The new Subaru BRZ has premiered in Japan simultaneously with its Toyota counterpart, the GR86. It landed with the same scope of updates aimed at maximizing comfort and handling ease.
Mildly revised daytime running lights are the only visible difference from the pre-facelift version on the outside. Things get more interesting in the technical department with new shock absorbers and steering mechanism. The manual version of the car gets a new mode called Sport, which can be activated with a dedicated button on the center console to improve throttle response and acceleration. In addition, this mode changes some parameters in the Active Sound Control system.
The BRZ with the automatic transmission gets improved downshifting logic. The 2.4-liter flat-four engine under the hood stays the same, producing its usual 235 PS (232 hp / 173 kW) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque. Subaru promised us an ECU update a while ago, but the announcement no longer mentions it.
The Japanese automaker plans to sell roughly 300 BRZ units on the domestic market per month. Prices start from ¥3,322,000 and reach ¥3,817,000 with the maxed trim. There is also a track-ready version of the BRZ called Cup Car Basic – it rides on stamped wheels and starts from ¥3,722,400.