Tuesday 1st May 2012

BRZ vs GT 86 - price war!

Actually less of a war than a conspiracy, as Toyota and Subaru offer a united front on pricing

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Well, it's been a couple of weeks since we last mentioned either the Toyota GT 86 or Subaru BRZ! Handily filling that need Subaru has, at last, confirmed prices for its version of the much-discussed coupe and they are ... exactly the same as Toyota's!

So that's £24,995 for starters for a manual - 2.0i SE in Subaru speak, simply GT 86 forToyota - and £26,495 for the auto version, again the same. Where Subaru does differ is that it'll be offering an SE Lux version over and above this, the extra £1,500 getting you heated leathers seats that would add ... £1,600 to the price of a GT 86. So that's £100 in Subaru's favour, swiftly clawed back if you want nav, which costs £750 for Toyota's amusingly named Touch and Go where Subaru charges £1,000 for a Pioneer system, fitted pre-registration and therefore recorded on the V5 as a 'Nav' model for residuals. Metallic paint is an additional £500 (San Remo red is standard) where Toyota charges £450 for metallic and £650 for Pearlescent and has a variety of decal packages for those looking to spice up the standard finishes.

GT 86 more inclined to do this? Maybe...

Subaru is promising a more basic S variant for market launch next year - whether it'll be fully pared back like the Japanese market versions with steel wheels and unpainted bumpers remains to be seen. The BRZ price does include Subaru's ETCo 'Everything Taken Care of' package, as detailed in our earlier story.

So, not too much for the spec sheet number crunchers to ponder over. And, as yet, no definitive take on how the two compare on the road, despite hints that Toyota hasactually opted for the livelier suspension set-up while the BRZ offers a more 'stable' chassis. Of which more very shortly...

 

[uncle tez]

Wonder what the chances are of being able to go into a dealership with the spec you want and the dealer price matching the other one.
Will be interesting to see which car depreciates quickest.

[zebedee]

uncle tez said:

Wonder what the chances are of being able to go into a dealership with the spec you want and the dealer price matching the other one.
Will be interesting to see which car depreciates quickest.

they might depreciate quite quickly sadly if the Evo review of the subaru is anything to go by. Disappointing read.

[DJRC]

Its depressing I might be in the market for one of these soon

[sparx99]

go for the best finance deal! if one car has finance even 0.5% lower it will save a lot over the 3 year timeframe.

[Presuming Ed]

The fact the Subaru was an Auto seemed to have some impact on Evo's findings but probably not enough to save them.
The car's engine was slated for having no torque,a real problem and rubbish tyres which is easily sorted

[Contigo]

Wait a year and buy one then unless you really must have. Or just buy something for the same list price that really does the job better.

[g3org3y]

Presuming Ed said:

The fact the Subaru was an Auto seemed to have some impact on Evo's findings but probably not enough to save them.
The car's engine was slated for having no torque,a real problem and rubbish tyres which is easily sorted

Indeed, had a quick browse of the review and it didn't seem that favourable.

[Si_man306]

zebedee said:

they might depreciate quite quickly sadly if the Evo review of the subaru is anything to go by. Disappointing read.

Where can I find this? Here it gets 5 stars?

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2760...

[bicycleshorts]

Si_man306 said:

Where can I find this? Here it gets 5 stars?

http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2760...

It's in the magazine, there are some scans available online. They were using a car with an auto box.

[dele]

zebedee said:

they might depreciate quite quickly sadly if the Evo review of the subaru is anything to go by. Disappointing read.

Because its not a 911 or a Pagani

[Sexual Chocolate]

zebedee said:

they might depreciate quite quickly sadly if the Evo review of the subaru is anything to go by. Disappointing read.

Really? The impression i got was that it was actually to good for what its being marketed at. It handled superbly but due to lack of ommppphh it was hard to get the back end out. Maybe thats why toyota have gone for a more livey setup?

[RevoHJC]

New ones have been dynoed with just over 180bhp at the fly.. I know power isn't everything but that's terrible. Really love the chassis and idea of this but I think it's just that little bit too gutless to not get bored of.

[Sexual Chocolate]

RevoHJC said:

New ones have been dynoed with just over 180bhp at the fly.. I know power isn't everything but that's terrible. Really love the chassis and idea of this but I think it's just that little bit too gutless to not get bored of.

The MK2 Escort 1.3 that I first learned to drive in had a staggering 80bhp if that. It was great. Back end out whenever one felt like it.

A lotus Elise s. The basic 1.8 one woth 140bhp. Back end out fun.

Capri 2.0 Ghia. Maybe 90odd if you where lucky. Back end out fun.

See what I am getting at here.

[kambites]

RevoHJC said:

New ones have been dynoed with just over 180bhp at the fly.. I know power isn't everything but that's terrible. Really love the chassis and idea of this but I think it's just that little bit too gutless to not get bored of.

Still gives it a similar power to weight ration to a top end MX5 or an entry level Elise and they seem to do OK.

It'd certainly be plenty for me.

[sanctum]

RevoHJC said:

New ones have been dynoed with just over 180bhp at the fly.. I know power isn't everything but that's terrible. Really love the chassis and idea of this but I think it's just that little bit too gutless to not get bored of.

You (and alot of others) seem to be missing the point. It's not about the horsepower numbers, it's about the drive, how the car feels and how involved you are as a driver. So many cars have huge hp numbers but are just dumb trucks to drive due to electronic aids and weight issues like giant haystacks.

I'm looking forward to seeing these cars on the used market in 3 years time when I may be able to afford one. 180hp on UK roads is plenty for 99% of the time.

[ctallchris]

zebedee said:

they might depreciate quite quickly sadly if the Evo review of the subaru is anything to go by. Disappointing read.

OH NO Depreciation! That will spoil it entirely!

[rohrl]

I have skim-read the Evo review and they've not liked the Subaru much.

Have Subaru UK specced different tyres for UK cars by any chance?

[LuS1fer]

I suspect that there may be some "gentleman's agreement" to maintain pricing to avoid the two being played against one another as I suspect most Toyota dealers with their higher sales volumes might otherwise have an unfair advantage.

[Zed Ed]

Can't believe they gave EVO an auto; career shortening move for someone in the Subaru press office, lol

Clearly needs more oomph though which Litchfield will be adding to mine when it arrives.

[hornetrider]

bicycleshorts said:

It's in the magazine, there are some scans available online. They were using a car with an auto box.

Google isn't helping, got a mclink?