Used 2018 Subaru BRZ Consumer Reviews

The Perfect Sports Car - For the Price

Keeping in mind that you can get the BRZ for less than $30,000 it is, in my opinion, the best sports car of the modern era. The driving position, steering feel, and ability for an amateur driver to push the BRZ to the limit is the reason that it makes every driver smile. The point of the BRZ (or the FR-S, or GT 86 since they are all essentially the same car) is to make a grown-up feel like a child again. The car makes me giggle, and flatters my abilities to the point where I never feel unsafe. I was in a unique situation where I was able to purchase one of the 500 Hyper Blue BRZ's and as long as I never wreck it, I expect it to be a future classic. So whenever I get the chance, I take it for a blast through the hills, or if I can leave a little early, I take the long way to work and arrive with a smile plastered across my face. In a world where most of us drive grayscale people carrying boxes, the BRZ feels extra special. It's a reminder of how much fun driving can be, and without putting in too much money, it has the comforts, look and finish of a far more expensive car. The interior has Hyper Blue stitching to match the paint, and with black accents, the BRZ feels just right. The controls are where you expect them to be, and the large, centrally mounted tachometer runs happily up above 7000rpm before a light flashes at you to shift up before you ping it off the limiter. As driving experiences go, it is hard to get more smiles per gallon for my money. UPDATE: after 10,0000 miles the BRZ has become an extension of me and I am happy to say I still love it. UPDATE 2: after 16,000 miles it’s still perfect for me.

A fun daily driver - but with a cost

The big thing to know about this car is that Subaru/Toyota wanted a cheap performance car that would make drivers smile. They succeeded, but the cheapness can come back to bite long-term owners. I have daily-driven the car for a year and 14,000 miles, so I have had the proper seat time to write a review. The two companies decided to put the whole budget into the drivetrain. My car in this respect has been solid. I replaced the transmission, differential, and engine oils myself, and the engineers really put a lot of thought into how to do that easily. On the flip side, most nuts and bolts on this car are made out of very weak metal, leading to all the wheel studs being stripped in just a few changes. The interior rattles like crazy, the speakers buzz at higher volumes, which are needed because of loud road noise. I had two sets of tail lights leak, and my headlight ballasts went out and needed replacement. The list goes on. The car will continue to drive and handle beautifully, but the non-essentials will entropy around you. The maintenance bill won't be in the thousands, but I have constantly had $100 here and there to replace the cheap parts. I am 6'2" and 190 pounds and am triangle-shaped. Think broad shoulders and small waist. This car's seats are the most comfortable I have ever sat in. I want these for my office, house, and every car afterward. That being said, if I was an inch taller or 20 pounds heavier, I would hate them. All of my 'larger' friends hate riding in the car. My wife is tall and thin, and she hates hunching over to get in/out of the passenger side. Holding on to the steering wheel makes the driver's side easy. People like to say this car is slow. For muscle-car owners who love straight line speed, this car is not for you. I don't want any more power out of it, because I get to floor it during daily driving, and I don't get speeding tickets. It's exhilarating without being too dangerous. Countless journalists have raved about the balance and steering - all I know is that the car feels super secure going 30+ mph over suggested speed limits on turns. If I was looking at a BRZ and similar cars today, I personally would just save my money and buy a Mazda Miata RF. That being said, I still roll the windows down on a warm day and just go for a drive to relax. This car does this at a great price, and I would recommend it to a friend - if they are willing to deal with the mentioned issues.

Enter every road curve with joy in my heart

This is a car to increase your quality of life. I love it for where I live in the San Diego foothills with no deer. However, if I lived back in the Hill Country of Central Texas, I'd have sold this car within 6 months. The headlights are set ridiculously low so literally heaven help you if there are deer on the road ahead. You won't see them until they're through your windshield. The dealership's Service Dept told me I can't get them raised up because they're high density headlights. I think the headlights are a huge safety risk in areas with large-sized wildlife. Other than that, I adore this car for the thrill of driving it. Kudos to the excellent engineers! Update: Have had the car for a while and we still love it. We have no intention of trading it in for anything else. My only gripe of note continues to be the low position of the headlights, but the freeways, canyon and foothill roads we drive don't make this a big issue for us in SoCal. No elk bounding across a Wyoming plain. Just rabbits and the coyotes are too savvy to get hit. We have found you can't always reliably shift from 4th to 6th. Seems to insist on a pit stop at 5th. Again, not a deal breaker. We've had no issues needing repairs. Everything still seems tight. This car is all about the Curves and we love it for that. Update 11/13/17: Still no repairs have been needed. I still LOVE this car! Everything I wrote above is still true. But so is my complaint about headlights. I went to Subaru twice and was told no upward adjustment possible. Didn't look at replacing them though. Not a problem in heavily populated Southern California and if you know the roads. I wish I could easily replace the speakers. They buzz on certain octaves. I don't blast them but I do play them loudly sometimes. You kinda have to because the car is a typical sporty car with some noise inside. I hate the display though. No steering wheel controls so you have to use the display for music. This is the worst point of the car. The internal temp controls and clock are perfect but music and maps is a major pain to manipulate. It's easy to read the maps on the display though. My husband and I are still very happy with this car purchase. As soon as a take a sharp curve, I fall in love with this car all over again. Like being a kid in a go cart. Update 5/14/2020: The car's still performing great. Driving is just as fun. We've followed all recommended maintenance and have had no mechanical or any other problems. It's our play car so our mileage is low, about 28K at this point. My gripes are the same as on the first day. Headlights aren't good for rural areas where wildlife leaps out at you although they're perfectly fine in populated areas. The speakers should be replaced and the entertainment panel. Happily we checked into an aftermarket Android Auto install plus better speakers and it's easy to have done. We just procrastinated since we drive our other vehicles more and they have it. I feel comfortable to recommend this as a reliable Used Car, made in Japan, if the previous owner wasn't an idiot driver and that you calculate in an Android Auto panel plus speakers upgrade. My car is a manual so automatics might be different.

Race car experience

Sure, for the same money, you can get a more practical car that's roomier, quieter, more comfortable, has a nicer interior, has more advanced technology, and it might even be faster. Boring! Why not get something special instead: a BRZ. From the moment you awkwardly slide into the ultra-low racing seats, you know you're in for a unique experience. The engine is loud (admittedly some of the sound is piped in through the passenger footwell), almost no effort has been made to dampen road noise, you can hear and feel parts in the transmission moving around when you shift gears, the huge tachometer is right in the middle of the dashboard, and the clock looks like it's from the 80s. The car was clearly designed for use on a racetrack, even though it's comfortable enough and has all the amenities for daily driving. You'll never take the short route home, your friends and family will constantly ask for rides, and people who don't know very much about cars will assume that your fancy sports car cost twice as much as it actually did. What's not to love??

Ignore the haters

This is a really good car. I traded my 2014 genesis coupe 2.0t r-spec in for this car. 2017 limited with the performance package. Pros: amazing handling, great looks, LED headlights give you great visibility at night, performance package, manual is amazing and easy to use Cons: ride is not the greatest over rough pavement, sounds like a tractor at low rpms (its weird) Buy this car if you want a fun car that takes corners like almost nothing else in its price range. The performance package makes it even more capable. With the cons i would add something like “small back seat” but this a sports car (a very small one at that) so go look at an accord coupe, challenger or the new civic si coupe if you want better back seat space.

Do Your Homework!

There are lots of printed road tests of these cars (BRZ, FRS, and 86). There are plenty of videos as well. Read and watch as many as you can so you will know what to expect. The car is small and my '03 Kia Spectra GSX had some conveniences the BRZ doesn't have. Everyone seems to think the "burz" is underpowered. Not necessarily! Power is judged by how you apply it. I got my burz to be my daily driver, and it has plenty of power for that role. If you can live with the small size, harsh ride, some road noise, just OK radio, and if you understand that it's really not a four passenger car, and that it requires premium gas, and more, you'll be fine. Like I said, educate yourself and know what to expect. All that being said, I knew what I was getting. These are driver's cars, and that was what I wanted. I didn't even test drive mine. The salesman probably thought I was crazy, but I had done my homework. After all of the above, I hadn't even gone two miles after picking it up and I caught myself grinning from ear to ear. The car drives like a go-kart! This is a car you need to check out thoroughly before committing to.

Most fun car I've ever had

Once I got used to the rear wheel drive, this car could really hug corners. The gear shifts were perfect. I loved that the dash didn't have a lot of extra information. It was simple and basic, all information available in one place (i.e., one clock, 1 speedometer, etc). After coming out of a car with overwhelming amounts of useless information in the dash, the red lights and simplicity were welcome. Also it had every extra thing I wanted, heated seats, soft leather, bluetooth, adjustable headlights, option to see outside temp, mpg, etc. Tight gears and steering, perfect handling. I will say that I test drove the automatic and would not have bought that car. All the difference was in having the manual. The back seats are all for show, they don't hold anything more than the 40 lb dogs with the back laid down. I got weathertech mats for front and back and they fit perfectly.

Finally get my BRZ

though MT might be the top option in your head, give AT a chance. After test drive of both, I get the AT BRZ, mainly because of LA's traffic. Lol

“Breezie”, the Subaru BRZ

The BRZ is fun to drive, hugs the road well, and feels safe. It looks and feels fast even if really isn’t that fast having only a 4 cylinder and a non-turbo engine. The 6 speed manual transmission requires a lot of shifting, which is fun to do on rural highways, but can get old & laborious in urban traffic. The BRZ is economical to purchase, drive & maintain; thus it fulfills an important niche in the sports car market.

Fits like a glove

I have always been attracted to unique cars - 64-1/2 Mustang Cpe, Mazda Rotary Cpe, TR-6, Mitsubishi Turbo Cpe. The BRZ had me hooked from the time I saw the blue paint and first sat in the drivers seat. The smile on my faced broadened to a grin. After adjusting the telescopic steering wheel and seat rake - but wish it had adj lumbar support, the test drive began with the push of a button and the pleasant rumble of the Boxer engine. Not looking for turbo or V8 power, I have been pleased with the ride, the stability and simply the feeling of being one with the BRZ. The short-throw 6M and brakes are easily controlled. It checked all my boxes - great looks, fun to drive, economical, navigation and the right price. My BRZ has taken 50 years off my life and I look forward to many years behind the wheel rowing the 6M on country roads with my wife as navigator.

Not suffering the Hyper Blues with this car

If you are 50 plus and carrying a few pounds, it may be harder to get in and out of this car, but once you are in seat, WOW, the fun begins. If I were prone to drifting, this car could do that. My 16 year old daughter said that starting from a stop light and going through the first four gears reminds her of the push back in seat feeling of jet take off. Great color, only 500 made for USA for 2016. Gets lots of looks. After decades of driving SUV's and minivans, I owed this car to myself and haven't looked back since driving off the lot. Hugs the road really well with quick responsive steering and braking. Ditch to ditch low beam headlights that allow for up and down switch adjustment is great for avoiding deer. Recommended accessories are WeatherTech floor liners, Trunk Liner and the NEW 3M™ Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Pro Series. Invisible and 7 year coverage to protect against rock chips and dings as this is a low riding car. Saved on the cost by half by going to Tint shop for Protection Film instead of dealer. Have had the car for two and a half weeks at 348 miles now so still breaking in engine. Premium fuel only. Did buy the extended warranty to 7 year which added to initial cost. Tax in our Washington State County 8.8% My driving experience 27 years in police cars. Bought as commuter.

2017 BRZ

This car is made for fun. Don't buy it for it's sofa like ride it is a sports car. A toy for us to play with. Fit and finish A1. Great handling, great suspension, great fun. Subaru reliability A1. Dealing with dealership A1. No [non-permissible content removed]. Straight up and friendly. A pleasant experience whether with sales staff or maintenance. Michelin tires were made for this car and made well. What grip.

Blast to Drive

This is the first 2 door rear wheel drive coupe I have owned, and it is super fun to drive. My prior cars have been SUVs and sedans. The low seating position, combined with the super responsive steering and manual transmission are amazing. When I see cars that cost 2 to 3 times more, I think they way overpaid for the badge and extra horsepower that will hardly be used in my traffic congested area.

Great car. Drives great, looks awesome.

This is a great car. I bought this car for my wife in April 2014 in Portland and she loves it. We are the first and only owners. It has been well maintained using the correct oil and always premium gas. While I was working out of town, we needed a third car so I bought an big, old american land yacht. Now that I am back in town, something has to go. My daughter occasionally needs a car to drive when she is home from college and we figure a Towncar with automatic transmission is better for her to drive than a sports car with a manual transmission. This car is fun to drive. The GPS works well and the stereo is great. The back seat works well for one teenager and for groceries. It is, also, built to accept a bike rack.

Show Stopper needs more "Go"

As a driving enthusiast, I am partial to the 6-speed manual gearbox. People ask me all the time if I like my car, and I will tell them I LOVE it, but it needs another 40-60 HP to really wake up the throttle response at low RPM. It is super fun to toss into corners, and the steering response is excellent, as is braking, although the latter could always be improved with some aftermarket brakes. The wheels are ho-hum, as they are the same wheels Toyota puts on the Prius. Something more personal should be added to the list of dealer options, as most people won't outright spend close to (or over) a thousand dollars on wheels, but they will sure finance them. The touch screen audio/navigation system needs a lot of improvement, as does the voice activated command system. I would prefer these were omittable options myself, but if you want the nice seats/interior, you get the 'upgraded' stereo with it. Road noise is noticeable, but if I wanted quiet, I would have purchased something more "luxury" in the first place. As I said, I enjoy the experience of driving: both hands on the wheel, connected to the car and the road ahead. If driving [for you] is just another chore--a means of getting from point A to point B, then this car is probably not for you. Entry/egress is not quick, but once you're in the car, you're IN the car. The deep bucket seats make sure your backside stays put during spirited cornering, and the heaters in the Limited trim are great in the winter. Now, if they could just add the steering wheel to it... The back seat needs to be omitted, as it is good for nothing more than tossing a windbreaker or foul weather gear into it; I'm sure it's only there for insurance discounts. The bottom line for me is: it may not be practical in the least, but it is great fun to drive, especially to run through the gears manually, and the exhaust note at full throttle above 4,000 RPM is music to the ears. Who needs a radio? ;-)

BRZZZZZZZZZZZZ Subie

A lot of fun. Can be a great daily, just get used to a REALLY FIRM RIDE. Car definitely needs more power. But the balance in cornering and track driving is incomparable to anything else in this price range. I also have a Porsche Cayman GTS (which cost me in the neighborhood of $65,000) and this cars handling is right on par if not slightly better than my Cayman. Would be a great car to teach people how to drive a stick on.

Tranny problems at only 5 yrs and less than 50k mi

I own a 2017 Subaru BRZ Limited. A few months ago I started having a slight intermittent problem with shifting from 5th to 4th gear, manual transmission, I didn't think much of it at first. The car had less than 50,000. miles and was 5 years old at that time. The problem slowly over a few months started with shifting from 3rd to 4th gear also intermittently, that's when I knew something might be wrong so I took it to a Subaru dealer near me. Subaru of North Tampa. The Subaru dealer after diagnosis says the transmission needs to be replaced possibly because of synchronizers worn on gears. Cost of repair $5,000.00. Cost of diagnosis is $197.74 Subaru of America will not pay for the repairs because the warranty is over 5 years and a few miles over the 50,000. miles at he time we brought the car in for diagnosis. The manufacturers warranty is over and I get it but we bought this car brand because we thought it was a reliable company. An engine and Transmission shouldn't only last for 5 years or 50k miles. I have owned several cars mostly Toyotas over 45 years of driving and NEVER had any issues with a Transmission or engine and they had more that 80k each on them. I will never buy a Subaru again and will not recommend anyone to buy one. Subaru customer care is as bad as their cars because I called Subaru customer care on the 2nd of Dec. 2022 at 11:55 am EST and spoke to Patricia who took all the information needed and said someone will contact me within 48 hrs. Nobody contacted me for 4 days, 96 hrs. so I called on the 6th of Dec. 11:16 am to follow up and I was given a case number and a person to contact and said that Cheri, will contact me within 24 hrs. and I got an email after 24 hrs. stating that they will not cover the cost for the repairs.

Fun Fun Fun

I'm 64 years old, this car is a gas to drive. cornering, handling, is very tight. I've been averaging 29 miles to a gallon. The bucket seats have nice supporting sides, instruments are very nice the controls are at your finger tips. I like not having all the horns and whistles on the steering wheel. The automatic climate control is very good too.

You Get What You Pay For? Not This Time.

So I decided to "upgrade" my 2013 BRZ to a newer 2017. Big mistake. The 2017 is terrible compared to the older model. Yeah, it's got a few nice improvements: shark-fin antenna instead of plastic rod (but reception is rather poor), rear backup camera, LED lighting....but the list of what Subaru totally screwed up (in my opinion) is too long to ignore. This is supposed to be a sports car, yet it resists acceleration. Yep, this car is S L O W. It accelerates like a tractor. The standard OEM navigation map is now gone, leaving a large dead area on the dash where a touch screen sits unused. The outside temperature and MPG readings are now buried within a multi-page small digital screen on the dash. The Blue Tooth will not maintain a connection to my iPhone and I've given up re-pairing it every few days. The steering wheel feels like cheap hardened foam compared to the nicer 2013 wheel. Doors don't automatically lock when you start driving as on other makes of cars. You cannot arm the security alarm with doors or trunk open because the alarm will then set off when closing them. The door handle sensor for locking the car hardly ever works, and the sensor for unlocking the car only unlocks the driver-side door rather than both doors (you need to manually press an unlock button inside to release the passenger door). The Home Link auto-dimming rear view mirror still does not auto-dim (same poor technology as the 2013, yet Ford has an auto-dimming mirror which does work nicely so it's not unrealistic to expect this to actually work). The Home Link mirror buttons (which still also do not work) have been moved from a more-convenient front location on the 2013 to an idiotic non-visible Bottom location on the 2017. The rear seating area is smaller than the 2013, which was already cramped, so the back seats are pretty much just for show - my kid doesn't even fit back there comfortably so forget about seating 4 adults in the car. Add to all that various rattles and vibrations which just should not be happening on a factory-ordered brand new car. Even the pearl blue color isn't impressive - it's blue, but there really isn't any "pearl" look to it at all. If I knew then what I know now I never would have traded in my 2013 for this disappointment. This car is awful. Update: Since I keep getting requests from Edmunds to update my review, sure I will update it. Notched it down to 1 star and the latest news is I'm getting rid of this car for a "real" American sports car - the C8 Corvette. I'm done with Subaru.

Great Little Ride

This is a great handling sports car. Excellent handling. Needs back up camera.

Blue brz

It’s a nice little car and fun to drive. It’ll be a little to small for a bigger person and a family with children. The BRZ I bought hadn’t given me any problems and I’ve had it six years.

2016 limited brz

Swapped manual 2013 BRZ for an automatic 2016

The back seats are not really for adults, but kids might be okay back there.

There aren't enough corners

The BRZ is just too slow in a straight line. It should've come with 300 hp from the factory. However, the feel, balance and handling of the car is second to none. The steering is sublime. The brakes are worthless after 20 min on the track but brake kit upgrades are available. Swapped the stock wheels for 18"wheels/tires and lowered it 1". The car now looks the way it should've come. The driving position is perfect, the seats are as good as Recaros, the extra features of the Limited version is well worth the cost. The torque dip at 4K rpm sucks but a tune can fix the problem. Only wish I lived near twisty roads!

2018 50th Anniversary BRZ SUCS

I am sitting in the dealer for the 5th time due to issues with the head unit. After replacing the head unit, I'm now told my amp is bad. That does not explain why my phone doesn't work with the new head unit and the new software update. The car has 6800 miles on it and I do NOT trust it. Apparently Subaru does not test anything. Update: The car has 6800 miles and its been in the shop 5 times for warranty work.  Subaru can't/WON'T fix the head unit.   Finally after threatening to invoke the Lemon Law, my infotainment unit was deemed to be broken. The new unit was expedited and replaced in 8 days-a record for Subaru.  However, it was NEVER tested and I had to return the car after being told I was too stupid to sync my phone to the car.  Trip #4 took 2 days before they decided the newly replaced unit was bad and my Amp was also bad.  I was told it would take 1-2weeks to get the parts but I could come get my unsafe car and drive it while waiting for parts.  I refused and they managed to get the parts in less than a week.  Unfortunately I have been out of town so I don't know if they fixed it or not.  I will find out tomorrow.  The 2019 Outback they provided as a loaner displayed weird things on its ibfotainment system. The GPS gave me an error -saying that no Vocal module existed in this country for the NAVIGATE TO command.  GPS routinely took several minutes to load every time you started the car and it made a habit of sending me to the wtong location although I had the address entered.  Despite the lawsuit on the 2018 infotainment units, Harmon Karmon still has NOT fixed their problems.  Between the lousy customer service at Corporate and my local dealer and Subaru's FAILURE to address the numerous issues with the electronics on this car, I see NO REASON to buy another Subaru.

I totaled mine rolled 6 times

I rolled mine 6 times hit some water and was snatched off the road into a ditch and flipped and let me tell you I walked away with out a scratch this car held up amazingly I would highly recommend this car there is no logical reason I should have walked away from that wreck

To fast for me

What can I say if you want to go fast this is the car for you. I won’t drive it my license is my job and I’d get a suspension real fast lol. Fit and finish is outstanding for plus it’s a real head turner.

BRZ 41

a real driver's car. Very happy! I love its purity and unfiltered rawness. I am surely one of oldest persons at 81 who owns one of these cars. I takes me back To my MGB days in the 60‘s.

Thus is not a "family car", rather a "sports car"

If U bought this with people in the back seat in mind, "forget about it". It is a sport car. It is noisy and has a rough ride. That is what sports cars do. End stop. I drive "responsibly. My insurance is not bad. And I actually get nearly 35 mpg with the 5 spd. But it burns premium. So it is not a "cheap date. No problems technically to date after 4 years. Not a 400 hp Camaro/Mustang/Vet ...U want to drive fast in a straight line? ....this is not "your" choice.

A street legal go-kart

Is it everything any review about it ever said? Yes but wait, THERE'S MORE! Is it slow? Relatively. You'll get ~150 whp aka real world horsepower. From the 200-205hp FA20 engine, you can only put ~150-170 horsies on the ground. This doesn't mean the BRZ is a slug. The lightweight chassis makes up for the lack of power. You'll enjoy daily driving this car. (Please, don't try to race anyone. You will lose). Will I have a bad back after owning it? Yes and your knee as well. The ride is firmer than your usual daily but you didn't buy this car for sensibility. Oh and it is very low, so if you're taller than 5'2" then you'll probably develop knee problems. Getting out of tight spaces is also rough. With the mention of height, if you are taller than 5'2", consider the back seat useless. Will I regrow hair and be young again? No, but at least the car will distract everyone from your bald spot. Should you start vaping? No. Don't. It's bad for your health. Does it make vroom vroom noises? I mean...yeah. The stock head unit is so awful you're better off listening to the FA20 on your drives. There is a range of aftermarket exhaust component from a full kit to axle backs. You have find the best one out there to maximize or minimize that noise. So...that head unit? Seriously, what the hell Subaru! The head unit (the thing that controls your navigation, StarLink, audio, etc) is probably the worst unit in history. It is laggy, glitches and is most likely possessed. You can't even upgrade the thing because it takes more effort than just a simple download of drivers. It is fixable by buying a 2015 or earlier front fascia and a 200 mm head unit. The fascia is because the 2016 head unit is trapezoidal. When you install your new SQUARE head unit, you'll have gaps. Ok but does it vroom vroom at 4000 rpm? No. Torque dip BUT you're gonna want to hear the engine so go ahead and rev it. Overall: You are not buying this vehicle for practicality. You are buying this vehicle because you want a driver's car that is not the Mazda Miata. It is a perfect mix of a daily and a weekend car. You can be stuck in traffic with a smile. You will turn heads. You can definitely drive it around some back roads over the weekend. Fair warning, DO NOT think it is a slow car. You can easily hit 90-100 mph in this car if you're not paying attention and you'll probably stick out, which means tickets. It is slow for track days but for daily driving, trust me, you're going to get tickets.