2013 BRZ vs 2014 WRX (non-STi)

[ayau]

Originally Posted by thill

Not to mention the gas savings

I have done three fillups and am averaging about 20mpg so far which is about 7mpg less than the BRZ.

Ouch. Car is not broken in and winter fuel mix here hurts, but I am already feeling it at the pump.

That said, man the AWD is nice in Minnesota, so it is probaby worth the gas hit for that alone.

You have the perfect scenario and I really wish I could have kept my BRZ and had this car, but that was not realistic at this time. Should have the WRX paid off in 2 years and then I start shopping for my fun weekend car. S2K might be the frontrunner, but finding one in the midwest that is in good shape is getting harder and harder.

Could always pick up a cheap $2k Miata in the mean time.

[wlwarfield]

Originally Posted by thill

Not to mention the gas savings

I have done three fillups and am averaging about 20mpg so far which is about 7mpg less than the BRZ

You have the perfect scenario and I really wish I could have kept my BRZ and had this car, but that was not realistic at this time. Should have the WRX paid off in 2 years and then I start shopping for my fun weekend car. S2K might be the frontrunner, but finding one in the midwest that is in good shape is getting harder and harder.

Yeah I average about 19-20 mpg on the STi and 27ish on the BRZ.

S2000s are fun cars. I had an 02 AP1 and loved it. I still regret selling it to this day. I picked up the BRZ to fill that void of the s2000 as it was probably one of the most fun cars I've ever owned. Not the most powerful but it handled and cornered like the BRZ just with a little more power.

[thill]

Originally Posted by ayau

Could always pick up a cheap $2k Miata in the mean time.

Don't temp me!

My wife would kill me...

I promised no more cars until the WRX is paid in full....

[thill]

Originally Posted by ayau

You could always buy mine in the future or my ITR, lol.

If you are still selling it in 2-3 years I might

[TylerLieberman]

Miss my '12 wrx. Best all around car you can get for under 35k.

Only reason I sold it was because I specifically wanted to mess with another rwd car

[2013GTRNate]

Originally Posted by thill

Due to needing a car with a more room in the back I recently traded-in my 2013 BRZ for a 2014 WRX hatchback (hatchback goes away for the 2015 model year and orders for 2014's stopped in September).

Just wanted to share some of my initial thoughts on the WRX vs the BRZ, most of which should not be a surprise.

WRX Pros:
- Well the obvious, space. I have the WRX hatchback and there is considerably more legroom in the back. I am 5'11" and in the BRZ, my kids maybe had 1-2 inches for their feet... An adult behind my seat in the BRZ? Not going to happen. I also have three kids and the BRZ would only allow for 2 children in the back (2 sets of seatbelts). In the WRX when I set my drivers seat to my normal driving position, I have a ton of legroom behind the seat and I have no problem sitting back there even for an extended trip. I can also fit one carseat and two booster seats in the back Which means I can haul the whole family in the WRX in a pinch if something happened to our minivan. There is tons of cargo space in the back even with the rear seats up, but with them down, way more.

- Power. Again, this is very obvious and I am not trying to knock the FT86 here. Anyone who test drives the FT86 knows the car is not that powerful compared to most cars in the segment that cost under $30K (Mustang, WRX, Gencoupe, Focus ST, etc). The WRX is just incredibly powerful. More than I was expecting (I had not really pushed a newer WRX). Part of that is AWD where the WRX limits wheelspin and a lot of it is the additional HP and TQ. At the flywheel the WRX is rated 268hp and 244ft lbs of tq. I believe this number to be conservative and MotorTrend agrees. The 2013 WRX (non-STi) they tested did 0-60 in 4.7secs, the 1/4 mile in 13.5 sec at 100mph, and the figure 8 in 25.6 seconds. Compare that to the BRZ which rated 0-60 in 6.4 1.4 in 15secs at 93mph and the figure 8 in 26.3 secs. Again, none of this was a surprise to me, but in the real world the WRX is a beast off the line and with so much more torque on hand it passes so much easier than the BRZ. Being honest, the BRZ for me needs more power, and especially more torque. Nothing drastic but enough to make the car more competitive with rivals.

- AWD for winter. I would not say AWD as a whole is a plus, because those of us who have owned lightweight RWD cars know how damn fun they are. It (AWD) is clearly superior for performance purposes with regards to off the line acceleration but where the AWD is noticeable is for someone like me who lives in Minnesota and might see snow 6 months out of the year, and rain for the other months. The WRX is just so planted and confident in inclimate weather. It is a nice plus for sure for the weather. And while I was fine driving the BRZ around in the winter with dedicated snow tires, the car was still easily to slide around (which can be fun) and it made me nervous when my wife drove it. The WRX with the same snow tires installed is a tank. You are just planted to the road even around slippery corners.

BRZ pros:
- Handling. Not that the WRX handles poorly, but the BRZ's steering is tighter. The low center of gravity of the BRZ is a big advantage IMHO, as it really allows the BRZ handle so well. Lightweight RWD is a blast and you can easily lose the backend of the BRZ but in a very controlled manner. AWD is also very confidence inspiring, but the WRX (by design it seems) has a tendency to understeer whereas the BRZ does not. BRZ is more neutral but both cars actually have similar driver feedback even more the BRZ has electronically assisted steering and the WRX uses a traditional hydraulic pump. I prefer the handling in the BRZ.

- Gearbox. My WRX came with a short throw shifter installed by the dealer (a must in this car) but even then it is not as good as the Asin in the BRZ. Not that the WRX is bad, but the BRZ is just that good. The stock shift knob in the WRX is just awful (think 1980's pickup truck) and I have a Cobb shif knob on the way which will help with throws. I do find the BRZ shifter to be a little more notchy as well. On the flip side I find the clutch in the WRX to be smoother and easier to engage. If the manual gearbox in the 2015 WRX (a six speed and supposedly improved over the previous gen WRX) is as good as they say it could give the BRZ a run for the money.

- Fun factor. I guess it depends on how you define fun. The power of the WRX can be a blast and the WRX has power in spades. It is just so quick. But the BRZ is just so much fun around a corner and I feel more connected to the car and the road in the BRZ. So take your pick depending on what you prefer, but for me, I find the BRZ to be a more fun car to drive if there are curvy roads involved.

- Interior. My BRZ was a Limited model and the WRX is a base model. So this is not going to be a real even comparison, but I found the BRZ to have better plastics in most of the cabin. Both cars have softer plastic on the dashboard, but the BRZ is just a step up. That said, I was expecting the worst from the WRX after reading some reviews, and I have to say it was not nearly as bad as some claimed. The WRX seats are pretty good, but the BRZ Limited seats are better. That said, the leather and Alcantara does not breathe as good as the perforated cloth seats in the WRX, but I would take the BRZ seats in a head to head battle. Both steering wheels are smaller and have a great feel to them but the WRX does have steering wheel audio and phone controls which is really nice. The BRZ's touchscreen radio is just horrible and it was often a chore to change tracks, stations, etc. The BRZ also would sometimes take forever to pair my iPhone whereas the WRX radio is almost instantaneous. I won't miss the BRZ touchscreen at all and Subaru really needs to improve it. Overall there are pros and cons for both, but I would say the BRZ is better with the superior seats, and slightly better plastics.

MPG. BRZ all the way. I expect to get about 5mpg less in the WRX. Power and AWD comes at a cost at the pump.

- Exterior. This is very subjective. The cars just have different design goals. The BRZ is just such a good looking classic sports car, whereas the WRX has loads of character and is very masculine. Personally, it is a toss-up for me.

All in all, I wish I could own both cars. I really do, and I will miss the BRZ. They are just very different cars that had different goals. It will really come down to whether you want more power and more practicality, or do you want the more drivers focused car? If you think you need to put people (kids or adults) in the backseat of the BRZ on a regular basis, don't bother with the BRZ. I really thought I could make it work and I was fooling myself.

I am already looking into suspension mods that will improve the WRX and thankfully they are not that expensive. First is a rear sway bar that will tighten up body roll (it is not excessive in the WRX, but there is some). But I am under no illusion that the WRX will ever handle like a BRZ.

Sorry for the novel, but I hope this helps someone cross-shopping.

Thank you for sharing your experiences! I enjoyed reading from the beginning to end. I personally want to either add an older WRX, WRX STi, EVO VIII-IX, or a Datsun 510 to my stable but I lack time at the moment.

Cheers ,

-Nate

[ThisIsChrisKim]

In a few years, I might be in the same boat as you! Recently engaged, and who knows about the whole family situation. Just the two of us for now so the BRZ works, but in a few years, if there's a baby, a WRX may very well be the next car (assuming they bring back a hatchback model).