The production version of the Subaru BRZ will differ from its Toyota siblings in trim only.
A day after learning the names for the Toyota version of its joint sports coupe project, Subaru is has released photos of its version ahead of its official reveal at the Tokyo Auto Show.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ was co-developed with the Toyota sport coupe – which will be known as the 86 in Japan, GT 86 in Europe and Scion FR-S in the states – and has been teased repeatedly, most recently at the Los Angeles Auto Show, where Subaru displayed the BRZ Concept STI. Earlier, a version called the BRZ Prologue was shown in Geneva. The bizarre “technology concept,” which showed the car’s internal workings, was on display in September at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
Subaru didn’t release any new details about the car, but Toyota has released technical specifications, which are listed below. The two cars will differ in trim only, so the specs should stay the same.
The hotly anticipated Subaru BRZ will be powered by a 197-horsepower flat four cylinder.
Subaru took the lead on developing the rear-wheel-drive chassis and provided the basic horizontally opposed 2.0-liter four cylinder. Toyota donated its unique direct injection system and did the styling. While there had been speculation that the Subaru version would get an additional 10 horsepower, it will actually be the same 197 horses as the Toyota version. Some websites have erroneously reported the horsepower figure as 200.
Toyota, which has a 16.5 percent ownership stake in Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries, also released some of the official specs for the car, listed below. No prices have been announced, but speculation has been on the high $20s.
The 86/GT 86/FR-S/BRZ is unusual because its chassis was developed by Subaru, which has no experience with a strictly rear-wheel-drive chassis while its partner, Toyota, has decades of RWD experience. The engine location, front midship, as automakers call it, precludes a future all-wheel-drive version, unless a completely new transaxle is developed for it, so Subaru’s expertise in all-wheel-drive systems likely won’t be utilized. For the last two decades, Subaru has focused primarily on all-wheel-drive cars, particularly in the U.S.
Both Toyota and Subaru have said that the car has an extremely low center of gravity, a product of the flat four engine design and the engine placement.
Main Specifications* of 86 (Production Prototype)
Length 166.9 inches (4,240 mm)
Width 69.9 inches (1,775 mm)
Height 51.18 inches (1,300 mm)
Wheelbase 101.2 inches (2,570 mm)
Track Front 59.8 inches (1,520 mm)
Rear 60.6 inches (1,540 mm)
Seating capacity 4
Engine Total displacement 121.9 cubic inches (1,998 cc)
Type Horizontally opposed four-cylinder, direct-injection DOHC
Bore × stroke 86 × 86
Maximum output 197 hp (147 kW) @ 7,000 rpm
Maximum torque 151 lb.-ft. (205 N-m) @ 6,600 rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
Driveline Rear-wheel drive
Suspension Front Struts
Rear Double wishbone
Brakes Front Ventilated disk
Rear Ventilated disk
Tires Front 215/40R18
Rear 225/40R18
Fuel tank 13.2 gallons (50 liters)
Fuel Unleaded premium
*According to TMC measurements and targets