2022 Subaru BRZ 10,000-Mile Update: Still Great to Drive, Even in LA Traffic

• 10,000 miles came up quick in our long-term Subaru BRZ.
• Shockingly, the BRZ is outperforming the EPA average.
• We installed new brake pads and resurfaced the rotors for a track day.

Our long-term 2022 Subaru BRZ — which we added to our test fleet in June 2022 with close to 5,300 miles already on the odometer —  just passed the 10,000-miles marker. Adding another 5,000 miles wasn't hard, even though we primarily drove it locally and for the occasional driver training session (though a couple of recent road trips helped). So how do we feel about this quick little runabout?

Thoughts from afar

Outside of the more spacious front cabin area and those surprisingly comfortable and supportive bucket seats, the new Subaru BRZ’s interior left a little to be desired. As with the last model, practicality suffers, and at no point did we dare to put another adult in the claustrophobic rear seats. We primarily used this space for extra luggage room on road trips, or as storage for sets of golf clubs when our adventures were more local. The cabin also exhibits intrusive road noise — not much of a shocker since the BRZ is a budget-friendly sports car. And what’s with the persistent “BONG” of the reminder chime to put on your seat belt? From the second you start your car, there's a loud, constant alert that quickly becomes grating. It’s like a bad song that you can’t get out of your head!

However, the fun and driver engagement the BRZ delivers are unanimously praised. Comments abound about how nimble and grippy the BRZ is around corners. It’s an absolute blast to wring the naturally aspirated four-cylinder to its 7,500-rpm redline.

Personally, I'm a huge fan. From all the cars in our long-term fleet, I often choose the BRZ for the weekend. It brings a smile to my face when I have open road, and it’s wonderful to drive on Angeles Crest. It’s even easy to drive even in stop-and-go traffic, and that says a lot since it’s a manual in LA.

Aside from those, here’s a welcome surprise: Our overall fuel economy is outperforming the EPA’s combined estimate. Didn’t see that coming with this lead-footed staff. Woohoo!

10,000-mile service

The typical basic service interval for a 2022 Subaru BRZ is every 6,000 miles, which will always consist of at least an engine oil and filter change. This means that we should have performed the second service at the 12,000 mile-mark, but since we planned to use the BRZ at the track sooner than that, we figured we should get an oil change and a quick inspection completed before punishing the sport coupe. It’s always good practice to get fresh oil, brake fluid, and an inspection of the brakes and tires performed before a track day to make sure your vehicle is working at optimum levels and reduce the chance of unforeseen issues. I called up the good folks at Irvine Subaru and set up an appointment for the following week to get this handled.

A week later, I met with a service adviser going over items that needed to be addressed on this visit:

• 12,000-mile service. Includes an oil change, tire rotation and a multi-point inspection.

• Check the alignment: When driving straight, we’ve noticed a mild pull to the right.

• Swap out all four brake pads and have brakes resurfaced because I and another driver felt like the brakes didn’t quite engage right away — like there was a mild slip or delay upon braking — and it was noticeable on our test track. It wasn’t a safety issue, but it wasn’t exactly confidence-inspiring for our upcoming track day.

After waiting three hours in the dealer lobby, the service was completed. Damage to our wallet? $0. Technically, it was applied as our first complimentary service for the vehicle. Our suspicions were confirmed about the vehicle pulling; the right front wheel was indeed out of alignment, and the service techs put everything back to proper spec. The BRZ tracks straight as an arrow now. Unfortunately, the replacement brake pads we wanted were not in stock so I ordered the parts and scheduled a follow-up appointment.

Once the parts were in, I received a call and returned to Irvine Subaru to have them replace all four brake pads and resurface the rotors. This time, I opted to go wait at Buffalo Wild Wings across the street instead of the lobby. A couple of hours (and a plate full of dry rub wings and a few parmesan garlic nuggets) later, I got a call to say the service was completed. To replace four pads and resurface the rotors cost us $759.30, and we felt the work justified the price. Irvine Subaru also performed the bed-in procedure (which should be done after putting on new brake pads) before handing it back so we didn’t have to worry about that.

I gave the brakes a few hard bumps on my way home to test and feel them out and confirmed that the braking action felt much more natural. We are all set for our track day!

Edmunds says