Finally; A New Subaru That Isn't Bad: BRZ

[Shazam]

My disappointment in Subaru started with the current Forester. That's right, the original Tribecca didn't phase me, and even the current (or is it now the last Impreza?) didn't bother me too much. Once it had the wider wheel wells that eventually because standard on the WRX, it wasn't a bad looking car at all. But then came the Forester. I thought it completely ruined what the Forester used to be. I never considered the Forester a SUV, but more like a less wagonish XC70, with some tall windows. Suddenly it turns into what looks like a stubby little SUV. While not a bad car, it shouldn't be a Forester. Then the new Outback. Good bye awesome Outback of yesteryear, and hello to some weird van like thing. Then the new Legacy. Just ugly as all get-out. And recently the new Impreza. Ugly tonka toy looking thing with an anemic engine. But, now this! The Subaru BRZ. A little bland looking, and not very visually distinguished from it's sister the Scion FR-S.




200 HP doesn't sound bad (a little low for a two-door sports car) but something like 146 TQ sounds low. I'm hoping a STI or at least a turbo version will come down the pipes. If so, I'll be looking very closely.

[rpiereck]

I am there with you on Subaru. I used to looooove Subbies, and owned an '08 Forester (last model of the wagon Forester) and a '91 Loyale Wagon. I thought Subaru was a smart company that made sensible cars: hell, for a while they had three wagons! The Forester (I agree with you 100% that the first Forester was now an SUV), the Legacy wagon (whence came the Outback), and the Impreza wagon. I loved the old Subarus with no window frames, and their own let-me-do-my-own-thing kind of car build. Then came the new Impreza. I hated it at first, it looked too bland, too Corolla, had window frames on the doors (Screw NVH! Gimme style!), and the most horrible dashboard ever put on a Subaru. The STi disappointed deeply, as it was not any more powerful than a WRX. The came the new Forester. WTF is up with that RAV4 styling? It's blander than a generic brand vanilla ice cream, and not a wagon!! The final drop was the new Legacy and Outback. I mean, come on! The rear end on the Outback is atrocious! Why is it so high? The whole current Subaru line up stinks, and even now when I probably will be buying a wagon within a year I am not considering Subaru, when they should have been my first choice a few years back!

I do hope the BRZ brings it home for Subaru. It's a good looking car, but in the end it shares too much with the Toyota FR86 (or whatever it's called). Subaru needs to go back to doing what they know best: four wheel drive wagons.

[SaabKen]

Somehow I think this is a better addition to Scion's portfolio (think latter-day Celica) than for Subaru.

I like the BRZ's front end more, but like the FR-S' rear treatment and tailights better:

[Hirsch]

I like it, but Subie screwed up by not making it AWD.

[nordwulf]

All the Japanese car manufacturers are becoming too American with many of their models. Not many for sale in the US market are made in Japan anymore and I think many models sold here are not even sold outside the US. So it seems they have lost a lot of their Asian identity and Subaru is no exception. Hopefully, this 2-door Subaru will reverse that trend.

I was looking at a Subaru Outback a while ago but it just didn't have enough identity. As others, I like previous Outback wagon but the new one feels more like a minivan. Foresters are usually driven by 55+ year-old women and I never really cared for the older models either. Too much bland Japnese econobox , even though I have never driven one. The Japanese used to make fun and affordable cars but they lost their appeal for me when they went American mainstream.

[Hirsch]

You're right, Frank. The Camry is only sold in North America, the Honda Accord in Europe is an Acura in the US. The new Jetta is new for the US only, it's being built in Chattanooga, TN. The Accord is built in Marysville, OH. The Camry is built in numerous plants across NKY and S IN.

[rpiereck]

I agree that many Japanese auto makers are losing their identity in search for the public's dollars, and it's an unfortunate thing. There were three Japanese manufacturers that maintained their identity for a bit longer: Subaru, Mitsubishi and Mazda.

Subaru has fallen into the same trap as SAAB, although it has fared better so far: a niche brand who made utilitarian, sensible cars, became famous for wagons and its asymmetrical all wheel drive, boxer engines, and the World Rally Championship wins. It was however too small and sold to a limited audience, and has needed support from other bigger manufacturers, like GM and Toyota. We all know how the period with GM ended (the bastardized SAAB 9-2x while a great car is one of the end results), but soon GM did the best thing and let Subaru go. Now Toyota has 20% of Subaru's ownership and seem to be having a lot of influence on Subaru's future. For the past few years Subaru has lost its identity with the new, blander models, and many die-hard Subaru owners vouched to stay clear of the newer stuff (much like SAAB after the demise of the C900). Hopefully Subaru can turn around and regain some of its lost identity, which in today's market might be a good thing to distinguish itself. Hirsch said it right, Subaru needs to make the BRZ in all wheel drive.

Mitsubishi has kept their identity, but at a price. THe problem is, Mitsubishi's identity, even in its home country, is of bland cars. They have on car that has stood out recent'y due to its rivalry to Subaru's STi, the Evo. The rest of Mitsubishi's line up... what are they making anyway, anyone know? Their sales are severely down in the US because, well, their cars are boring and forgettable, and don't have the best reliability among Japanese car makers. That, and some of their cars are downright terrible. I recently rented a Galant in Seattle, and had to return the car the next day because 1) I felt like I was 40 years older driving it, and 2) my head was less than a foot from the top of the windshield. That car has horrible ergonomics! And what car did they sell for years that had a "sporty" image (I hate that word), but in reality was a lard-ass excuse for a pseudo-sports car? The Eclipse. Save for the first generation, the following Eclipses were horrible, and ugly too. Oh, what about the Montero or Pajero? The Montero/Pajero used to be the hidden ace in Mitsubishi's line up. The unspoken-of secret, a highly capable off road vehicle that would hang in there tooth and nail against a Land Cruiser, besting Land Rovers and many other off road vehicles in reliability, comfort, etc. I have an uncle who worked for the UN for 35 years and lived in many select dirt poor countries around the world and he swears by the Montero/Pajero. Mitsubishi got too comfortable with the vehicle and didn't update it for way too long, then did a modernized body that didn't attract too many buyers, and now it's an also-ran choice when it comes to an off road vehicle. The current Montero is but a shadow of the former Montero (as is the case with the Galant, Eclipse, L200..etc). Mitsubishi sold its soul trying to make their bland cars even blander, and has become a loser in the end, I think only SAAB sold less cars than them last year, lost a bunch of dealers, and there have been rumors of the auto maker leaving the US market.

Mazda is the last one. I think Mazda has been trying really hard to maintain their identity, and it has paid off for them so far. One can say that despite the heavy hitters of the Japanese sports car world (e.g. Sti, Evo, GT-R), Mazda is Japan's sports car brad nowadays. Mazda has the ubiquitous Miata, which is a great sports car, the RX-8, and the Mazdaspeed 3. Until recently it had the Mazdaspeed 6. Mazda is probably, after Porsche, the manufacturer most directly involved with motorsports in the USA. It's Mazda 2 B-Spec is a success so far. Mazda has been pulling the right punches and it's done great things for their image. They have sold out a bit in their CUV/MPV segment, but even there their offerings are sportier than the competition. Mazda's challenges are coming however, as they need to replace the RX-8 and MX-5 Miata within a few years, and those are their thoroughbreds. Hopefully Mazda will do the right thing and follow the same winning formula for those cars and maintain their identity too.

[SaabKen]

I like it, but Subie screwed up by not making it AWD.

Absolutely. What they needed to build is SVX v2.0




Pop quiz question: what does the SVX and the 9000 have in common ?

....... driven by 55+ year-old women and I never really cared for the older models either ..........

So no Mercury Cougars neither ? ..........

[J-Rod]

It looks like a Tiburon. That's not a bad think though.

I think I'd take the Scion version though. As long as they didn't screw up the interior. (They're good at S****y interiors. I looked a TC because I love the exterior. I got halfway in the car and said no way.)

[rpiereck]

Pop quiz question: what does the SVX and the 9000 have in common ?

Both designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro!