Subaru BRZ S 2013 review

Subaru Australia has brought the BRZ S pack Down Under to further enhance its stunningly successful new sports coupe. As soon as the announcement of the local availability of the pack was known we put up our hands to spend a week road testing one.

It arrived in Subaru WRX Blue and has spent a lot of time being fanged around some of the special roads in our local area. All the BRZ S pack components are made by Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru’s performance arm.

STYLING

The Subaru BRZ S has lowered suspension that’s visually enhanced with a body kit consisting of a front spoiler, a rear diffuser and side skirts. The 17-inch black alloy wheels are an STI design and tie in neatly with the lower-body add-ons. A boot mounted spoiler adds to the tough look.

Inside, the cabin is enhanced by a gear lever with a Duracon knob on manual boxes; the engine gains a push-button start with the large button done in brilliant red.

The BRZ S pack isn’t only available to new-car buyers, owners of existing BRZs can have a sports pack retrofitted. Subaru Australia says the installation should be done by an authorised Subaru dealer.

VALUE

Driveaway prices for the Subaru BRZ S are $45,145 (manual) and $46,925 (automatic). The extra price over the non-s models is $7195, including fitment, for the automatic BRZ, and $7995 for the manual, meaning the S pack is pretty well priced when you consider the serious engineering effort put in by STI and the high quality of materials in a very Subaru manner.

Subaru BRZ S pack models that are ordered online at the same time as a new BRZ and fitted prior to delivery to the customer are covered by the normal three-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty. Items bought after the car’s delivery come with a two-year factory warranty if fitted by an authorised Subaru retailer.

ENGINE

Power for the BRZ comes from an all-new 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated flat-four engine that puts out 147kW of power at 7000 rpm, and 205Nm of torque at 6600 revs. Though 147kW is nothing to be sneezed at in a car like this, the engine feels much stronger than the numbers suggest. That’s partly due to the highly responsive nature of the engine and the fact that it’s willing to nudge the redline without the slightest of fuss.

The great throaty sound of the Subaru boxer engine when you get stuck into the pedal on the right - something that we did at every opportunity during our review period - is a joy to the ears of those who like their cars to sound exciting.

DRIVING

Handling is even sharper than in the standard BRZ, not only due to the lowered suspension and centre of gravity, but also because extra stiffness is added to the body by way of a tower-strut brace.

The steering is nicely weighted and sends just the right amount of feedback to the driver. Road grip is excellent and the modified BRZ is more than happy to change direction mid corner. The low centre of gravity and fore-and-aft balance certainly make this a true sports coupe.

The ride of the standard BRZ is quite firm in a true sporting manner. Interestingly, it doesn’t really seem to have deteriorated in the S pack car. This is a real tribute to the guys at STI and means the S can be used as an everyday driver even if your commuting trips do take in some rough and ready Aussie backroads.

VERDICT

In a couple of words - we love it.

Subaru BRZ S 2.0-litre two-door coupe

Price: from $45,145 (manual), $46,925 (automatic)
Engine: 2.0 litre four cylinder, 147kW/205Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual or automatic, RWD
Kerb weight: 1256 kg (manual), 1278 kg (automatic)
Turning circle: 10.8 m kerb to kerb
Fuel tank capacity: 50 litres
0-100 km/h: 7.6 seconds (manual) 8.2 seconds (automatic)
Thirst: 7.8L/100km CO2 181g/km (manual), 7.1L/100km 164g/km (automatic)
Wheels: 17-inch alloys