While copy chief and BRZ chaperone Emiliana Sandoval was out of the office, I was handed the keys to the baby blue rear-drive coupe for the week. It was the first time I’d gotten a car with a manual gearbox for an entire week, and I was excited to see if the horrors of driving a stick in L.A. traffic were true.
After spending a week driving the BRZ through the worst hours, I can safely say that it’s easy to drive a manual in L.A. traffic as long as you take it easy and relax. The car’s light clutch engages quickly and is easy to modulate, and the shifter has short, precise throws that are satisfying even when you’re not carving up twisty roads. Finding a comfortable driving position was a breeze because there’s plenty of adjustability in the steering wheel and the driver’s seat. Like Sandoval mentioned in the previous update, I wish the BRZ had hill start assist; L.A. drivers are pretty notorious for coming up way too close behind you in traffic—even when you’re on a hill going up.
With a high-revving 2.0-liter flat-four making 200 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, you need to rev the engine to get the most out of it. No, it’s not underpowered, because passing and merging on the freeway—even with two additional passengers in the car—and going up inclines wasn’t a problem. If there’s anything the BRZ needs, it’s more midrange torque because it doesn’t have much (read: turbocharge it). The rest of the car is spot-on, especially its handling, balance, and steering, which are its best attributes.
My time with the BRZ was memorable. I love driving it, and I especially enjoyed its balance and agility. Take it to a winding road such as Mulholland Highway or Glendora Mountain Road, and the BRZ comes alive the moment you take your first corner; you’ll realize you just carried more speed through it than everyone else. The car aims to please the driver, and it succeeds every time I got behind the wheel, as evident in the huge grin on my face after every single drive. You’ll enjoy driving again because of this car, and it’s a stress reliever the moment you get behind the wheel and on the road.
More on our long-term 2016 Subaru BRZ Series HyperBlue here:
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