Subaru BRZ 2013 News

   

Subaru Australia has doubled its normal allocation of BRZ coupes – but the waiting list still stretches to September 2013 if a car is ordered today.

In short, there may not be a factory turbo BRZ in the offing in the short term. But there's a performance enhanced version in the works falling under the STi banner. A prototype wearing STi badges was spotted a few weeks ago lapping Germany's Nurburgring, confirming the car's existence. The prototype featured popular performance mods such as a large rear wing, aerodynamic body kit, lowered suspension, large alloy wheels and a sports exhaust. Whether there was a turbo under the bonnet is open to conjecture though all other STi models in the past have had forced induction. The BRZ STI will be revealed in quarter two 2013 and informed sources say it will forgo a turbocharger due to a lack of space under the hood. Despite this, peak output should still rise from the BRZ's 150kW rating to somewhere around 165-172kW thanks to changes to the exhaust system and variable valve timing. Subaru has said in the past that there was no space for an intercooler and its required piping in the BRZ's engine bay. However a number of engine tuning specialists have encountered no such problem when fitting a turbo to customer's BRZs or Toyota 86s. Another hurdle, likely easily overcome, is that a turbocharger would go against the purist sports car philosophy Subaru engineer's had originally envisioned for the BRZ. Give us a break.... A supercharger is also said to have been ruled out due to a loss in the car's fuel economy, though it's more likely Subaru doesn't want the BRZ STI encroaching on the performance of its next-generation WRX. The good news is that the relatively mild mods being applied to the BRZ STI should equate to a relatively low price rise.  

Subaru has dropped several hints that a high-performance STI version of its BRZ coupe is in the works, including one very big hint even before the BRZ made its debut. Then, just a few weeks ago, a prototype wearing STI badges was spotted running some laps on Germany’s Nürburgring, confirming the car's existence. The prototype revealed that the BRZ STI will feature popular performance mods such as a large rear wing, aerodynamic body kit, lowered suspension, large alloy wheels and a sports exhaust. What it didn’t reveal, however, is whether the car’s engine has been fitted with a turbocharger or other means of forced induction, something past STI models have traditionally featured. According to reports overseas, the BRZ STI, which will be revealed next spring, will forgo a turbocharger due to a lack of space under the hood. Despite this, peak output should still rise from the BRZ’s 150kW rating to somewhere around 165-172kW in the BRZ STI thanks to changes to the exhaust system and variable valve timing.  This ties in with previous comments from Subaru that there was no space for an intercooler and its required piping in the BRZ’s engine bay. Furthermore, the addition of a turbocharger would go against the purist sports car philosophy Subaru engineer’s had originally envisioned for the BRZ. A supercharger is also said to have been ruled out due to a loss in the car’s fuel economy, though it's more likely Subaru doesn't want the BRZ STI encroaching on the performance of its next-generation WRX. The good news is that the relatively mild mods being applied to the BRZ STI should equate to a relatively low price rise. And the BRZ, along with its Scion FR-S twin, is already one of the most fun cars you can buy, so a little extra power, sharper handling and an affordable sticker should make the BRZ STI one very enticing package. www.motorauthority.com  

Demand has outstripped supply for both versions of the new sports coupe cooperative from Toyota and Subaru - now Subaru has managed to get some more of the sportscar. Subaru Australia has been allocated extra production to the tune of 140 units for the $37,150 BRZ sports coupe, a.k.a. Toyota's 86, to roll down the Gunma Main Plant line in Japan during the first quarter of next year.The extra allocation of 140 vehicles means customers given delivery dates from May onwards will get behind the wheel a little earlier by up to two months. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says the BRZ was a big success for the brand."We're delighted that Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) has recognized the enormous demand for BRZ in Australia and allocated additional production," he says. Back orders for Subaru's version of the rear-wheel drive coupe stretched out to November next year after the initial allocation of 201 cars for this year sold out in an online buying frenzy that lasted just three hours.Anyone looking for more details can log on to www.subaru.com.au or www.buybrzonline.subaru.com.au. The good news for those opting for the Subaru version follows the addition of 1500 vehicles that will arrive in Santa's sack at Toyota late this year. 

Subaru will not only debut a hot production version of the coupe with an after-market sports kit at the Australian International Motor Show, but also a stunning BRZ motorsport pack. The car, which has already sold out until the middle of next year, will be a catwalk highlight at the show. The company is now offering buyers a range of genuine factory backed Subaru Tecnica International (STI) and performance parts and accessories on delivery of their BRZ sports car or after-market for those who have already taken delivery. Prices have not yet been negotiated with Fuji Heavy Industries, but the products will be backed by a factory warranty. The BRZ STI parts and accessories on the display car include: front under spoiler, side under spoiler, boot lip spoiler, flexible tower bar, black wheel nut set, 17-inch STI alloy wheels, coil spring set, quick shift gear lever, sports muffler, gear shift knob and rear under diffuser. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior said the kit would satisfy pent-up market demand.  “All indications are that many BRZ buyers want to add performance touches to their cars,’’ he says. “Choosing Subaru-backed equipment offers great design, quality and peace of mind that isn’t necessarily guaranteed by after-market suppliers.’’ STI is Subaru’s performance arm and is respected worldwide by car enthusiasts for its fully tested range. The motorsport pack will be available for sale to BRZ customers for recreational or competitive track time. While details of the BRZ motorsport pack are not yet available, Subaru has ruled out a turbo or supercharger. They also can’t reveal if there is a computer chip available for a power boost. It’s only a matter of time before the sports coupe starts hitting the tracks around Australia and, with the level of online discussion, possibly even their own racing category. The potent BRZ variants will share some of the spotlight at the Subaru stand with two new Liberty variants as well as the 2013 model Outback, XV and Impreza.  

When I was a little bloke, a visit to the old Sydney Showgrounds was always a very special event.

...the car will get a featured role in the upcoming The Fast And The Furious 6,  tentatively set for release in May of 2013.Motor Trend reports that Subaru has delivered five BRZ coupes to the film’s production company, which can’t make customers awaiting delivery of the rarer-than-honest-politicians coupe very happy. It’s one thing to see your car on screen, but it’s something else when it means waiting longer for delivery.As with previous Fast and the Furious installments, expect the BRZ to appear wearing a full aero kit, complete with splitters, diffusers, side skirts and an almost comically-large rear wing. There’s no doubt that the horsepower will be upped, too, and we’d expect to see both forced induction and nitrous injection if the car has a starring role.If Subaru has delivered five BRZs, we suspect it may be featured in the film, and even Motor Trend seems to suggest it will be driven by one of the main actors, including Vin Diesel, Paul Walker or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.It’ll likely be crashed, too, so we’ll offer up this free advice ahead of the film’s release: if you’re awaiting delivery of your own BRZ coupe and the thought of seeing one destroyed on screen makes you nauseous, you may want to wait for the film’s release to video.www.motorauthority.com 

A combination of high demand and low supply has already made the Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ rare with a 18-month waiting list for customers.

The Japanese coupe beat the Toyota 86 to a coveted five-star ANCAP score, thanks to an early test in Japan as part of Subaru's long-term commitment to Australia's crash-test rating program. Subaru was the first to trumpet a five-star ANCAP result, at a time when other makers shunned the system, and it is happy to have beaten the Toyota 86 as the two coupes shape up around the world. "Five stars are central to our safety story and commitment. The testing was done in Japan, but it is a five star ANCAP rating," says Nick Senior, managing director of Subaru Australia. Toyota admits it has been trumped this time but expects a similar five-star tick for the 86. "The car will be tested in the fullness of time and we're confident it will be five stars," says Mike Breen, spokesman for Toyota Australia. The BRZ's success comes as the Holden Colorado ute and the new Hyundai i30 hatchback also pick up a five-star rating. The Colorado joins the Ford Ranger-Mazda BT50 twins, which were the first utes in the world to rate five stars, while the i30 continues Hyundai's recent crash-test successes and repeats the five-star score of the previous i30. "It's satisfying to see manufacturers lifting the safety of light-commercial vehicles. Manufacturers have been incorporating greater levels of safety into passenger vehicles for some time now, yet the safety of LCVs has trailed," says ANCAP chairman, Lauchlan McIntosh. “Pressure not only from ANCAP, but now big business, is encouraging manufacturers to elevate safety as a priority in the design and construction of new LCVs, and consumers are the winners." For Subaru, the ANCAP result is part of a push that has created a six-month waiting list for the BRZ. The company is also taking a new approach to selling with the BRZ, trialing an online selling system for the hot coupe. "We don't see this is as fundamentally changing the nature of automative retailing overnight but it is a learning experience for us and we'll trial it for six months while we have this very,very low stock," says Senior. “Our online initiative offers a fantastic level of transparency for BRZ customers. They will know exactly what the price is going to be and vehicle availability. They can choose their delivering dealership and can even arrange a trade-in valuation. “We knew that we wouldn’t have sufficient BRZs to supply our entire network immediately following the launch.The online approach allows us to place demonstrator BRZs with selected dealerships, from which customers can arrange test drives via subaru.com.au and also select their preferred delivering dealer." But Senior still cannot predict the Australian arrival of Subaru's next performance headliner, the all-new WRX. "That's still about a couple of years away before we see an all-new WRX and STi," he admits. "There's the halo effect of BRZ but WRX is still selling about 150 a month. We have about two months back-orders on WRX since the wide-body shape came in just on two years ago." But one thing is certain, the WRX and STi will not follow the BRZ down the rear-wheel drive path. "BRZ is a unique departure. There is nothing in the product planning charts for another rear-wheel drive, or a front-wheel drive car. This is a one-off for us and I don't expect to see another," Senior says.