Sciaru BRZFRS (BreezeFrees)

  • Thread starter Azuremen
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I feel like the Subaru is objectively too fussy looking, but somehow it just works and I think it's actually a very handsome car. I think they resolved the front fascia miles better than the first gen did, which to me looked slapped together. The hood shut line doesn't look like an afterthought like it did before and the whole car has lost the kind of "gurning" mouth piece that just looked so...amateur. I actually like that it has the little mounting surface for the front plate, it adds a bit of character.

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I mean just compare this to the preview image from the youtube image above. It's miles better now. I always really hated those thin peninsulas of front fascia between the leading edge of the headlights and the hood...it just looks visually fragile and unresolved. The new design manages that detail way way more skillfully. And the grill of all 4 variants of the first gen cars never felt right to me either...the facelifted BRZ got closest, but again, the new car is far better. I think I said it before but I felt like I would have bought a (first gen) BRZ/86 if the engine was 10% better and the exterior design was 10% better and the quality was 10% better. I think they've really nailed all three of those, if not more like 20% all around.
 
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I always assumed all the super fussy detailing was to try and make up for the fact that the final car's shape was much less crisp than the original concepts they showed off through 2011.
 
05XR8
I can still see, to me, the BRZ with the badge from Stuttgart replacing that Pleiades badge.
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You think it looks like a Porsche? That's a new take I've never heard before. I think Porsche would have to dig deep to design a modern 944, especially considering they never had integrated headlights and the rears were pretty atrocious. They were not pretty cars by any measure.
 
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Keef
You think it looks like a Porsche? That's a new take I've never heard before. I think Porsche would have to dig deep to design a modern 944, especially considering they never had integrated headlights and the rears were pretty atrocious. They were not pretty cars by any measure.
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There's a little Cayman/Panamera in the front. A little.
 
Keef
You think it looks like a Porsche? That's a new take I've never heard before. I think Porsche would have to dig deep to design a modern 944, especially considering they never had integrated headlights and the rears were pretty atrocious. They were not pretty cars by any measure.
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From the beginning of the month:
05XR8
Liking the new one even more now. That side profile in white, looks like what would be a modern 924/944, in my eyes. Especially housing a flat engine. Again, I dig it.
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Keef
You think it looks like a Porsche? That's a new take I've never heard before. I think Porsche would have to dig deep to design a modern 944, especially considering they never had integrated headlights and the rears were pretty atrocious. They were not pretty cars by any measure.
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Aww, I think the 924/944 is just fine from all angles. The rear end is nothing at all like the cars that I think suffer from that "we-got-to-the-back-end-and-ran-out-of-ideas syndrome".

The 928 sure is toad-looking by comparison, and the 968 has always looked to me like it isn't sure what decade it was designed in.
 
Was back on June 4th. Had a friend attend that event as Lexus brand ambassador. He said he couldn't believe the amount of stupid questions that came from the bloggers & influencers in attendance whilst the magazine reps. were actually interested in the car from a driver's perspective.
 
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Fuel economy ratings are out. They are... a fair bit worse than the outgoing car, which I think is pretty dumb. I don't think I'd really care so much, honestly, but to take that big of a hit makes me think that they didn't rejigger the gearing from the old car in spite of the torque curve not being garbage on this one. Something like this should easily be clearing 30; even if it actually does do so in real driving. The old car had a small ass gas tank for the fuel mileage it already got, so assuming the new one is about the same...





And while I don't care about mileage so much, poor overall range is something that annoys me.
 
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Tornado
Fuel economy ratings are out. They are... a fair bit worse than the outgoing car, which I think is pretty dumb. I don't think I'd really care so much, honestly, but to take that big of a hit makes me think that they didn't rejigger the gearing from the old car in spite of the torque curve not being garbage on this one. Something like this should easily be clearing 30; even if it actually does do so in real driving. The old car had a small ass gas tank for the fuel mileage it already got, so assuming the new one is about the same...





And while I don't care about mileage so much, poor overall range is something that annoys me.
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27 highway for a 6-speed 4-cylinder? Wow that's bad. I can only assume the gearing of the car doesn't agree with the EPA cycle somehow - EPA numbers are almost always wrong, and all my time in various rental cars suggests the EPA numbers are notably lower than what is actually achieved. For example, I think back in 2006 when my truck was rated their cycle was done differently but their highway estimate was 16 while it actually gets 19-20.

Edit: My buddy who lives in Detroit says he gets 35 mpg highway in his early FRS, and that has sticky tires, a splitter, and a wing on the back, and is driven at Michigan highway speeds. So whatever methodology the EPA is using for cars like this is woefully inadequate and inaccurate.
 
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First real media day was today. Seems like all of the things Subaru talked about aside from the engine largely amount to it riding much better, being less skittish, being much nicer inside and being a bit less loud when driving; but the raison d'être is indeed that the engine is no longer garbage and allows you to drive it like a normal commuter car without having to wring it out like an RX-8 every time you pull away from a stoplight.





It is indeed faster than an ND2 now as well.
 
Oh and it has horrible fake exhaust noise pumped into the interior from behind the dashboard, and you can only turn it off on the slushbox models.



???
 
Somebody will have to figure out a workaround. From the Everyday Driver video it seems like you can't turn it off either in the auto. It can be set to low or high, and the manual only has the high setting.
 
Keef
So whatever methodology the EPA is using for cars like this is woefully inadequate and inaccurate.
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And this methodology shapes manufacturers' product lineups and options for the U.S. by determining the values of enormous CAFE penalties. Yay, consumer choice.
 
Tornado
Oh and it has horrible fake exhaust noise pumped into the interior from behind the dashboard, and you can only turn it off on the slushbox models.



???
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I don't think it does. Maybe it's electronic now? I don't see a pipe coming from the intake.

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The old one definitely had that stupid trumpet pipe thing. Dumb idea. Just make it sound good already.

Edit: What the hell kind of idea is an upside down oil filter? Gotta situate it perfectly so all the contaminants can drain right back into the pan?
 
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Keef
I don't think it does. Maybe it's electronic now? I don't see a pipe coming from the intake.

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The old one definitely had that stupid trumpet pipe thing. Dumb idea. Just make it sound good already.
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I think there's a speaker behind the center console or somewhere in that area.
 
The GR86 and my Lexus RC. Pretty similar side profile. I'm thinking I want to get blue with black wheels and the bigger ducktail spoiler like the red below.
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Tornado
I just realized that there's no option for Brembos D:
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That's fine, it keeps the cost down. I'm good with the premium offering the upgraded Michelin tires, if I want better brakes I'll upgrade. I'm looking forward to driving it to see how it feels.
 
I'm sure this car is more than adequate for 99.9 percent of its intended market. It's still keeping the AE86 ethos of getting you in the door, with an inexpensive sporty car. If you want a car similar to this, it's going to be a GT86/FR-S/BR-Z. Or an E30 M3?
 


Media day for the BRZ dropped today. While in hindsight it's obvious looking at previous videos, this is the first one I've seen that noted that the gauge cluster is actually two screens and not just one big color panel. Also, no navigation is lame.






Sounds like the primary difference between the two is the rear suspension setup. BRZ is more planted and uses aluminum pieces. GR86 slides around more and uses more steel. BRZ interior looks nicer.
 
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Both cars are better looking than their predecessors, but the BR-Z just looks great. It's got a lot of character and its well resolved. I think they did a fantastic job. The 86 also looks good but its maybe a little too reserved. Curious to see what these cars sound like with the noise generation speaker disabled. That's my only gripe with this car.
 

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