The Subaru BRZ Has Plenty Of Power

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
06/27/2015 at 10:54 • Filed to: Subaru brz

Wow - I’m a writer for !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ! Thanks to Josh and Will for taking me on. In my first piece, I tell Josh that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! - that the BRZ/FR-S doesn’t need more power than the factory bestows upon it.

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DISCUSSION (17)

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 10:59

It needs more power from the factory since it will then lower the price of the “slower” ones and I could buy one even sooner

HammerheadFistpunch > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 11:14

it needs more torque. I recently looked at the graph and found it as less average hp than my 138 hp diesel. because: torque. so in a way, no it doesn’t need more power, it needs more torque so it can have more power more places.

Justin Hughes > HammerheadFistpunch
06/27/2015 at 11:23

Even worse, it has a midrange torque dip exactly where cars like the FiST make the most. I do plan on getting a tune to help that once I’m out of warranty.

Until then, it reminds me of my old 1.6 Miatas and EF Civics where you have to rev the snot out of it to get anywhere. That's fun.

marshknute > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 11:31

My first car was a Miata, so I’m no stranger to the “slow car fast” ideology. The 1.8 (128 hp) felt torquey and made a great noise.

But I test drove a BRZ and it’s engine feels gutless and buzzy. It may have been faster than my Miata, but the engine made the whole experience unpleasant and frustrating. My current 15’ WRX, meanwhile, proves that the FA-20 engine can be very satisfying...so long as it has a turbocharger.

JDIGGS > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 11:43

I think it needs more torque.

HOWEVER

I will concede the car needs ZERO EXTRA POWER when it’s sitting on stock tires. Garbage.

jjhats > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 12:12

Here are my thoughts:

I’m not angry that it has a weak gutless engine. I’m angry that subaru had better engines to use but purposely put in a slow engine so as to keep it’s pace behind the wrx and sti. I will never support manufacturers who do this. The cayman is a gem of a car I know this porsche knows this so it hurts me that they neuter it to keep it in it’s place.

For the price the frs isn’t worth it. It is only valuable because rwd which I’ve never understood hence why every 240sx is thrashed on craigslist. If you look at fwd there are so many better cars that will outperform the frs for the price.

Finally 200 hp is FINE but 140 torque is not. The miata didn’t have any torque when it came out either but back then in comparison it was ok. Today the torque of the frs is not acceptable in this age of turbo cars. Torque is arguably more helpful for entry driving event like autocross. And don’t get me started on those tires. I promise you they didn’t think and say hey let’s put on drift tires with no grip, no they said what’s cheap and available like every other cost cutting measure on the car ahem interior ahem.

I will never agree with the ideology it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. Please give me a lambo I would love to sit in traffic with it anyone who tells you different is lying. I think the charm of the brz and miata are due to their size not their ability to floor it and not go anywhere.

jkm7680 > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 12:26

I think it’s probably adequate. I haven’t driven one though. I did sit in one at an auto show, which was automatic and made me scream internally to find that they tried to disguise an automatic gear shifter as a manual gear shifter.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 12:32

My car moves itself along perfectly quickly with 190hp. The Toyabaru weighs 200kg less. 200hp is more than enough.

People get so caught up in the numbers they forget that it’s only very recently that your average family car started having more than 150.

for Michigan > jkm7680
06/27/2015 at 12:58

I’ve never seen an auto shifter that looked more like a wannabe manual. It’s kind of pathetic.

jkm7680 > for Michigan
06/27/2015 at 13:07

It really is though.

Justin Hughes > jkm7680
06/27/2015 at 15:53

Gotta agree with you there. Plus it’s paddle shifters with a slushbox, not a DSG or CVT or WXYZ. Fuel economy is actually better with the automatic, due to high gears that sacrifice a LOT of acceleration.

Justin Hughes > jjhats
06/27/2015 at 16:03

I’d love to take a drive in something like a Mustang GT (new or old) and see if my “slow car fast” philosophy still holds. Because there’s another saying: “Power corrupts...”

JDIGGS > JDIGGS
06/27/2015 at 16:06

I wanted to say we actually own one and the car is amazing so I’m no hater, but I can tell the car is going to corner so much faster with better tires. I tried turning stb and traction off and man, the car has nothing left to give. You can tell the chassis / susp are doing all the work.

Berang > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 17:00

If anybody saying this car needs more power had ever driven a car made in the 1980s, they would not be saying it needs more power.

Justin Hughes > Berang
06/27/2015 at 18:09

Most of my autocross and track driving has been in various 1.6 Miatas. Compared to their 116hp, 200 feels like a rocket!

jjhats > Justin Hughes
06/27/2015 at 18:31

Again it's not the power it's the size. If you drive a mustang and don't like it I'm saying it's because smaller cars are more fun than big cars. The ideal car is a tiny fast car which really doesn't exist anymore outside of the lotus exige. I just think that old adage always is used when comparing a powerful big car over a small less powerful car and the size and feel is more important than how much you're revving each

Justin Hughes > jjhats
06/27/2015 at 19:17

I admit, I’ve dreamed of a V8 Miata...