2018 Subaru BRZ Performance Pack Tested on Track!
Does the Performance Pack make the Subaru BRZ a legitimate track day hero?
For clarification, the car I test drove was a 2018 Subaru BRZ Series.Yellow. Basically, it’s a Limited trim with the Performance Package and fancy paint. For the record, at present, an equivalent of the Performance Pack cannot be spec’d on a Toyota 86. Additionally, the Performance Pack can only be added to the top of the line Limited trim level, for…reasons?
I drove the BRZ at Willow Springs International Raceway, aka Big Willow. For the uninitiated, Big Willow is a track that favors powerful cars and brave drivers. The quickest, ballsiest Miata driver may be able to keep up with a rookie driving a Corvette here, but only just, and they would have to really be on it. So, not the ideal track for the BRZ and its modest power output, but track testing will be telling, none the less.
My initial impressions of the BRZ were mixed. Interior materials are nicer than the 2013 FR-S’ I last drove, credit that to the nicer BRZ and its “Limited” trim level. The digital display that toggles between water temperature, oil temperature and other useful-to-know-when-tracking stats is excellent, as that information is critical when pushing a car hard on track.
However, the FA20 engine is still gruff on start-up and then off-puttingly quiet at idle, barring the whirring, ticking direct-fuel injectors. A louder exhaust note would go a long way here.
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The Aisin-sourced RA62 6-speed manual transmission is still a “miss” for me, as well. The clutch communicates digitally, when I wish it were analog. If there was feedback in the clutch pedal, I couldn’t interpret what it was trying to tell me. Additionally, the shifter feels very similar to the current Subaru WRX transmission, which is to say, gravelly and unnaturally stiff in it’s action. The lack of fluidity in how the transmission operates and feels is noticeable. I never missed a gear change with the BRZ, and I doubt you would either, but it certainly isn’t as rewarding to row through the gears as a Mazda Miata.
Okay, so the engine still isn’t great. What about the Performance Pack?
Well, I’m glad you asked: the Subaru BRZ with the Performance Package is an absolute joy to drive, and is one of the best out-of-the-box track day cars I have ever driven. I love the 86 platform as much as I hate it, yet, I didn’t want to get out of the humble little BRZ at Willow Springs. They nailed it with the chassis setup on this car.
The Sachs dampers are an excellent compromise for the road car. The absorb mid-corner bumps and broken pavement with ease. At the same time, the suspension is firm enough for the car to remain relatively flat in the corners and be predictable and easy to drive quickly. Willow Springs pavement is much older than you or I, and is far from perfect after baking in the California desert sun for 64 years. The BRZ’s feathers remain unruffled.
Some of this can also be attributed to the slightly wider wheels that the Performance Package nets. Measuring 17″ in diameter and 7.5″ wide (up from 7″ on the standard car), the little extra bit of stability doesn’t go unnoticed. Lest you think I’m losing my mind, that’s a 7% increase in wheel width and footprint. Do the math if you don’t believe me.
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The overall handling balance is best described as “confidence-inspiring.” With no warm up, I was able to hop in the BRZ and run lap times at Big Willow in line with what racers in the 86 Cup “stock” class are doing. The car is friendly at the limits of adhesion, willing to understeer or oversteer depending on what inputs you give it. Turn in too early? No problem. Nipping and tucking the car’s trajectory is as simple as modulating the throttle. The overall handling balance is 100% neutral. It doesn’t oversteer, unless you want it to, and it doesn’t understeer, unless you ask it to. It’s perfect.
Continue reading about the Subaru BRZ Performance Pack on the next page.
