Subaru BRZ 2013 News

Details of the refreshed BRZ have been revealed, but it is better news for manual drivers than for those shopping for an automatic.

Toyota Australia has issued a recall notice for nearly almost 15,000 of 17,000 locally delivered 86 two-door coupes to remedy a potential fault that could affect the car's steering.

Flares have never gone out of fashion in Japan and the annual Tokyo Auto Salon shows why.

At the New York motor show, it revealed the STI Performance Concept, a lightweight, race-focused car with a 2.0-litre turbo boxer "Super GT" engine developing 257kW/441Nm — more than the current WRX STI.Expect a lengthy lag before the turbo finds its way into a roadgoing version. The Super GT engine will be used in Japanese races to assess its durability before any decision is made on a production variant.Even in a detuned "street" guise, power would be massively up on the 147kW/205Nm naturally aspirated engine in the road cars and would address one of the few shortcomings of the 2012 CarsGuide Car of the Year winner: the chassis is capable of handling more power.I don't want you to think that this is coming tomorrow because it's notSubaru America CEO Thomas Doll says the concept is a mobile testbed to gauge the feasibility of a forced-induction BRZ production car but warns it will happen later rather than sooner."That's the idea," he says. "We can't tell you exactly when that's going to happen but the concept (is a pointer) to achieving extra horsepower. We know that's one of the issues and that's part of our plan."We are still evaluating how to do all of that. I don't want you to think that this is coming tomorrow because it's not. It could, but we have to do some other engineering and testing," he said.How much can we do that doesn't affect balance, that doesn't affect feel?Subaru America spokesman Michael McHale intervened as journalists started to quiz STI president Yoshio Hirawaka on timing of a turbo BRZ."The BRZ has a very tight, compact engine bay," McHale says, "so how much can we do that doesn't affect balance, that doesn't affect feel? This is Mr Hirakawa's challenge in life."He hears that some people would like more power but ... if we listened to everyone in the world we go bankrupt in 10 minutes."The STI concept was built to promote Subaru's performance division as a stand-alone division responsible for developing performance models, aftermarket accessories and motorsport.Subaru in the US markets itself as a family oriented, safety conscious brand and, according to US journalists, is looking to distance itself from the performance models that don't fit into that ethos.The concept car has a reinforced chassis to improve rigidity, race suspension, upgraded brakes and a massive front spoiler and rear diffuser.Inside there are race-style bucket seats, track-oriented telemetry with G-force monitor and lap-logging capabilities and a steering wheel with LED gearshift indicators built into the rim.

Fans of the long-gone and much-mourned Toyota Supra -- and those hoping to see a successor after its 11-year absence -- can perhaps take heart in news today that Toyota and BMW have confirmed a deal to jointly produce a new sports car platform.BMW development chief Herbert Diess told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper the architecture would spawn two new cars. "We have agreed on a joint architecture for a sports car," Diess said, however declining to reveal more details about the platform.Toyota has previously partnered with Subaru to produce the wildly successful Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ, but while they are near-clones, it seems the Toyota/BMW collaboration will focus on ensuring the two resultant cars are strongly differentiated. "What is important is that there will be two different vehicles that are authentic to the two brands," Diess said.Watch our video review of the tweaked Toyota 86The announcement is not unexpected, following the two brands making an agreement in mid-2012 to collaborate on a range of technology -- including weight-saving strategies and  lithium-air batteries -- and also consider the potential for a medium-sized sports car platform.Toyota is tipped to be unveiling a sports concept that could point to a Supra successor at the Detroit motor show in a couple of weeks, so it's possible that a production vehicle seeded from the show car could include the BMW collaboration. However the Toyota end of the joint development could also end up wearing a Lexus badge.And Toyota is not the only Japanese carmaker partnering with a European brand for a sports car. As we've reported previously, Mazda is collaborating with Italy's Alfa Romeo on a platform that will be the basis for both the next Mazda MX-5 and Alfa Spider.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The popular Gran Turismo 6 game is spawning some fantastic concept cars, after the game's creators threw out a challenge to the world's car designers. We saw the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo debut at Los Angeles motor show in the metal as a 1:1 scale model - complete with a front mid-mounted handcrafted AMG V8 biturbo engine delivering 430kW of power and 800Nm of torque.Toyota has teased its Vision car, which looks enticingly like it could be a possible concept successor for the much-loved Supra. And now Subaru has tipped in with its own Gran Turismo Vision concept, like Toyota only teasing it in a single image so far.The profile angle suggests the car owes at least some of its inspiration to the BRZ sports coupe developed in tandem with Toyota (who badge it as the 86) but as with the Merc, it's possible we'll see some hints of future Subaru styling when the car is fully revealed.The Toyota is rumoured to be headed for a real-life reveal at the Detroit motor show in January, but both it and the Subaru will be available as 2014 downloads for Gran Turismo 6 on the Sony Playstation.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

Subaru debuted several cars at Tokyo and Los Angeles motor shows this week -- including their all-new hot hatch WRX -- with volumes of information to accompany them. Or at least, most of them. Ironically, the car about which we're most curious was unveiled with close to no information being revealed.The Cross Sport Concept on their Tokyo stand looks like they've morphed their rear-wheel drive BRZ sports hero into a sharp sports wagon or shooting brake version. The higher-riding body's nose looks distinctly BRZ, but it flows back into a sleek roofline with sharply raked rear two-piece decklid under which is a wood-lined luggage floor.Subaru has said close to zilch about the Cross Sport except that it is a "combination of sport and utility" that measures 430cm (up 6cm on the BRZ). Oh, and that they view it as "the next trend in urban SUVs". Comment from the unveiling is that it weighs in at 1250kg (the auto BRZ is 1238kg) and is riding on the BRZ's rear-wheel drive platform.That last part of the two-paragraph official information suggests that we're looking at a pointer to a future shooting brake-like model: a handsome, sporty three-door elongated hatch aimed at urban streets and likely to carry at least the choice of having a single driven axle rather than only Subaru's all-wheel drive system.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott _______________________________________ 

Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86, the twin coupes that created huge cries of approval worldwide when launched are still selling at rates that make makers of competing coupes green with envy. Though most people think of the Toyota as being the leading model in the terrific twosome, it’s actually the Subaru that should get number one listing. After all, Subaru builds the twins in its factory in Ota, Japan, and the engine has the very distinctive flat-four ‘boxer’ layout used in other Subarus. Yet, thanks to Toyota’s astonishing marketing capability it’s the 86 that leads the image race. Subaru Australia is about to change that situation with a special sports pack for the BRZ, giving it the title of Subaru BRZ S. STYLING The Subaru BRZ S has lowered suspension with a tower bar to further stiffen it up. The 17-inch black alloy wheels have been sourced from the STI parts bin. Complementing the lower look are visual enhancements to make it look even lower; front, side and rear under skirts, a boot-lip spoiler, finished in crystal black mica, and a rear diffuser. Inside, the cabin is enhanced by a gear lever with a Duracon knob on manual boxes; the engine gains a push-button start. It will come as no surprise to those who know Japanese car tuners that the BRZ S pack components are made by Subaru Tecnica International (STI), Subaru’s performance arm. Rest assured that all components in this pack are tested to the same rigorous standards as Subaru’s entire vehicle range. Cleverly, the S pack isn’t only available to new BRZ buyers, owners of existing BRZs can have the sports pack retrofitted, provided the installation is done by an authorised Subaru dealers. VALUE At $7195 including fitment for the automatic BRZ, and $7995 for the manual the sports pack isn’t cheap, but it does offer decent value for money. All Subaru BRZ parts and accessories, not just those in this new pack, that are ordered online at the same time as a new BRZ and fitted prior to delivery to the customer are covered by the three-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty that comes with the car. Items bought after the car’s delivery come with a two-year factory warranty if fitted by an authorised Subaru retailer. The BRZ S sports pack can be seen in detail at http://subaru.com.au/brz/subarubrz/option As well as being sold through Subaru dealers, the S pack can also be ordered online, with the components being installed before the BRZ is delivered. ENGINE Power for the BRZ comes from an all-new 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine with 147kW at 7000 rpm, and 205Nm of torque at 6600 revs. We’ve always loved the throaty sound of the Subaru ‘boxer’ engine and it’s even more noticeable in this car than in the other Subarus. We do remember the ride of the standard BRZ as being quite firm, though it did remain reasonably comfortable on extended trips when we road tested it in late 2012. We haven’t yet been able to sample a new Subaru BRZ S with its even sportier suspension as yet, but will do so as soon as possible and report back to you. National driveaway prices for the Subaru BRZ S are $45,145 (manual) and $46,925 (automatic).  

A new BRZ S has been added to pump up the sports car line, tapping the STI genes from Subaru's go-faster division in Japan. The pack puts another $7995 on the bottom line for a BRZ - which currently stands at $37,150 - but Subaru is expecting a sellout success with the new deal, which is the first change to the company's radical sales plan - one model, online orders only - to step its car away from the near-identical Toyota 86. The S pack combines 11 individual items from STI's BRZ catalogue into a single deal, with the upgrading work done as cars land in Australia from Japan. “We've had a lot of interest from day one in individualising the BRZ. The STI accessories allow that,” Nick Senior, managing director of Subaru Australia, tells Carsguide. He admits there is nothing to make the car quicker, which is why it does not carry an STI badge. “There has to be a performance upgrade for a car to be called an STI. Like the WRX.” But Senior says the S pack is intended to tap the demand for extra personality on the BRZ and add some spark after the first flush of Australian sales. “There is an obvious benefit now if people buy the whole package, which costs $7995,” he says. “Buyers can still get the individual parts but there is a benefit if they take the lot.” The STI parts have only become available in the past month and the S pack runs from front and rear spoilers to a suspension tower bar and coil springs, 17-inch STI alloys and a rear diffuser to a manual shift kit with Duracon knob and a push-button start switch. Senior says the STI parts are produced in Japan before being shipped to Australia. They cannot be fitted in Japan because there is no capacity at the factory, which also builds the Toyota 86 and is running at full speed. “There would be extra costs and complications if the work was done in Japan, including shipping to an additional compound with those transport costs. So we are doing it as a port fit here. “At the end of the day it's better to do it here. The quality, either here or there, would be the same.” Senior expects up to 10 per cent of BRZ buyers to go for the S pack, although it could go higher. “What we're finding is that the BRZ has an attractive entry price and people are looking at personalising their car.” He does not expect the S to create any extra demand for the BRZ, which is currently rated at a four-month wait time at the online site created for all local orders. “It's actually about three months at the moment. It got out to 14 months at one stage,” says Senior. But there is good news with the wait falling steadily and supplies improving from Japan. “We are coming off our best-ever sales for BRZ, which was 187 in May. We also did 129 in April. “So we have been able to eat into that order bank significantly. The factory has been able to supply us with more cars and that's helping.” This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

The wraps will come off the new Subaru WRX on Friday week at New York motor show as Subaru also reveals plans for its first showroom hybrid. The WRX is a cult-car classic but the story is about to take a new twist as Subaru spins it away from the Impreza that has always provided the car's basic body. This time around, Subaru says the WRX will have a unique body - most people are expecting a two-door coupe - as it gives the car a more unique personality. The change to the Subaru WRX is also part of the plan for a three-pronged small-car drive that's already given the world the latest Impreza sedan and hatch, as well as the compact XV. Subaru is hoping to keep the WRX under wraps until the opening of the New York Auto Show on March 29. "We have absolutely no details on the show car. We are not expecting anything from Japan until late on the night before," the spokesman for Subaru Australia, Dave Rowley, tells Carsguide. He also emphasises that the Big Apple baby is only "an all-new performance concept car" and not a firm production model. The preview of the Subaru WRX comes exactly two years after Subaru went public in New York with the latest Impreza, reflecting the importance of the American show. The next Subaru WRX will be the fifth-generation model. Subaru is also using the event to unveil its XV Hybrid, the company's first move into the field. But unlike the WRX, which will be rushed to Australia as soon as production begins, hybrid fans should not get too excited about the XV. "There are no hybrid XV plans for Australia," says Rowley. On the WRX front, apart from the new-look body there has been considerable speculation about the car's mechanical package. It is certain to continue with a turbocharged boxer motor and Subaru's signature 'symmetrical all-wheel drive', but it could also get a hybrid boost in the same way that the latest LaFerrari and McLaren P1 supercars - and, probably, the renewal of the Mitsubishi Evo - use a petrol-electric package to combine economy with extra power on demand. The WRX has been Subaru's star car since it joined the lineup in 1992, but it really hit the bigtime in Australia off the back of World Rally Championship wins and the late Possum Bourne's domination of the Australian Rally Championship. This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover