Sciaru BRZFRS (BreezeFrees)

  • Thread starter Azuremen
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I'm not surprised that the cabrio went the way of the dodo (don't really think there would have been a market for it anyway), but the turbo dropping off caught me off guard. Considering the thin margins some of the sporty Subarus of the past have operated under, I wouldn't think costs would be a problem (and certainly not a lack of market).
 
I wish they sold it as a Toyota in North America, I like the Toyota name and badging better than the Scion.
 
Well the turbo or die folks can always hit up the aftermarket if they are brave enough to skirt the Warranty.

Personally, I'd probably go for an exhaust and ECU upgrade. Easier on the wallet to get that extra bump of power if I desire it.
 
Personally, I'd probably go for an exhaust and ECU upgrade. Easier on the wallet to get that extra bump of power if I desire it.

If I purchased one of these it would be full bolt-ons only (intake, exhaust) with a tune and suspension galore. Plenty of power for the twisties.
 
I still don't get why there are more Turbo Kit's than Supercharger Kit's, would be a Supercharger be the better option, especially for the engine response?
 
Judging from the amount of them I see on the road, I don't think it's that big of a mistake.
 
If anything Subaru made the mistake in allowing the BRZ to cost more than the FRS. Imho the best thing Subaru can do is capitalize on the lack of a high power variant and follow through with a STI version.

Btw my guess on toyota not doing a turbo is simply to avoid trouble with the line-up once they release the upcoming bmw collaboration.
 
-Fred-
Judging from the amount of them I see on the road, I don't think it's that big of a mistake.

Yeah, it's a pretty niche car and I think if anyone's interested they aren't going to skip it because it's a Scion. Personally I'd rather have it be a Toyota and I like the GT-86 name better, but I'd still get the Scion over the Subaru because it's a bit cheaper.
 
Kamuifanboy
I actually told the guys at TRD that Toyota was making a MASSIVE mistake selling the car under the Scion and non 86 name in America.

Same here. I wished that they sold it as a Toyota 86/GT86. I call the FR-S a 86 all the time. And later used FR-S for a different RWD compact for Scion.

Kent
If anything Subaru made the mistake in allowing the BRZ to cost more than the FRS. Imho the best thing Subaru can do is capitalize on the lack of a high power variant and follow through with a STI version.

Btw my guess on toyota not doing a turbo is simply to avoid trouble with the line-up once they release the upcoming bmw collaboration.

This. They should be on the works for the BRZ STi. I don't care if it's a RWD or AWD BRZ, they need to create one and sell it on the BRZ S's price. I would pay a lower price for a BRZ around the FR-S/86 of $25K not around a price I can get a WRX or a WRX STi. Even though I love the BRZ and it's feel on the roads and tracks as a serious contender, I'll go for a GT86.
 
If anything Subaru made the mistake in allowing the BRZ to cost more than the FRS.
Why is it a mistake? They easily sold the whole allocation.

They should be on the works for the BRZ STi. I don't care if it's a RWD or AWD BRZ, they need to create one and sell it on the BRZ S's price.
Keep dreamin. Subaru started offering an STI package for the BRZ in Australia. It's a ~8k AUD option. The car starts at 37k, so here the option would be over $5k.
 
Even though I know they sold like hotcakes, Im sure they didn't sell as easily as the FRS. I know people who went for the FRS simply due to price and mean while the local Subaru dealer managed to have a couple of BRZs stay on the lot for weeks (not days like the normal selling time).

I admit, I didn't know they actually sold out of the BRZ but I am sure they did themselves a disservice by selling what was basically the exact same car for more money.

Then again, down here in Louisiana Subaru isn't as popular as other brands and so I'm sure that didn't help the sales pitch with a higher price while the Toyota dealer a mile down the road was selling the FRS for less.

All that said, Im glad to hear the BRZ completely sold out, that's a great feat and should solidify the Sti version making an appearance in the USDM. 👍
 
Even though I know they sold like hotcakes, Im sure they didn't sell as easily as the FRS. I know people who went for the FRS simply due to price and mean while the local Subaru dealer managed to have a couple of BRZs stay on the lot for weeks (not days like the normal selling time).

You're interpreting your one local greedy dealer as a national average.
Nationally, BRZs spent quite a bit less time on the lots.
carnews_52113_600.jpg

Picture as of May '13.
Subaru's pricing makes complete sense to me, given allocations and extra features.
 
I can't wait until I graduate college and these are affordable used. It'll be tough to choose between that and a Focus ST though.
 
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It's not a greedy dealer thing, it's a Louisiana thing... Subaru is not as well regarded down here as the competitors.
That said, looking at your image charts I'm feeling like Subaru made another mistake in allowing themselves to get the insanely short end of the stick. That is to say the actual number of cars Subaru was allowed to get from the production run... I mean, they didn't even get 50% of the cars Scion took! That's a huge mistake, especially knowing they sold-out there supply of BRZs.
With numbers like that I'd be outraged as a Subaru executive because they obviously could have expected to double their sales if they would have been a fair allocation of cars.

All that aside, I'm going to be looking into what the extra features are on the BRZ, I really thought the two were pretty much identical. Now I'm getting the impression Subby didn't apply a premium but instead provided two thousand dollars worth of extra features. 👍
(if you already know what that 2k goes towards please feel free to fill me in)

I'd also like to point out that the article you are pulling from...
http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/analysis/drive-by-numbers-scion-fr-s-vs-subaru-brz.html

Goes on to say the FRS is the winner in a comparison because it's done more for the brand and that the overwhelming sales volume is what pushed it to the top.

Of course, you have to take that with a grain of salt as even I will admit, there was no way I'd drive a Scion before the FRS and I currently own a Subaru (2 actually) so there's no doubt I'm subby biased.
 
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Base price MSRP for a BRZ is different by at most $1k, and that gets you a so-so Nav and HIDs in a BRZ. Are those worth the extra $1k? Who knows, not to me. Currently the average price difference is like $400, and for that the extras are worth it.

I doubt Subaru agreed to a 3:1 allocation in the US w/o some kind of profit sharing. And while I do have two Subies, I would not have hesitated to buy a Scion/Toyota if it had a trim better equipped than Subaru. The 'series 10' FR-S, which is basically a Limited trim BRZ costs more than the Subie ;)

The $2k transaction price difference probably reflects a fair share of Limited trim Subies, which add a push-button start, keyless access, dual-zone climate, alcantara-trimmed heated seats, heated mirrors, rear spoiler, and fog lights.
 
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Im not sure I understand the sales figures if Subby didn't agree to a 3:1 ratio... You said they sold out their allocation and the sales figures as of may '13 (per your material) show approximately 3:1. How's that work?

That said I do see 2k in difference when you apply a limited BRZ compared to what I imagine is a more base line FRS. Push button starts are sexy, though I have a hard time believing any car over 20k doesn't come with keyless access standard.
 
I'm saying that they did agree to 3:1 ratio, so I'm fairly certain there is profit sharing. Basically i think they decided to split the market whichever way maximizes total profits.
Keyless access as in no key pressing involved in getting into a locked car. Proximity and touch sensors in doors and trunk.
 
I'm saying that they did agree to 3:1 ratio, so I'm fairly certain there is profit sharing. Basically i think they decided to split the market whichever way maximizes total profits.
Keyless access as in no key pressing involved in getting into a locked car. Proximity and touch sensors in doors and trunk.

Yeah, sorry, still living in the '90s when keyless entry meant you didn't actually put a key into a keyhole in the door. :dunce:
Just as well I'm glad to hear Subaru go profit sharing off of Scion's FRS, do you know roughly how much they take from each of the sales? It's probably a pain for the people who had to do the math figuring out how much of each FRS was to go to Subaru since part of that money probably goes back to Toyota being that they have stock in Subaru. I bet that was a nasty negotiation for Toyota being that Subaru did the actual manufacturing (I believe all the FRS and BRZs come out of the Gunma plant where the wrx is made).

Btw, thanks for the heads up on all this info, in all my readings about the BRZ and FRS I never caught much of the Profit Sharing and Allocation Ratios you've informed here.
 
NEWS -> FHI Japan releases some teaser pics of the upcoming BRZ:

BRZ_tS_teaser-opt.jpg


LINK

^ Don't get your hopes up, it might as well be a Tuned by STI model and not a full-on STI model... :indiff:
 
Looking at a few Tuned by STI cars, none of them got a pink STI badge in the grille like that. Interesting...
 
-> ...
Looking at a few Tuned by STI cars, none of them got a pink STI badge in the grille like that. Interesting...
^ You never know, it might just be another variant. FHI loves localized variants y'know! :sly:

I want a Stibbers. And I want it forced inducted.
^ Since Toyota gave up bosting their version, it all up to Subaru now. But I'm still as skeptical as GT6 releasing on time... :indiff:
 
I still think the toyota f/i 86 was killed to avoid trouble with the line in the future due to the bmw collaboration that is currently in the works.

However, subaru has been caught testing a sti brz at the ring and I doubt that will be dropped, especially considering the success this car has already seen. Make it weight less and give it a few more ponies, Im sure a sti brz would be a big winner.
 
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