I think the Cybertruck is pretty cool. It weighs less than the Rivian but with basically full body armor!

 

Recently I had a chance to drive a 2022 BRZ. I thought I would check it out after all the reviews touting the additional power. Spoiler alert: it's still not terribly fast, but that definitely doesn't mean it can't be fun to drive.

Design: Subaru made lots of subtle changes to the styling and I think that it looks pretty good from most angles. The front end is not quite as aggressively styled as the GR86, but I'm not sure if that is good or bad. It reminds me a little of the 2009 Miata; like the front end is smiling at me. The dimensions do give it the proper sports car size and stance. You walk up to the car and can tell just from looking at it that it should be fun to drive. Much easier on the eyes than the WRX.


The rear end definitely looks a lot better than the WRX with a much cleaner and cohesive design of the taillights and rear bumper. Compared to the WRX, the BRZ features significantly less black plastic and angular lines. I know appearance is completely subjective, but more rounded design elements seem to age better on cars.


Acceleration: The upgrades definitely make the car quicker and the performance numbers are very similar to the WRX, but it does not feel as fast as the WRX. This is probably due to the lack of a turbo and a bit quieter exhaust. It feels quick, not fast. It is still entertaining to drive quickly, especially around town.


Ride & Handling: The ride in this car is perfectly acceptable for a daily driver. It did not beat up my bad back at all. The handling in this car is every bit as good as you would expect it to be. It loves to wag its tail and fortunately it does it predictably and precisely. I easily got the back end to swing out wide, even with the traction control fully engaged. But it was never out of control. So I would say the handling is really dialed in. I kept thinking I was in a hard top Miata with how well it handled. Yes, that good.


Driver controls: It's funny looking back at these pictures because I don't remember the shifter sticking way up high like the WRX when I was driving it. Maybe they used the same shifter, but it actually sits a touch lower than the WRX. All in all, I thought the shifting was good and it did feel a touch lower than the WRX which made the shifting feel just a tad more precise. No complaints.


I'm pretty sure these pedals were taken directly out of the '02 WRX. Which is to say they have good feel and excellent placement for proper heel and toe down shifting. I would think with the scarcity of manual transmissions that most companies would spend a little extra time making the pedal placement and feel really good. However, VW and the GR Corolla just cannot seem to get it right.


I love toggle switches. There I said it. Ever since I first used them in the 1st Mini Coopers to hit our shores I thought these were so cool. Technically, I think these only flip in one direction, but still cool. These and the climate dials are a lot easier to operate than all the digital buttons in the WRX. Let's not reinvent the wheel here people. In a sports car you need easy to operate controls than can be quickly changed while driving fast/sideways. A+ BRZ!



Technology: This is one place where the BRZ clearly eclipses the WRX. It has a customizable digital dash that is easy to read at speed and gives you the information you need at a glance. The WRX's analog displays just don't compare. Fortunately, the BRZ gauges are also not too overwhelming with tons of info. like some other cars.


Does this display remind anyone else of a really good handling RWD car that is no longer made?


This display is significantly smaller than the WRX because it doesn't need to be any larger. Ironically, the back up camera on the huge WRX screen is the same size as it is in this car.


Fit & Finish/Seating: The interior of this car feels like a nice place to be when you are seated inside. The cabin does a good job wrapping around you. The materials used on the seats and doors are a touch more premium and there seems to be slightly less hard plastic than the WRX. It's still a Subaru so it is not fancy, but it is about what you would expect in a sports car at this price point. The seats are well bolstered, comfortable, and easy to get in and out of.


Utility: This is the only real downside of this car. It is ok considering it is a sports car and would work as a daily driver for most single people. Obviously, it is not a great family car due to the small trunk with tiny opening and tiny back seats. Some people could make this work in a pinch, but it is certainly not ideal.



Bottom line: I think this is a great sports car for the money and a perfect car to learn how to drift, autocross, or handle at the limit. It is bit more well rounded and usable than the Miata and just as fun (if not more fun) to drive, if you don't want a convertible. The WRX is the next rung up the ladder as far as practicality and it is just about as fun to drive even if the handling is not as pure. However, the exterior and interior styling of the BRZ are definitely easier on the eyes.

 

Here is a car that some people might consider a worthy G replacement. The Mercedes C43 AMG. It looks good, it sounds good, it has a biturbo V6 & AWD, and they are decently priced on the used car market. The C63 AMG is faster and sounds better while the CLA45 is a bit more compact and tossable. Does this car do a good job of splitting the difference?

Appearance 7/10: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or beer holder if you reside from WI), but I think most people would agree that this is a nicely styled sedan inside and out. The appearance has a clean look with tight panel gaps all around. It has a subtle aggressiveness that will look like a normal Mercedes sedan to a lot of people, but enthusiasts will know what it is. The cross drilled brake rotors and fixed calipers might be the best example of this. They are painted a subtle gray color to blend in, but car people know their real purpose. The aluminum speaker grilles for the excellent Burmeister stereo and complementary trim throughout the cabin are a nice touch. I'm not a huge fan of the color of the seats, but they are of high quality and the look of the dual panel roof makes the cabin appear roomier than it is. If I could sum it up in one word, it would be "elegance." Every piece looks and feels like it is of high quality and bolted together a bit tighter than most cars. The exact opposite of the Subarus and Hyundai I reviewed here earlier.





Sound 8/10: The Burmeister sound system I mentioned earlier is excellent to listen to with a wide variety of music. The highs are clear without being tinny and the bass sounds powerful and tight without being muddy. Of course you can tweak the settings a bit to suit your preferences, but it does sound pretty good with everything balanced. The engine also sounds good once you hit the exhaust button or enter one of the sportier modes. You can tell the engineers spent some time on this to make it sound sporty, but lean a bit more toward luxury. Nothing wrong with that. It is a Mercedes after all and a quiet cabin is certainly nice on longer drives. Just don't expect the car to sound like an uncorked V8 or any Hyundai N in its most aggressive exhaust mode. One sound that was fortunately missing from the experience was unwanted noise. This car had excellent sound deadening to keep it quiet inside and even with over 90,000 miles it did not have a single squeak or rattle. Impressive.




Driver involvement/fun 6/10: Let's start with the good. The steering wheel has a good size and feel and the steering itself is pretty precise. Not razor sharp, but exactly what you would expect from a sporty Mercedes. Fun enough around a corner to put a smile on your face, but not sports car sharp. The ride is comfortable on most roads too. With 385 hp & 384 lb-ft, this car is plenty of fun in a straight line. And with the exhaust fully open, the acceleration is probably the most fun part about this car. The brakes are also powerful and have a good pedal feel and modulation. Exactly what you would expect from large fixed calipers. Clearly the brake pads are designed for the street since the initial bite is not too sensitive and it takes a bit more pedal pressure than I was expecting to stop. One thing that is way too sensitive is the initial tip in of the accelerator pedal. It is nearly impossible to leave the line smoothly in any of the drive modes. I'm not sure why it is calibrated this way, but it was downright annoying to drive as a result. Once you get going it shifts ok and relatively quickly, but not DCT fast. Being a Mercedes there always felt like there was a filter between what the car was actually doing and what it was telling me it was doing. I'm sure that by design it was engineered for more luxury than sport, but it does take away from the involvement a bit. The lack of a manual transmission always takes away some involvement too, but that is to be expected in this class.



Usability 5/10: This car does all the normal use things well until you turn it on and start using the technology. It has a sizeable trunk that even includes a power close and quick releases to flip the seats down from the trunk. There is ample room in both rows of seats and it is easy to get in and out of. The seats are comfortable and supportive. It even gets decent mileage considering the power on tap. The problem is how overengineered the technology is. The screens looks nice and some functions are intuitive if you are parked and use the dial between the seats. What is awful is trying to use the radio. You can adjust the volume easily enough, but good luck changing the channel. There is no button for that option anywhere. Instead, the steering wheel has the tiniest haptic squares I have ever seen and it is a 3 or 4 step process to change the channel- each time you want to change it. Yikes! Form certainly beat out function here. Unfortunately, it is no easier to operate from the dial between the seats and you need to start the process over each time you want to change the channel. Why!?! At least the drive modes are easy to switch with a button and you can independently adjust the exhaust, suspension, transmission, etc- with their own buttons. Wow, what a relief compared to switching the radio station.



Should you get one to replace your G? 7/10: If you currently have an A/T G37 with AWD, this car is something you may want to consider if you don't change the radio station often. It is significantly quicker, has better materials, better screens, and plenty of new technology to play with. If you have a 6spd. G37, this car is definitely not as involving and lacks the same sharp steering and tossability of RWD. However, the shifter and clutch in the G37 are not great in stock form and maybe you consider this car if you are ok with A/T and want a newer luxury car that is still fun to drive- ie. you have aged a bit.

 

No argument about quality, fit and finish. This is a more upscale car.

In terms of overall appearance, however, I'm not a fan. I don't like the front and rear side vents (functional or otherwise). I'm not too keen on the notch in the rear transition from the two-tone roof to the C-pillars. And the wheel fitment is tall and tucked. Granted, the OEM wheel fitment on the G was worse, but still, you can see it here.

Regardless of my opinions good or bad, that was a great write-up.

 

Thanks. It's definitely not the sportiest looking car on the road, but I do tend to prefer cars with more flowing rounded designs. They seem to age better. Compare this to all the sharp edges and angles of the new WRX. Quite the contrast. Aside from the brown color of the seats, the only thing that looks out of place to me is the tail lights. However, styling is pretty subjective so I could be totally off here.

 

Anyone here like the bmw 6 series? I saw a 650 coupe the other day and thought the body style looked pretty good. People always bring up the 5 series/m5 when i personally think the 6 series looks better.

 

Do you guys remember the Donkervoort F22 I posted up about here a month or two ago? It just set a handling record of 2.3g!?! And the best part, it was completely by accident. What a beast! Link to the article: https://carbuzz.com/news/dutch-super...rd-by-accident

 

Last year my son drove my baby to school (liked the G more than the 2020 Civic Si I got for him) and was rear-ended. Car was totaled and my wife and I have been sharing her car. I mostly work from home so it's not too inconvenient. We just ordered a CT4-V Blackwing in the same exterior/interior as shown. I think my wife is giving me her Sequoia and taking the 4BW.

 

Nice! That is a bit of an upgrade. You ordered it with both carbon fiber packages? How long do they think it will take to get the Blackwing?

 

No carbon packages, $10K is a little too much. The picture is the standard aero package. At $80K, the M3 comes in to play. We were told 6-10 weeks on the phone but 3-4 months at the dealership; which is fine since I'd prefer not to drive is winter slush.

 

Oh, the spoiler threw me off. Good. For a minute I thought your wife was planning to enter some IMSA races with all the carbon fiber. 3-4 months is amazing. When I drove the blue CT4-V Blackwing they thought an order would take 18 months as that car was delayed nearly a year. Maybe supply chain has improved so that etas are becoming more accurate. Congrats! You guys are going to have so much fun.

 

I think the Carbon Fiber packages may be in a slight constraint but I'm okay with an understated look. I may replace the rear spoiler with the carbon fiber but no other mods planned (maybe the JB4, colder plugs, air filters, downpipe) lol. That's an easy 500+ to the wheels!
Next step is to find an appropriate Dead sticker!

 

That doesn't look too bad, did you consider keeping it and fixing it?

Wise choice! I had a CT5BW on order but have since taken a back seat and will wait a little longer before pulling the trigger. I might consider a used one as the prices start to fall.

 

What's there to consider? To me it's a pointless car that doesn't serve a speific purpose other than asking for attention. It doesn't fulfil any real Truck duties, it's not a sports car, and you aren't being efficient by getting an EV "truck".

Hard pass.

 

The ARK exhaust isn't supposed to protrude that far! I think it had some significant frame damage and I didn't want to deal with getting and insuring a rebuilt title. The 5BW is a little out of reach and would have me consider the M3 Comp or used GTR.