2018 Subaru BRZ Review

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were cooing at the arrival of the Toyota-Subaru twins, a pair of almost identical rear-wheel-drive sport coupes that were lightweight, beautifully balanced, easy to drive, and quite simply a whole heap of fun. Well, it's been five years, and we're still huge fans of the 2018 Subaru BRZ. And after two consecutive years of upgrades, it's now easy to say that it's the more appealing of the twins.

If you're only considering the cheapest base versions of the twins, they're practically identical. But if you're looking for extra equipment and extra performance, the Subaru is the way to go. In terms of creature comforts, the BRZ Limited adds dual-zone climate control, push-button start, heated seats and, for 2018, a new 7-inch touchscreen complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get access to the Performance package, which adds upgraded Sachs dampers and Brembo high-performance brakes for superior driving dynamics the 86 just can't match.

And then there's the new BRZ tS also introduced for 2018. Limited to 500 units, it adds a variety of chassis-stiffening components, a further-tuned suspension, and special exterior and interior design elements. Plus, since it was tuned by Subaru's STI group, a carbon-fiber pedestal wing is thrown in for good measure.

So, even if the BRZ is the better choice between the Toyota-Subaru twins, there are still flaws and competitors to consider. The engine is the main point of contention. Acceleration is fine on paper, but there's little midrange punch and you have to keep the rpm high to get the most out of it. That means listening to a lot of unrefined racket from the four-cylinder boxer. Competitors are better in terms of power, refinement, noise and even fuel economy. There's also something to be said for interior space and quality, plus some missing safety features. Be sure to look around a bit.

What's it like to live with?

Learn about day-to-day Subaru BRZ ownership from our editorial experts' long-term test of a 2013 Limited. We know it is fun and relatively affordable. How comfortable was the ride? How was the fuel economy? Was the cargo room big enough for everyday use? Learn this and more from our test. Note that the 2018 BRZ differs slightly from the 2013 model we tested — it was updated in 2017 with more power for the manual-transmission version — but our coverage is otherwise applicable.