2022 Subaru BRZ vs. Mazda MX-5 Miata Drag Race Ends Rather Obviously

Our friends at MOTOR are much obliged to settle this rivalry with a series of drag races, consisting of three digs and three rolls. The Mazda weighs only a whisker over a metric ton while the BRZ is around 230 kilograms heavier, which is 507 pounds over in the United States. Both feature six-speed manuals, but as far as the output figures are concerned, Subaru has the upper hand thanks to a 2.4L engine versus the Mazda’s 2.0L.

Over in Australia, where MOTOR is based, the Scooby develops 174 kW and 250 Nm at 3,700 revolutions per minute while the Mazda inline-four mill cranks out 135 kW and 205 Nm at 4,500 revolutions per minute. Converted to imperial units, make that be 233 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque compared to 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque.

The BRZ, therefore, is more powerful and produces more torque a bit earlier than the open-top challenger. It’s also worth mentioning that we’re dealing with 215/40 R18 tires and 18- by 7.5-inch wheels compared to 205/45 R17 and 17- by 7.0-inch wheels. Wider shoes automatically make the Subaru the better choice in a drag race, but curiously enough, the BRZ launches off the line a bit worse than the MX-5 Miata. Be that as it may, the BRZ easily catches up and gaps the MX-5 Miata by the end of the quarter-mile sprint.

The best elapsed times recorded by MOTOR are 14.3 seconds at 158.7 kilometers per hour (approximately 98.6 miles per hour) for the Subaru and 14.7 seconds at 151.2 kilometers per hour (approximately 94 miles per hour) for the Mazda. As for zero to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour), the BRZ needs 6.3 seconds compared to 6.7 seconds for the MX-5 Miata.