I finally got my hands on a 2022 Subaru BRZ with a manual transmission, now as you remember I tested this one’s Toyota twin a few months ago but that one had an automatic transmission which was very good but not a stick.  I was supposed to test this BRZ several weeks ago but it got damaged and the parts weren’t available thanks to supply chain issues, however, now I have it I need to decide which one of the Toybaru twins I would buy. 

CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:46 Key differences
3:12 Engine and Transmission
3:29 Cargo Space
4:00 Exhaust Sound
4:28 Interior
5:58 Driving
13:27 Verdict

What's the difference between the Subaru BRZ and the GR86?

First of all, what does the BRZ name mean, Subaru says it stands for “Boxer engine, Rear-wheel drive, and Zenith. Now with that out of the way let's get into the specifics. Visually there’s not much difference except of course for the badges, the Subaru has a smaller and less aggressive grille, more of a smiley face to the dour fish face look of the GR86. 

More than skin deep

Subaru and Toyota install their own unique headlights and bumpers, and the BRZ has a different design to the side vents. The BRZ grille is in two parts and has a splitter to help increase downforce and at the rear, neither trim gets the Supraesque ducktail spoiler, instead, it makes do with the standard one.  Other than those items they share the same engines, transmissions, and body structure. 

Suspension

Where they do differ is the suspension, in the Toyota, the suspension uses the old 86's rear setup, so it has a subframe-mounted anti-roll bar and slightly different spring rates.  Subaru, however, changed more underneath the new BRZ, the front springs are stiffer by 7 percent and the rear springs are 11 percent softer, and they also installed a 1mm-thinner rear anti-roll bar and mounted it directly to the BRZ's body instead of the subframe. The front anti-roll bar is hollow and the front knuckles are aluminum. 

All this adds up to a much more neutrally balanced BRZ versus the GR86, thanks to softer rear springs. The bonus if you see it that way is the GR86 is more willing to slide the rear end than the Subaru. The Subaru hangs on longer but can be unpredictable when it finally gives up. 

2022 Subaru BRZ Limited Numbers

BASE PRICE:  $30,495
PRICE AS TESTED:  $31,455
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger (barely), 2 door coupe
ENGINE:  2.0 liter DOHC 16-valve flat-4
POWER: 228 hp @ 7,000 rpm
TORQUE: 184 lb-ft @ 3,700 rpm
TRANSMISSION:  6-speed manual
0-60 MPH: 5.8 seconds
CURB WEIGHT:  2,815 lbs
CARGO VOLUME: 6.9 ft³
FUEL ECONOMY Combined/city/highway: 25/22/30 mpg 
OUR OBSERVED: 22.7 mpg
PROS: More power and torque, terrific handling, superb fun
CONS: Can be noisy on the highway, needs better brakes

If you opt for the Limited trim like my tester you get 18-inch wheels with sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4’s, if you enjoy drifting to the shops then get the base model which has skinnier all seasons on 17-inch rims. Interestingly there is one other interesting difference between the two cars, more buyers opted for an auto transmission in the FRS,  approx 70% whereas in the BRZ 70% chose to go with the manual.    

More power and torque

Under the hood is the more powerful and bigger 2.4 liter from the Outback which now has 228 hp and most importantly 184-pound feet of torque at a much lower 3,700 rpm. The previous engine’s torque peaked at a heady 6,400 rpm just in time to change up and lose it all. The 6-speed manual is an in-house transmission developed by Toyota and is based on Aisin AI's AZ6.