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No. It has a roof. And if it ever comes without a roof, I cringe at the thought of the price. I'd like to drive it, but I wouldn't run out and drop the cash on one.The new Permagrin?
Here is my take. FRS/BRZ is like our spyder except it's slower in corner and drag, but has useless backseat. So why would you buy one for "money"? Might as well get the mustang, because it's a completely different car to appreciate.If i had to pick between the 2, i would take the brz over the mustang. Even though the mustang is more powerful its just to heavy and not as refined and precise as the brz imo. I feel the average person would post better times in the brz than they would in the mustang as its more of a handful than the brz around the track.
With all the Subaru tuners out there for the WRX I think that the BRZ is going to be HUGE for them, not like Mazda's Miata huge, but close to it.I know of more then a few current model Mustangs that do rather well at the local auto-x events. I wouldn't underestimate the potential of the Mustang either. The Mustang is faster but doesn't handle well in stock trim. The BRZ handles well but doesn't have the power in stock trim. It would be interesting to see what they do with similar mods.
+1 you summed it up pretty well!!Give me the BRZ over the ocean-liner absolutely any day of the week.
The engine started at the FB, but Yamaha worked it over. New block, heads, connecting rods, and pistons. Crankshaft I'm unsure about.This is the world's only front-engine, rear-drive sports car powered by a boxer engine. The Subaru 2.0-liter four is an all-new engine with a different block from that used in the 2012 Impreza, and features Toyota-sourced direct injection. It gets a unique FA designation within the Subaru engine family (the closely related 2012 Impreza engine is known as the FB
So, same core engine and anything they do for the WRX STI will probably be able to be adapted fairly readily to the BRZ. So 305 hp with relatively "stock" components is a real possibility.
So there's a stronger lower end, but the "plumbing" should still be relatively easily adaptable. Does Subaru make two versions of the lower end, one for the N/A cars and one for the F/I? It appears that they're going to a 2.0 liter engine for the WRX/STI cars for the next model year, seems unlikely that they'd use a different motor for this one, doesn't it?The engine started at the FB, but Yamaha worked it over. New block, heads, connecting rods, and pistons. Crankshaft I'm unsure about.
They use the same mounting points though, and those mounting points are also the same as the EJ series they used for years and years.
The plumbing would only be adaptable if all the passages in the block are the same, so I don't know about that part of it, since I haven't pulled an FA apart yet. Yamaha designed a lot of the engine in the car, instead of subaru, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were major differences.So there's a stronger lower end, but the "plumbing" should still be relatively easily adaptable. Does Subaru make two versions of the lower end, one for the N/A cars and one for the F/I? It appears that they're going to a 2.0 liter engine for the WRX/STI cars for the next model year, seems unlikely that they'd use a different motor for this one, doesn't it?
Or am I missing something? (Wouldn't be the first time.)
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Looks like you're right, That is until you get to the engine. It might seem easy to bolt the twin-scroll turbocharger from the JDM-spec WRX STI onto the BRZ's 2.0-liter boxer, but the BRZ uses an all-new engine that utilizes both direct and port injection. Even so, a low-boost setup should lift power to around 295 horsepower and almost double its torque output to 280 pound-feet but I'm still not sure they're talking about the 2013 WRX/STI motor because Subaru says they're dropping it from 2.5L back down to 2.0L for 2013.The plumbing would only be adaptable if all the passages in the block are the same, so I don't know about that part of it, since I haven't pulled an FA apart yet. Yamaha designed a lot of the engine in the car, instead of subaru, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were major differences.
I do know from the literature that the connecting rod shape is pretty radically different and while they're both 2.0L, the FA is an extremely high compression square 1998cc engine, and the FB is an average compression undersquare 1995cc engine. The heads in the FA are both direct and port injection, and the FB is port-only in it's current iterations. There's also a rather dramatic difference in valve angles between the engines, not unlike the 1ZZ and 2ZZ differences.
I'm sure there'll be an ocean of parts for these cars.Looks like you're right, That is until you get to the engine. It might seem easy to bolt the twin-scroll turbocharger from the JDM-spec WRX STI onto the BRZ's 2.0-liter boxer, but the BRZ uses an all-new engine that utilizes both direct and port injection. Even so, a low-boost setup should lift power to around 295 horsepower and almost double its torque output to 280 pound-feet but I'm still not sure they're talking about the 2013 WRX/STI motor because Subaru says they're dropping it from 2.5L back down to 2.0L for 2013.
I just thought it was odd that they'd use two different motors so close in displacement/purpose when they could just use the one.
It'll all come clear, but I'd bet there's HUGE $$$ to be made in BRZ tunage . . .
I'm hoping the next gen mustang is smaller and lighter, not holding my breath though!Then again about the time the turbo model comes out we can compare these cars all over again as Ford is set to release the EcoBoost Mustang