Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Subaru BRZ Premium

A true automotive enthusiast will scoff and point their nose to the sky when shown a sports-coupe outfitted with an automatic transmission. We managed to hold off on any pre-conceived thoughts of automotive snobbery when testing out the latest sports car from Subaru, the BRZ.

Tested in Premium trim, it starts at $25,495, and with the optional automatic transmission adds $1,100 more to the total cost of the car.

While the enthusiast option is, and always will be the six-speed manual, its not for everyone. Luckily the automatic transmission available in the BRZ is telepathic in its shift-logic, and one of the quickest non dual-clutch units we’ve ever experienced.

The car as a whole has a well balanced feel and when the transmission is put into ‘Sport’ mode, it results in quicker and more aggressive downshifts. The engine can even rev all the way to the redline when put into manual mode. To control shifting, the tactile paddles behind the steering wheel are far more enjoyable than the gear-stick’s ‘up-down’ gesture.

Even when driving the car aggressively, it returned a whopping 29 mpg. This is a touch better than the EPAs rating of 28 mpg in combined driving situations, but what’s surprising is even with the transmission mostly set in sport, or manual mode (and during ‘spirited’ driving) the BRZ maintained this fuel consumption number. It would be hard to drive the BRZ more aggressively than we did, so it’s likely that tamer, more disciplined drivers will enjoy even better fuel consumption.

This comes across as even more surprising when you realize how much fun the BRZ is to drive, and how quickly it can move when the going gets twisty. Most sports cars drink fuel quickly when driven hard, but that never got in the way of fun in the BRZ.

The interior of the BRZ is modern, if uninspiring. The stereo head-unit highlights this conundrum. It’s a big touch-screen, but has glare and is frustrating to use. It’s slow, and not intuitive, with tiny buttons, and poor graphics on the navigation screen. Additionally, with the lack of steering-wheel mounted controls, you needed to take your eyes off the road to use the touch-screen, and hitting the wrong on-screen button (which happened often) is a further distraction.

Furthermore, the car doesn’t have an integrated mic, so just beside the vanity mirror is this strange looking microphone, which looks absolutely tragic in a brand new, 2013 vehicle.

There’s no denying the wonderful performance of the BRZ’s headlights. The high-intensity discharge units light up the road and street signs at night in a way that no regular halogens could. They have a great cut-off, and the BRZ’s low riding height also mean you won’t be blinding any other drivers.

Look into the housing, and you’ll catch a gorgeous C-shaped pattern. It looks so great, and the LED day-time running lights add a touch of sophistication and elegance this budget boy-racer could use.

The BRZ’s looks, handling and performance are great, but to get the most out of it, it may be best to opt for the fully loaded Limited trim. An extra $2,000 will round out the car’s exterior with fog-lights and a slick spoiler, but the real value comes with the touched up interior.

For example, the seats get heaters, as well as Alacantara inserts with leather. The center cluster gets a gorgeous facelift with an automatic dual-zone climate control. Furthermore, the Limited gets cooler tech, like keyless entry and push-button start – and shouldn’t every sports car get a push button start?

While a unique purist’s sports car, these extra goodies help make it more modern and a more enjoyable package for when you’re not clipping an apex.

Are you interested in a sports car, or think that the Subaru BRZ is for you? Then check out our new car buying page, where you can build the car the way you want it, and get a quote. You can see all of Subaru’s offering, or jump straight to the 2013 Subaru BRZ. Not convinced? Check out the competition from Scion, Mazda and Hyundai.

Want to learn more? Read Autoguide’s full Subaru BRZ review.