2013 Subaru BRZ: Fuel Economy Update for February
March 4, 2013
We added about another 1,000 miles to our 2013 Subaru BRZ during February. The miles were largely from commuting around Los Angeles and resulted in an average of 25.6 mpg. That matches the EPA's 25 mpg estimate for combined driving.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Bystander Approved, Even If They Don't Know What It Is
March 1, 2013
First it was the teenage boy in the church parking lot with the mop-like hair. "Dude, I like your car," he said. Then it was my wife's friend (a hair stylist with, I must admit, much better hair than the teenager) who came over to our house. "It's so cute!" she exclaimed, after seeing the 2013 Subaru BRZ in my driveway. Later that afternoon: My shirtless neighbor, washing his Tahoe, noted that the BRZ "looked pretty sharp."
It was three positive comments in one day for the BRZ. Not too shabby. Yet curiously, nobody actually knew what the BRZ was.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Backing Up Is Hard To Do
February 28, 2013
I love the window line on our 2013 Subaru BRZ. Aesthetically, the BRZ is one of my favorite designs on the market for new cars today. But seeing what's behind you when backing out of a parking spot can prove difficult.
2013 Subaru BRZ: At Home Above the Fray
February 27, 2013
Taking the Subaru BRZ home on crowded streets, sitting in L.A. traffic and waiting for the lights to change is not my idea of fun. So instead, I decided to take a romp in our local back roads after work and see what the BRZ was like in the mountains.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Blinded By The Light
February 26, 2013
This unedited photo of the Subaru BRZ's touchscreen display in action is an exact representation of how it looked as I drove down Pacific Coast Highway with the sun behind me. Even sitting at a red light and putting my hand over the display to block the sun, viewing my options were nearly impossible.
We've already had problems selecting presets, changing stations and with a finicky navigation system. But not being able to see what you're doing is a different problem altogether.
Next time I head east in the afternoon, I'll be sure to select an album I can listen to in its entirety because knowing what I'm selecting is definitely not an option.
Travis Langness, Associate Editor @ 11,290 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Head Unit Frustration
February 15, 2013
The photo doesn't quite convey how unnecessarily frustrating it is to do, but try reading then selecting a preset from that list of radio stations with the tip of your finger at the end of your outstretched arm while driving on a bumpy L.A. freeway at 65 mph in traffic and you'll understand.
Perhaps the motion-damped stylus that comes with the Fujitsu FA601US head unit has gone missing. Perhaps nobody listens to the radio any longer because I can much more easily select SAT, DISC, or USB than a radio preset.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Is It Vain to Want This Vanity Plate?
February 14, 2013
Maybe this guy and his family of skulls are fans of 1970 cartoons, but that license plate would be perfect for our 2013 Subaru BRZ. Would you agree?
Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor @ 10,962 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Can You Tow it Behind a Motorhome?
February 13, 2013
You can tow any car behind a motorhome if you use a trailer. But that's not the preferred method for motorhome aficionados. The ideal scenario is pictured above: a so-called "dinghy" vehicle rolling behind on its own four wheels, ready to be unhooked and driven around on side trips while the motorhome sits parked with its awnings unfurled and its sliders popped out in full relaxation mode.
This towing technique goes by many names: dinghy towing, flat towing and four-down towing to name a few. As you can imagine there are mechanical implications for the car involved.
The strictly pavement-only 2013 Subaru BRZ isn't the first sort of car that comes to mind for this activity but, then again, not everyone who tours the U.S. in a motorhome is looking to explore off road when they stop. You could be planning to tour the racetracks or interesting winding mountain roads of this country in your retirement. Why relegate yourself to something overly pedestrian?
Is the 2013 Subaru BRZ up for it? Can you flat tow it behind a motorhome?
2013 Subaru BRZ: Interior Advantage
February 12, 2013
The 2013 Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S may be the same car, but they're not the same car. If I were buying something to autocross, to turn into a T4 SCCA racer, it'd be the Scion all the way due to its lower price and slightly briefer equipment list.
But the Subaru BRZ would my choice for a daily driver. Appearance-wise, I like the wider-at-the-top front grille styling. Most of all I prefer the interior.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Easy Air Filter Access
February 8, 2013
A few months we saw how easy it is to get at the 2013 Subaru BRZ's oil filter for a DIY oil change. Turns out the nearby air filter is every bit as in-your-face and easy to swap out.
Simply unfasten the two exposed clips at the top and pry the clamshell airbox open with your fingers. It's a tight squeeze, and you have to apply constant pressure to keep it open, but it comes right out.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 10,656 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: January Fuel Economy Update
February 4, 2013
You would think that a car like the 2013 Subaru BRZ or its Scion FR-S cousin would be the sort that underperforms when it comes to real-world MPG. Why? Because they beg to be driven, that's why.
Thankfully, that's not the case. The 2013 Subaru BRZ is EPA-rated to deliver 22 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg in the typical mix of each that we all really drive. In just under 6 months and just over 10,500 miles our BRZ has averaged 26.3 mpg. Compare that to its 25 mpg combined rating in order to be suitably impressed.
The first three months included many road trips, and during that period we bested the 30 mpg highway rating on no less than 8 fill-ups. Over the last three months it stayed closer to home and didn't get out on the open road much, but it still averaged 25.6 mpg and beat its EPA combined rating without the benefit of a single 30+ mpg tank.
You want to talk about range? We don't often run a tank dry, but our Subaru has gone as far as 356.9 miles between fill-ups. We put 11.4 gallons into its 13.2-gallon tank that day, so 400 miles isn't impossible in the right sort of conditions.
Of course all of this was done on 91-octane premium, the required fuel for this car.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 10,512 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Kinda Needs an Armrest But I Don't Want to Give Up the Storage
January 30, 2013
I haven't taken our long-term 2013 Subaru BRZ on a long trip yet, but sometimes, after a couple of hours in it, I think there should be a center armrest, something James mentioned right after we got the car. Neither Subaru nor Scion sells one as an accessory in the U.S., though at least one aftermarket vendor makes one.
Problem is that retrofitting this armrest (or any official accessory that Subaru eventually brings to market) will eat up a lot of the storage in the center console. Mind you, the cupholder unit in the console is a flimsy thing, but I like that you can remove and reposition it further back so that my elbow never bumps my metal water bottle.
Also during a recent drive on some back roads, I had my water bottle, my phone, my garage door open, my keys and two cans of macadamias stowed in the console's various slots. It all remained secure through tighter turns. So maybe I don't want an armrest after all.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 10,514 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: It's Just Fun on a Back Road
January 28, 2013
Finally, I carved out some time to drive our long-term 2013 Subaru BRZ on a good road. It was a late-hour decision, as you can see in the photo, so only my husband went with me. Our drive took us down some of our favorite roads in the San Gabriel Mountains. It was a mini celebration of six months of marital bliss. Then, we went out for sushi.
The BRZ is the most entertaining car I've driven on these roads since our long-term Mazdaspeed 3 left. I know, I've previously said our Ford Focus ST is great fun, and it really is, but there's something about the BRZ that makes me enjoy it just a little bit more. I think it's probably a combination of the Subaru's seating position, which is just spot-on for a 5-foot-10-inch, 150-pound adult, and this small coupe's lightweight, unencumbered feel.
2013 Subaru BRZ: Real World Trunk Test
January 23, 2013
I don't know how I managed it, but my 24-inch, must-be-checked-to-your-final-destination rollaboard bag was even fatter when I returned from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. Our long-term 2013 Subaru BRZ was my assigned vehicle for the night, and I inadvertently found the limit of its trunk space, at least when it comes to trunk height.
The bag just cleared the opening of the BRZ's trunk. And with some twisting, it just fit into the trunk with half an inch at most to spare in the height department.
I measured the height of both the opening and the trunk itself, and logically, they're both 15.75 inches. The photos I've included here with my tape measure distort that a bit (I had to come in from a weird camera angle to take advantage of the fading daylight), but take my word for it: It really is 15.75 inches high. So in its expanded form, the bag was probably 15.25 inches thick, give or take a quarter of inch.
One further note: Although I positioned the bag sideways, it would have gone in wheels first if I'd been so inclined because the trunk is just a hair over 31.5 inches deep. For me, the BRZ has enough trunk space to serve as a personal car (provided I drove it by myself 90 percent of the time), because this 24-incher is the largest suitcase I own and I don't currently have other hobbies that require bulky equipment.
2013 Subaru BRZ: 10,000 Miles Driven So Far
January 18, 2013
Our 2013 Subaru BRZ reached the 10,000-mile mark while we were driving in this morning. So far we've had just one maintenance item of note, the taillight condensation. That problem was fixed under warranty. Subaru has also paid for routine service to-date as part of its free maintenance program. No breakdowns. No cost to own. We can get used to this.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 10,000 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Taillight Condensation Repair
January 17, 2013
Yesterday we drove our 2013 Subaru BRZ to South Coast Subaru to follow up on the taillight condensation issue we experienced. This turned out to be a quick fix. It also changed my opinion of this dealer for the better.
2013 Subaru BRZ: 7,500-Mile Service
January 14, 2013
We had some trouble scheduling routine maintenance on our 2012 Subaru BRZ. It seems that dealerships in our neighborhood were all too busy to service our car. What began as a simple oil change grew to a frustrating pinball between three different dealers...
2013 Subaru BRZ: Agricultural Transmission
January 10, 2013
The BRZ's shift action is not what you'd call greasy. It's not buttery, slick, slippery or any other of a handful of adjectives you might use to describe, say, one of Acura's better manual gearboxes. Instead, the throws are chunky, deliberate, notchy, agricultural, or any of a handful of adjectives that describe a transmission that's not offensive in any way, but one you can't quite call refined.
I've only had the opportunity to drive a couple of WRXs, neither of them stock. So I was curious to hear from our in-house Subie guru Rex Torres if this shift characteristic was shared across the family. He agreed that it was, saying that his own WRX exhibited the same feel. Then he urged me to drive the FR-S, saying that something — bushings, linkage, special sauce maybe — feels different in the FR-S.
So I'm taking it tonight to find out.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 9,500 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Old School But Annoying
January 7, 2013
I know these snapping seat belt loops are meant to help get the belts out of the way, thus aiding ingress/egress to and from the back seat. If you regularly put adult friends back there, however, you'll likely be looking for a new group of friends.
I know these loops are also meant to evoke some sort of classic sports car vibe, and I think they do. Sorta. They're cool, but seem more like an affectation. In the end, you're usually still yanking a handful of nylon webbing over your head as you contort into the back seat, or else trying to avoid snagging your ankle in the hanging material near the floorboard. Such are the perils of keeping yourself on the right side of the windshield.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 9,500 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ: Plus-One for the Audio
January 4, 2013
The BRZ's touchscreen interface is pretty awful. Not MyFord Touch awful, but still pretty bad. Small icons placed haphazardly around the screen make navigating the audio system particularly perilous in traffic. At this stage in the evolution of in-car electronics, the manufacturers would do well to standardize some of this stuff. If they don't, NHTSA might well do it for them.
But here's a pleasant surprise. The also-crummy audio system is decidedly less crummy with the discovery of this 7-band graphic equalizer. You can dial in some decent bass with some definition and just enough top-end to bring out guitars, cymbals and vocals without getting too crispy.
You don't expect to find this kind of EQ in most cars these days. You're lucky to get bass/mid/treble in some nicer Benzes. The multi-band graphic EQ is just another quaint artifact from the days when people valued good sound in their car and desired some level of control over it. Now we keep all our music as compressed files on our phones.
I always soften a bit toward a manufacturer or their audio partners when I find one of these. Granted, the touchscreen virtual sliders are kinda dumb, nothing like actual knobs or faders. But in these fast-forward times, we take what we get.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 9,500 miles
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited: BRZ On GMR. In Photos
January 02, 2013
If you read the last long-term update on our 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited, then you know we took it for a wet-weather run up Glendora Mountain Road. It proved, yet again, how terrific this little sports car truly is.
In retrospect, I kind of wish I had gotten on the mountain a bit earlier in the morning when it was still raining so the road would've been fully wet for the entire flogging session. But, maybe I would've encountered even more fog.
Regardless, enjoy photos of our rainy/foggy morning on GMR after the break.
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited: BRZ on GMR
December 31, 2012
I took our 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited to Glendora Mountain Road over the long holiday weekend. Of course, the one morning I had free for a strafing run on this fabulously twisty piece of tarmac, the surface was wet from the previous night's rain.
No matter, if anything it just made it more exciting.
Unfortunately, there were some thick blankets of fog to slow me down, but in general the BRZ and I had the road to ourselves. Rain keeps the cyclists and other motorists away.
I was thoroughly impressed with the precision and sports-car competence of the BRZ, as I kinda figured I would be. In the wet-to-drying conditions, the tires provided excellent and very consistent grip levels. You could really dive the car into corners hard, and the front would hang on pretty well before it would start to push.
