I was in a Subaru dealership with my dad the other day picking up some parts for the family Forester (a bit more on that later).
They had a Subaru BRZ there, a car I am very interested in.
Unfortunately I did not get to take it for a test drive, but I did get to
examine it pretty thoroughly.
The seating position is very comfortable. The rear seat behind
the driver’s seat is utterly useless. The rear seat behind the passenger seat
actually has enough leg room that you can sit there fairly comfortably. I do
not know how great it would be on a long distant trip (to be in that rear
seat), but for shorter drives it looks like it should be fine. As a Honda Prelude
owner I like this improvement. It takes the car from a two adult passenger vehicle
to a three adult passenger vehicle.
The trunk space is shallower than I expected, but with the
rear bench folding down this probably would not be an issue for long road trips
(something I’ve enjoyed in the Prelude).
The dealer was also kind enough to pop the good. The engine
really is nestled in there very low. It fits right between the wheel wells.
There is a metal skid plate underneath the whole thing. There may or may not be
a third engine / transmission mount. If there is one, it is not located in the in
the center of the firewall like on other Subaru's. The weight distribution looks
wonderfully low.
The oil filter is located on top of the engine, which will
make that bit of maintenance that much easier.
The AC compressor is beneath engine.
The radiator is mounted at an angle, it looks like it may be
difficult to get out.
Spark plugs look quite interesting. It looks like you will
need to remove the wheels and plastic cowling in the wheel wells to get at
them. This may actually be easier than the current song and dance removing fluid
reservoirs, batteries, and air boxes in the Outback and Forester.
All in all, I’m a fan. I will most likely be looking to buy
one within the year.
