RE: Driven: Subaru BRZ
Discussion
Looks like a good buy and reasonable figures. It's not the quickest in the world, but it looks to be there to bridge a gap between the the class of a 'boring' car and a sports car. I think the cars are going to be excellent test beds for modifications though. Perhaps this is the overall intention?
otolith said:
It's a four cylinder engine. Of course it sounds a bit s
t, so do all four cylinder sportscars. But if you want a compact, light, economical engine, it's pretty much what you are stuck with. Some turd-polishing by means of induction and exhaust will no doubt be available aftermarket, I've had to do the same to my Elise to make that sound less rubbish.
Ahem,. Honda S2000 is a 4 cylinder that sounds amazing...... it is possible to make a 4-pot sound good.t, so do all four cylinder sportscars. But if you want a compact, light, economical engine, it's pretty much what you are stuck with. Some turd-polishing by means of induction and exhaust will no doubt be available aftermarket, I've had to do the same to my Elise to make that sound less rubbish.daveknott5 said:
Ahem,. Honda S2000 is a 4 cylinder that sounds amazing...... it is possible to make a 4-pot sound good.
As four pots go, the S2000 sounds very good, as does the Civic Type-R I used to have. But now compare it to a similarly engineered six cylinder unit (the NSX's perhaps).davidsc said:
I think it looks nice but a Clio would wipe the floor with it.
I think that rather misses the point, even if it were true ( and I am not sure it is).I would rather drive this than a Clio, anytime and everytime.
Good FWD cars have nothing like the ultimate fun of good RWD cars.
bicycleshorts said:
StormLoaded said:
regarding 0-60 (62?) mph times, apparently there is an extra gearchange required as max speed in 2nd gear is 59.x mph
Yup, and it's nice to see that they've gone for a better drive rather than changing the gearing for 0-60 times.
Do many 4 cylinder performance cars hit 60 in 2nd? It seems like quite long gearing to me (having given it no thought).
braddo said:
bicycleshorts said:
StormLoaded said:
regarding 0-60 (62?) mph times, apparently there is an extra gearchange required as max speed in 2nd gear is 59.x mph
Yup, and it's nice to see that they've gone for a better drive rather than changing the gearing for 0-60 times.Do many 4 cylinder performance cars hit 60 in 2nd? It seems like quite long gearing to me (having given it no thought).
braddo said:
bicycleshorts said:
StormLoaded said:
regarding 0-60 (62?) mph times, apparently there is an extra gearchange required as max speed in 2nd gear is 59.x mph
Yup, and it's nice to see that they've gone for a better drive rather than changing the gearing for 0-60 times.Do many 4 cylinder performance cars hit 60 in 2nd? It seems like quite long gearing to me (having given it no thought).
gweaver said:
BRZ: 0-62mph: 7.6sec; Top speed: 140mph; Economy: 36.2mpg; CO2: 181g/km
GT-86: 0-62mph: 7.7sec; Top speed: 137mph; Economy: 40.9mpg (combined); CO2: 160g/km
Seems very similar figures to my 1995 MR2 Mark 2 Rev 3 in terms of acceleration and top speed with about 15% better mpg. GT86 has the potential to replace my MR2 since it is getting a bit long in the tooth (17 years and 172k miles). The questions areGT-86: 0-62mph: 7.7sec; Top speed: 137mph; Economy: 40.9mpg (combined); CO2: 160g/km
1) whether the chassis is go-kart like in the MR2 Mark 1/3 or more matured like the Mark 2 and
2) whether the GT86 now is built like a tank of MR2 Mark 2 (or any mid-90s Toyotas) or would it feel very flimsy like the post-00 Mark 3? Even with the age and mileage, my MR2 T-Bar still has not creaks or rattles on very bumpy country lanes or on poor roads in central London).
Anyone got any answers to these?
hygt2 said:
Seems very similar figures to my 1995 MR2 Mark 2 Rev 3 in terms of acceleration and top speed with about 15% better mpg. GT86 has the potential to replace my MR2 since it is getting a bit long in the tooth (17 years and 172k miles). The questions are
1) whether the chassis is go-kart like in the MR2 Mark 1/3 or more matured like the Mark 2 and
2) whether the GT86 now is built like a tank of MR2 Mark 2 (or any mid-90s Toyotas) or would it feel very flimsy like the post-00 Mark 3? Even with the age and mileage, my MR2 T-Bar still has not creaks or rattles on very bumpy country lanes or on poor roads in central London).
Anyone got any answers to these?
No answers for you, other than to say this is a Jap car built in Japan which in my view makes a massive difference than a Jap car built elsewhere. 1) whether the chassis is go-kart like in the MR2 Mark 1/3 or more matured like the Mark 2 and
2) whether the GT86 now is built like a tank of MR2 Mark 2 (or any mid-90s Toyotas) or would it feel very flimsy like the post-00 Mark 3? Even with the age and mileage, my MR2 T-Bar still has not creaks or rattles on very bumpy country lanes or on poor roads in central London).
Anyone got any answers to these?
braddo said:
Do many 4 cylinder performance cars hit 60 in 2nd?
I think you'll find a very large proportion of performance cars can reach almost exactly 62mph (100kph) in second gear - for marketing reasons obviously.A good example is the Rover 200 - sorry to keep banging on about Rovers! Rover fitted two variants of the 1.8 K-series in the late 200, with VVC and without. The rev limiter for the standard 1.8 was at 6750 rpm and for the VVC at 7200 rpm. The gearboxes were essentially the same (PG1), but the final drive ratios were selected so that both variants would hit 62mph in second.
I now have a 218is specification gearbox in my 200vi, and it will hit a true 66mph in second (70mph indicated
). This is a double edged sword, but the interesting thing is how many TLGP drivers give up just after their gear change at ~62mph...I imagine any performance car that was geared for about 50mph in second would have very impressive in gear acceleration.
So really, we should be waiting for the circa-250hp (still NA, still RWD) BRZ. Subaru engineers have already said it's possible, with some breathing changes etc. I don't know if you could get any more perfect than a probable 6 seconds to 60mph, light weight, rwd coupe with a 'stonking' NA engine. The slight torque increase should be enough to unsettle the rear easier than it apparently does now.
That's where it will beat rivals; more balance + less grip.
That's where it will beat rivals; more balance + less grip.
Johnnytheboy said:
Hellbound said:
So really, we should be waiting for the circa-250hp (still NA, still RWD) BRZ. Subaru engineers have already said it's possible, with some breathing changes etc.
That won't be any less peaky though, surely? In which case not for me. 
Marf said:
Johnnytheboy said:
Hellbound said:
So really, we should be waiting for the circa-250hp (still NA, still RWD) BRZ. Subaru engineers have already said it's possible, with some breathing changes etc.
That won't be any less peaky though, surely? In which case not for me. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff