If you're looking for an entertaining, affordable, involving sports coupe, Subaru's BRZ could be right up your street, says motoring editor Andy Russell.
Road test: Subaru BRZ
If you were playing Top Trumps you'd measure the worth of a sporty performance car by mighty power output, ridiculous top speed, six, eight or 12 cylinders and huge engine capacity.
In the real world, you'd go for entertainment value and, for most of us, affordability.
Cars like the Mazda MX-5 and Lotus Elise spring to mind, where less is more and the pure pleasure is a really rewarding drive.
Now I'm going to add a 2+2 sports coupe to my list of favourite 'back-to-basics' drives that are more about putting a big smile on your face that packing a knockout performance punch. Enter the Subaru BRZ, recently refreshed and relaunched in a single hi-spec SE Lux model.
Not familiar with it? Top Gear fans will know its Toyota sibling, the GT86, as the latest celebrity fast lap track car – most of it is actually from Subaru.
Under the bonnet
Both BRZ and GT86 use a traditional Subaru boxer engine, a non-turbo 2.0-litre, mated to six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes.
Despite 200 horses, it's brisk rather than blisteringly quick, but that's not what it's about. It's an engine than needs to be worked, not thrashed, to get the best out of it, accompanied by a throaty retort. But drive it sensibly and the automatic regularly returned MPG in the high 30s and a best of 43mpg on a gentle run.
The flat-four unit feels a little lumpy and gruff at low revs but, bring it to the boil via the manual box or flappy shift paddles on the automatic, and it smoothes out and comes alive above 4,000rpm with plenty still to go with to the 7,400rpm redline.
It's involving, fun and, more importantly, you driving the car, not the other way round.
How it drives
The BRZ is also engaging to drive.
Subaru has stiffened the BRZ's suspension a little so the ride is firmer, which means tyre noise on rough surfaces, but the trade-off is responsive roadholding as the BRZ reacts instantly to the sharp, accurate steering.
Relatively skinny 215 tyres on 17in wheels provide enough grip to make twisty roads entertaining without losing the fun factor of rear-wheel drive so the BRZ feels edgy but does not have enough power to be twitchy. Weighing in at 1,231kg for the manual and 1,254kg for the auto, it's light and agile.
Space and comfort
Best to accept the BRZ as a two-seater for, while front passengers are well catered for, the two back bucket seats are next to useless. Normally I at least try to get in the back but, given the lack of leg and headroom and my dodgy back, I declined.
The 243-litre boot comes as a pleasant surprise with a wide opening and it goes back a long way so holds a decent amount of shopping or soft, squidgy luggage. The one-piece rear seat back drops flat to create a long, flat load bay
At the wheel
The low-slung driving position is snug, with body-hugging front seats, while the no-nonsense instruments are dominated by a big central rev counter, confirming this is a driver's car.
The interior is quite spartan, despite lots of red highlight stitching and tactile padded plastics, but it's more about function with straightforward controls that are easy to use apart from the optional, after-fit Pioneer sat-nav and multimedia system with fiddly buttons.
Rear visibility is pretty awful though with the small rear screen and big pillars and reversing is tricky without sensors or a rear-view camera.
Overall, the BRZ puts the emphasis on driving and that's the priority.
Final say
Subaru's BRZ is overshadowed by Toyota's version being better known and that's a because I think it trumps the GT86 as an even better driver's car that costs less.
TECH AND SPEC
Price: Subaru BRZ SE Lux manual £26,495, automatic £27,995
Engine: 1,998cc, 200PS, four-cylinder petrol
Performance: 0-62mph 7.6 seconds; top speed 140mph (auto 8.2 seconds, 130mph)
MPG: Urban 27.2; extra urban 44.8; combined 36.2 (auto 29.4, 49.6, 39.8)
CO2 emissions: 180g/km (auto 164g/km)
Benefit-in-kind tax rate: 35% (31%)
Insurance group: 31 (out of 50)
Warranty: Five years or 100,000 miles
Will it fit in the garage? L 4,240mm; W 1,775mm; H 1,320mm
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