Finally, picked up the BRZ last night. I've only put about 40 miles on it so far but I'm very pleased.
Reminds me of my Lotus Elise. Taut suspension, incredibly fun to drive around town...but obviously much more livable.
-Jim
There are already several turbo kits available for the twins. Boost seems to be in the 4-8 psi range. Of course, we'll have to see about longevity.
Some kits are getting 300+ rwhp.
-Jim
Congrats! Did you pick up a 6MT or 6AT? I'm still on the fence... If I didn't have the NSX the 6MT would be a no brainer but having both makes me want a 6AT. How long was your wait? Did you pick up one off the lot (there seems to be a few that popup) or did you order and wait for yours?
A buddy of mine is doing extensive testing on the exhaust system. Seems to be no gain had from the cat back but improving the header design seems very worthwhile. I also haven't seen a Turbo kit I like yet. Inevitably more power will change the car's characteristics. I won't be ready for that until perhaps year 2 or 3. That would be a good time for the aftermarket to sort out a good kit.
You might enjoy this "review" too
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Randy Pobst's Impressions:
On handling...
The balance is so good. I don't have to turn the steering wheel much and the balance doesn't change much through the corner, which is one of the things I really appreciate about the Subaru. I can enter the corner hard on the brakes, standing on the nose, and turn in. Yes, there's a little roll and no, there's not a lot of tire grip -- it's not a real strong, grippy tire -- but the balance is good through the entry phase. I add some power and it frees the car up a little bit. Just a little, right in the middle of the corner. After that, it just hooks up and drives off in beautiful shape. I can carry full cornering speed right to the exit. I know right where the car is going to go, right where it's going to be, so it's predictable. It's stable without understeer. That's a wonderful thing and I don't think that's easy to achieve.
On the brakes...
I had genuine brake fade, this was pad fade. The pedal was not soft. I could smell the brakes by the end of the second lap and by the third lap -- I did a third lap, too, partially just because I wanted to -- but I could feel clear fade. Firm pedal, but losing stopping grip, which is probably pad fade. I could smell the pads, too. Maybe they've never been that hot before.
On the engine...
The engine just doesn't want to be flogged all the way to redline -- it really doesn't. I'm shifting a couple hundred RPM below that. The engine is not the sweetest engine there is, but it has a broad power curve, makes it very usable. Needs more power. It wants it. I'd put more tire on it, too. I just like power. I don't really believe in that "this is enough power" theory, but power does really change a car's character. It's a lot more difficult, I think, to make cars handle well when they have more power. I think I would supercharge it so you don't lose that precision in the power delivery.
Overall...
Fabulous car! Oh my God! I mean, really just a wonderful and satisfying experience. I feel like I can just drive this car right on the edge of the friction circle. It reminds me a lot of my all-time favorites, the MX-5 -- first-gen, second-gen or third-gen. In some ways, it's actually better. It doesn't have the roll that the MX-5 has had all along. What a satisfying ride in terms of...everything.
