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18/12/2011
REVIEW By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
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Subaru has revealed the production version of its long-anticipated BRZ sports coupe at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.
Stylish and affordable, the Subaru BRZ is built at Subaru’s Ota plant in Japan as a joint venture with the company’s part-owner, Toyota, and will compete directly against the all-but-identical Toyota 86.
The division of labour between the two companies saw Toyota look after the product planning and styling with Subaru taking on the engineering development and production. Each company will then do its own sales and marketing.
We were given a sneak preview of a pre-production version of BRZ during a trip to Japan a few months previously when Subaru invited us to see the new Impreza and XV models. The little coupe is a real eye-catcher with a profile that, with a bit of imagination, reminds us of the Porsche 911.
The front is dominated by a large, hexagonal grille with sweeping headlights and the rear is tall and square with an additional brake light positioned between twin large tail pipes.
Subaru BRZ is a four-seater although the rear seats are basically there for emergency use rather than for long-distance passengers. The boot is quite small, but the rear seat backs fold flat for extra storage space.
Power for the BRZ will come from a Subaru 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine using Toyota’s D-4S direct injection system. Maximum power is 147 kW and there’s up to 205 Newton metres of torque.
The engine will be centrally mounted and lower than any other Subaru model to produce a very low centre of gravity, a major factor in the excellent handling characteristics that are being claimed.
Transmission options will be six-speed manual and six-speed automatic with steering wheel mounted paddle shifts.
The combination of high tensile steel in the body and aluminium bonnet and wheels has kept the BRZ’s kerb weight down to 1220 kg, another pointer to the excellent driving qualities that can be expected.
The bad news is that there’s no guarantee that Subaru BRZ will come to Australia. This is partly on a matter of principle – its rear-wheel drive setup is at odds with Subaru Australia’s commitment to all-wheel drive vehicles – and partly a concern that Toyota’s superior marketing power may drive the price of the 86 down to a level where Subaru will not be able compete. A decision on whether the Subaru will come to Australia is expected before the end of 2011.
We’ve got our fingers crossed that these barriers can be overcome because we’d love to get behind the wheel of this attractive little Subie. |
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