Subaru BRZ 2015 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.

Special Edition BRZ sports coupe now available.Less than four months since the BRZ was refreshed for 2015, Subaru have released the BRZ Special Edition. Priced at $40,650 driveaway with a manual transmission, Subaru have raided the STI parts bin to add a healthy dose of showroom appeal for $3,500 more than the standard models’ driveaway pricing.The latest BRZ Special Edition includes 17-inch alloys and STI bodywork details such as boot lip spoiler and skirts on the front, side and rear as well as a rear diffuser. GT stripes also run the length of the body in either white or black depending on body colour.On the inside there is an STI push-button start switch, with manual Special Editions also receiving STI short-shift assembly and shifter knob for the gear shifter.The new BRZ Special Edition comes with the same 147kW/205Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine as the standard BRZ, and can be mated to either the existing six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.The Special Edition is similar to last year’s BRZ S, adding a selection of usually optional accessories to the BRZ while leaving the car’s outright performance unchanged. Unlike the BRZ S, the Special Edition does not get lowered suspension.2015 Subaru BRZ Special Edition driveaway pricingSubaru Special Edition BRZ - manual - $40,650Subaru Special Edition BRZ - automatic - $43,230

Updated2015 Subaru BRZ poised to offer improved comfort and style.

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  

   

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.