So I called them up, let them know I wanted to test drive it, but would need someone else to drive for me, as it turned out to in fact be a manual.

These are my first impressions of the Subaru BRZ, Pearl White with manual transmission.

--Exterior:
While the pearl white is not my favorite color for the BRZ, it looked very clean and I could see how stylish wheels could take the white to another level. I should point out that this car, being the only one the dealer was going to receive, had all the bells and whistles--side-fender chrome, defuser, gas cover and so on. There were two add-ons that I liked, the chrome actually looked good to me and might be worth it's high price if you're as vain as I am. Secondly was the clear vinyl bumper cover, to protect the bumper from scratches from putting items in and out of the trunk. I didn't care for the style of the defuser and at the going price, I think people should REALLY have a look at it before adding it to their car; I've heard it may not really help performance all that much as it is. Some others have said that the black solid bumper at the top of the front grill doesn't look bad in person, and I fully agree. The over all style of this car is indeed, topnotch. Some haven't liked the rear-wing, but I do, its subtle but gives the car little extra style. Ever curve of the body feels so thought out and oozing with freshness, but not to the point of obnoxiousness; nothing on the exterior looks overdone. The wheels look fantastic and I plan on getting wider ones for my own, but it's not going to be hard living with the black and silver wheels in the meantime. The owner (or the like) of this web-site said you can see the camber of the rear wheels and it's true; although its practical. Lastly, the car is small, but I don't know why it doesn't feel "small" when you look at it. The only reason I think this is, is because the style holds your attention so much your mind doesn't care to size it up unless it so happens to be right next to another larger car.

--Interior:
First off, getting in and out of the BRZ was easy and while I can't figure out exactly one reason why, it's good to know--given that I've hit my head getting in and out of my corolla a few times. Many have said that the BRZ's interior is not luxury, and while that's true, the overall style and feel is very solid. It feels very mature but stylish; more so than the pictures I've seen of the FR-S's red trimmed interior. For a car of it's size it feels very comfortable to sit in; somehow spacious, and I'm six feet tall. As far as sitting is concerned, I do wish the steering wheel came out another inch--I pulled it out as far as I could--but all you have to do is lean the seat forward one inch and that's remedied. That said, the steering wheel felt like a high quality Corolla steering wheel--I should add that I have always loved our 04 Corolla's steering wheel--it's small but thick and has natural grips where you'd want them. I'm also happy to reassure there is plenty of driving vision throughout of the car. The driving position is indeed as good as everyone has said, and there's plenty of room for my long legs and wide shoulders. I'm about 175 lbs and the seats lovingly hugged me. I would go so far as to say the the seats were one of the best aspects of the interior. As for all the gadgetry, I never felt overwhelmed by it and that's given everything I knew it could do. The back seats are useless for adults that are behind tall people like me but will be great for small items from the store and the like. The trunk is pretty small and I'm sure not many wide items will fit through the trunk-hole. That said, if you put the rear seats down, suddenly there's plenty of room. If you have a car/truck with more trunk/holding room, use that for such needs, not the BRZ. There's plenty of plastics and I even spotted a FR-S styled interior piece that's so prevalent in the FR-S and 86, but this is a sub $30k car and I always felt like I was sitting in a stylish and comfortable sports car.

--Performance:
While I can only speak from the passenger seat, there was plenty I learned there, given that I could focus on the small stuff while the driver focused on the road. Firstly, the sound of the engine. There was never a time below 4k RPM that the engine was loud, which I love. Yet as soon as the RPMs went over 4k, the flat-four growled with increasing speed. Although we never went up to freeway speeds, I never heard the road. Indeed, you will feel most inconsistencies in the road, but they're slightly muted by the balanced sports suspension; it never annoyed me. Like most have said, the car "feels fast" and I love that. That means you don't have to push it to have fun on a daily basis. The only concern I had might have came from the driver shifting/gear choice, but there were some small jolts in low-end slowing and initial acceleration--it was his first time driving the BRZ too.

--Overall:
While I might not have been BLOWN AWAY by the BRZ with my first impression, it's the sum of all things that win you over. The BRZ is very thought out and when you consider the price (and MPG), we're lucky such a sports car exists. I have a good feeling that when I finally get to drive behind the wheel of a WR Blue Limited BRZ, I won't want to leave those lovingly hugging seats.

[Doug&Julie]

Nice additiona Jeredin!

So, I've got a "Third Impression" story to tell...

This weekend Julie and I stopped at Performance Toyota / Scion in Fairfield because they (according to Autotrader.com) had an FR-S with an Manumatic that I was hoping to drive. Well that had sold by the time we got there, but they did have a manual on the lot that showcased how they differentiate their FR-Ss from standard. It's pretty simple, really, but they send the cars off to a local auto trimmer and have the seats trimmed in leather and add heat. Of course, this adds $1800 to the price, but I have to say it's a significant improvement to the aesthetics of the interior. It helps that I actually like the darker dash of the FR-S over the painted silver dash of the BRZ. Throw in these nice leather seats (which get rid of the red "shoulders") and...wow...I'd actually call it nice!

I didn't get much time to study them to get a feel for their quality and durability (they did, in fact, mention they had a white FR-S that had to go back to said interior trimmer to fix a tear in one of the seats), but I may get another chance in the next few days as I asked them to call me if I can get a chance to drive the manumatic.

I also told them I wasn't interested in white, but asked them to let me know what cars they still have left coming in, and if they have any good colors with a manumatic, I may consider buying.

Stay tuned....

[Doug&Julie]

Once more...with feeling....

OK, I know I'm late to the party here, but I finally got to drive a BRZ manu-matic. Last week, my Subie salesman called to tell me they took in a used one that I could actually test drive, so Saturday we did it. I didn't get a long drive, but it was long enough to get that "...ah...I get it now" feeling. Definitely has some great steering and overall road feel. And I was pretty happy with the manu-matic gearbox...better than anything I've owned up to this point (which isn't saying a lot, but there it is). So, long story short, we've gone and "ordered" one...it should arrive in January...just in time for heavy snow!

Until then, I'll be snooping around the forum (sure has changed since I last stopped by! ) to see how everybody is getting along with theirs. Looks like I'll be shoping for winter tires, too. I'm thinking the car won't leave the dealership w/o them. When we do get the car, I'll have a more formal introduction with pitcherz and everything.

Oh, we're getting a Premium in black with the AT as the only option. I'll be getting new wheels w/ summer tires in Spring (I'll stick with 17s, but maybe a little wider offset), but otherwise I imagine it will stay fairly stock for some time. Gotta keep the costs down for now...

That is all....