Road Test: 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited

Road Test: 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited

Raw Sports Car Fun

Sports car purity, says Subaru about the 2022 BRZ. After spending a fun week tooling around Southern California in the BRZ, there isn’t any argument coming from us.

A Diminishing Breed

The auto market is now dominated by front-wheel drive cars, almost all of them with an automatic transmission. Nothing wrong with that, we love driving many of them. But there is something special about a car being pushed rather than pulled, even more so when that car has a third pedal and a sweet 6-speed manual transmission.

The 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited is a rear-wheel drive, 200+ horsepower sports coupe that competes with the Mazda MX-5 RF, and shares a platform with Toyota 86. If you want performance and handling with a permanently fixed roof, look no further than the Subaru BRZ.

Driving Experience: On the Road

The BRZ is powered by a 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer engine that produces 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Pulling hard through 7,000 rpm, the 0-to-60 times were right around 5.6 seconds, but straight line speed is not why anyone should be buying a BRZ.

The Subaru designed and built boxer engine, which has horizontally opposed pistons instead of configured in a V or inline pattern, uses Toyota’s direct and sequential port injection system and runs on 92 octane.

Clean Fleet Report’s BRZ was equipped with a 6-speed manual, while a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters is optional. The BRZ is EPA rated at 20 mpg city/27 highway/22 combined mpg. In our week driving through Southern California we averaged 24.7 mpg, which we thought was great considering how much fun we had whipping through the gears while seeking out every twisty road we could find. If you opt for the automatic, the fuel economy is rated a bit better at 21/30/25. But let’s get real here, who will be buying the BRZ to squeeze miles from every tank of fuel?

The 6-speed manual in our BRZ was designed for aggressive shifting and loves taking the engine high in the rev band. The low-end torque in each gear was so-so, but becomes much better when reaching 6,400-7,000 rpm, which coincidentally is where the fun and spirited driving lives. The tach has a 9,000 rpm maximum, but please don’t take it there!

The manual has close-set gears with notchy shifts and short throws. It takes a bit of acclimation to hit the desired gear precisely or you may find yourself going, for example, from third to sixth instead of fourth. Particularly fun is when the BRZ pulls hard in the top-end of third, fourth and fifth. Heck, you can even get to 55 mph in second, so wringing-out the speed and approaching red line is what this car loves and is built to do.

The Ride

While the BRZ ride lets you know you are on the freeway, especially on the grooved concrete surfaces found in SoCal, it is acceptable for a car with sport tires and suspension. Designed to cut through the wind with underbody aerodynamic panels and a 0.28 coefficient of drag, the BRZ shines with its predictable handling from the tuned chassis, and the point-to-a-spot steering that was enhanced by electric power.

Feel and feedback were excellent, the handling crisp, agile and very fun, thanks to the setup of MacPherson strut front, double wishbone rear and stabilizer bars at both ends. Add vehicle stability and traction control, and it leads to what Subaru says–“Front lateral bending rigidity has been increased by 60-percent for the 2022 model to improve turn-in and response.” The limited slip differential sends torque to the rear wheel that has the most traction.

The Michelin Pilot Sport 215/40 tires, mounted on 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, handled the 2,799-pound BRZ enthusiastically, making it easy to toss around. For even more fun, switch off the traction control (that has five settings) and practice controllable oversteer as the back-end steps-out. This is the beauty and adventure of driving a rear-wheel drive sports car.

Braking was solid, with power ventilated front and rear discs, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution and brake assist.

Aerodynamic Exterior

The BRZ has aggressive styling with a stance that welcomes/invites/urges/demands it be driven fast. The proportions for this low-slung sports car is one of the first things you notice. With 5.0-inches of ground clearance and a mere 51.6 inches of overall height, the BRZ just may be the lowest coupe you have ever driven.

The front end is dominated with angular, steering-responsive LED headlights that sit above the wide grille, which has functional air intakes in the outer fascia. The side vents are designed to reduce drag by ducting air from under the hood and fenders that is then directed to a side sill spoiler that creates downforce at speed. The front and rear fender bulges enhance the low-slung stance.

The swept-back windshield leads to the roof, topped by a color-keyed shark fin antenna, that barely flattens out before rapidly merging with the rear window, that drops down to a short trunk lid, ending with a tasteful and attractive duckbill spoiler. The back-end has horizontal LED taillights and round, chrome-tipped twin exhaust ends that are integrated into a wind-channeling lower fascia.

A Driver’s Interior

Subaru calls the BRZ a “2+2,” which indicates passengers can ride in the back seat. Literally, yes, but not if they want it to be a pleasant experience. In a pinch the rear seat can accommodate two children, but an adult or two is asking a bit much. The best use for the one-piece rear seat back is to fold it flat, taking advantage of increasing the cargo area, and creating a spacious space for a weekend getaway.

The BRZ has an honest sports car approach to the interior design, with clean and simple gauges. The large, round center-placed gauge is combination tachometer, with a sweep hand, and a digital speed read-out. This is bordered on the right by a programmable display for water temperature, clock, fuel, amps and a G-meter display. The left side display shows average speed, amassed driving time, total mileage and a trip meter.

Our BRZ Limited had black synthetic suede-trimmed, contoured, heated bucket front seats with red accents and top stitching. The suede appears again on the door panels, while the leather-covered steering wheel, gear shift boot and parking brake handle see more red contrast stitching. “BRZ” is woven into the carpet and a tasteful amount of aluminum is used throughout the cockpit, including on the sport pedals, door sills and bit on the dash and doors.

That 5.0-inches of ground clearance means accessing the driver’s seat takes a combination of bending, squatting and leg swinging. If you are at all nimble, this won’t be a problem, but if you are used to hopping into and out of a crossover, you will be learning a few new skills. I called it a “triple groaner” when exiting the BRZ.

The six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat offers a better-than-expected level of support, but with the sport suspension and no lumbar adjustment, your bottom and backside know you have been driving a sports car. Sight lines are not bad for the low sitting position, and Subaru designers did a nice thing by not having a high-mounted third brake light in the rear window. That small but important rear brake light is on the lower fascia.

The Subaru Starlink system is the heart of the 8-speaker audio system that is housed in the 8-inch touch screen display for AM/FM, SiriusXM, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The infotainment system was also equipped with a USB port, Bluetooth streaming audio, hands-free telephone and voice recognition. There are steering wheel-mounted controls that help navigate the audio system and were easy to learn and use.

Safety and Convenience

The 2022 BRZ comes standard with the Subaru Starlink Safety Plus suite including seven airbags, rear-view backup camera, a tire pressure monitoring system, cruise control, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, remote keyless entry, push button on/off, power door locks and windows, outside heated rearview mirrors, carpeted floor mats and the dual zone climate control.

The 2022 BRZ has not been crash rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the BRZ its highest mark of Top Safety Pick+.

Pricing and Warranties

The 2022 BRZ comes in two models, Premium and Limited, with these base prices, including the mandatory $960 destination and delivery fee.

Premium – $28,955

Limited – $33,255

The 2022 BRZ comes with these warranties:

• Powertrain – Five years/60,000 miles  
• Basic – Three years/36,000 miles
• Maintenance – Two years/25,000 miles
• Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
• Corrosion Perforation – Five years/Unlimited miles

Observations: 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited

Do you love to drive twisty mountain or country roads? Maybe even finding the long way around to avoid long straight sections of boring highway? If so, then the 2022 Subaru BRZ Limited is a driving enthusiast car that will tempt you to attend a track day and see what it can really do. High-performance on-track organizations, for a very reasonable cost, let you drive your car on some of the best courses in the country. Lapping your BRZ with expert instruction will reveal its full performance potential.

The BRZ is well thought-out, with deference to handling and performance over gimmicks and flash. If you are ready to scrap the minivan and SUV, get down to your local Subaru dealer and tell the sales representative you need to take a long, winding test drive.

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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by Lex Adams and Subaru.

The Sports Car Contenders We’ve Seen:

Road Test: 2020 Toyota 86 (sister car)

Road Test: 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF

Road Test: 2019 Hyundai Veloster (now out of production)

Flash Drive: 2023 Kia EV6 GT

Road Test: 2021 Chevrolet Camaro RS

Road Test: 2021 Ford Mustang

Road Test: 2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Road Test: 2016 Dodge Challenger

Road Test: 2021 Chevrolet Corvette

Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.