Subaru BRZ STI disapointed.. only 200hp no Turbo

[JCH13]

Yeah, handling is more than enough for some people... But why is power granted to "hot hatch" ricers, but not sports car drivers?

I'd venture a guess that it has a lot to do with the "dyno-queen" mentality. A lot of hot-hatch buyers like to say "my car has a billion more HP than yours"* and not necessarily appreciate low weight, low cg, brakes, steering, handling etc. the way a sports car driver will.

The decision might have been made to keep the car relatively forgiving. 200hp in a 2500lb rwd car is enough to get tail-happy, if it was the 305hp of the current STI it would be quite a handful. My impression is that 350Zs were being wrapped around trees left and right, it was around the 300hp mark and 700-1100lbs heavier.

Another reason to not have a turbo engine is weight. The turbo itself adds a little weight, and the supporting features add weight, then that weight compounds through other systems. Good example: MKII MR2s. The NA version weighs 3-400lbs less than the turbo version despite having a larger displacement engine. The turbo systems will also add weight over (or ahead of) the front axle, which would add understeer, which makes sports car drivers sad.

*only exdeath can say this

 

[ZetaEpyon]

Agree that being disappointed in 200hp for this is a little silly. It's pretty much got the same weight to power ratio as a Mazdaspeed 3. Throw in a better layout and none of the downsides of a turbo setup, and it sounds pretty good to me.

Definitely looking forward to testing one of these; maybe will be a nice replacement for my MS3 in a year or two.

 

[MiataNC]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

 

[JCH13]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

Wasn't a lot of that nonsense related to the stability control killing power on two-wheel dynos? I remember reading that the traction control flipped out when the rear wheels were going 100mph and the front wheels were going 0mph causing exceedingly low wheel-hp numbers.

 

[brainhulk]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

blown apex seals? lol

but seriously, what percentage of mechanics know how to service rotary engines? but i guess it doesnt matter since mazda increased the warranty duration on these

 

[the DRIZZLE]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

I'm sure the torque curve for this car will be much different than an RX-8.

 

[foghorn67]

Still sounds like an awesome car.

 

[soccerballtux]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

I am toyota man but I am sad with this car.

 

[MiataNC]

blown apex seals? lol

but seriously, what percentage of mechanics know how to service rotary engines? but i guess it doesnt matter since mazda increased the warranty duration on these

RX-8's don't blow Apex seals. At least not under normal conditions.

Poor maintenance (late oil changes, or letting the oil levels drop too low on an engine designed to burn oil), and drivers that never ran the engine hard contributed to early failures on 2004-2006 cars. If you don't flog a rotary, carbon builds up on the ports and things go wrong. Prompting Mazda to extend the warranty to 8yr/100k.

I know the RX-8 is a niche car and an acquired taste. I am not saying it is a better car than the new Toyubaru. My point is that many who love the new Toyubaru dismissed a car with very similar performance specs.

 

[senseamp]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

I find it more sad than hilarious. Mazda should have put an inline 4 into the RX-8, and it would have been an absolutely amazing car. Instead they ruined it with a flawed inefficient engine. I don't think anyone is denying that RX-8 is a drivers car, people just don't like spending V8 gas money to get I4 performance.

 

[JCH13]

I find it more sad than hilarious. Mazda should have put an inline 4 into the RX-8, and it would have been an absolutely amazing car. Instead they ruined it with a flawed inefficient engine. I don't think anyone is denying that RX-8 is a drivers car, people just don't like spending V8 gas money to get I4 performance.

MS3 engine in RX8 chassis...

 

[Vic Vega]

200HP in a 2,500 pounds car? That's a rocket.

Reminds me of the old Notch mustangs from the late 80s and early 90s. 225HP, 300 torque, 2,600 pounds.

 

[punjabiplaya]

if they can put the mzr 2.3 in a mazda2, why the hell not in a rwd car?

 

[JCH13]

if they can put the mzr 2.3 in a mazda2, why the hell not in a rwd car?

Too much awesomeness, the universe would unsplode.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Too much awesomeness, the universe would unsplode.

fking rotary fanbois

 

[MrWizzard]

200HP in a 2,500 pounds car? That's a rocket.

Reminds me of the old Notch mustangs from the late 80s and early 90s. 225HP, 300 torque, 2,600 pounds.

I agree, the 1975 Porsche Turbo 260 HP 260 Torquw 2635 Pounds. Because they are so light they are faster than you would think.

 

[senseamp]

if they can put the mzr 2.3 in a mazda2, why the hell not in a rwd car?

They put the mzr 2.0 into a MX-5, which is RX-8 platform. All they had to do was stick that engine into the RX-8, add a turbo, rename the car MX-8 to indicate it's not rotary anymore and call it a day.

 

[Subyman]

I find it hilarious how close this car is to the RX-8.

All the "hate" tossed at the RX-8 for lack of HP and Torque, yet the new Toyubaru gets a pass for being a "drivers" car in most circles.

It is to laugh.

Hate? The RX-8 received critical acclaim when it was launched and still won shootouts years after release. Everyone appreciated the car's great balance and handling. Unless you are talking about car forums, which I think we all know can get quite polarizing.