While it’s already seven years old and its successor has been officially confirmed, the Subaru BRZ’s age hardly interferes with the amount of fun to be had behind its wheel.
The compact rear-drive coupe remains one of the most sweet performance cars to drive fast, especially when fitted with STI-tuned Sachs dampers and coil springs. The Straight Pipes took the range-topping Raiu Edition for a spin to remind themselves just how much enjoyment the BRZ can dish out.
The limited-run Raiu Edition is the most expensive version of the model in Canada (and the equivalent of the Series.Gray special in the US), featuring a special STI body kit, dark alloy wheels, Brembo performance tires in addition to the aforementioned Sachs suspension. Oh, and there’s a short-throw shifter for the six-speed manual transmission.
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The naturally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four remains the same, putting out 205 HP and 156 lb-ft of torque, which has been one of the major talking points of the car ever since it first debuted, as many fans felt the nicely balanced chassis could do with more horsepower.
Everything about the BRZ is about offering the perfect balance to keen drivers. Sure, the engine might not be to everyone’s taste, but it also means that you can drive it pretty hard, have fun and still remain under the speed limits on your favorite winding road.
The fact that Subaru has been offering the BRZ in cheaper prices than the Toyota 86 also helps its case, if you are shopping for a new compact sports coupe and looking for a good deal.