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Subaru Confirms Development Of 2nd-Gen BRZ Sports Car

In the past week or so, various reports from Japan covered by English-speaking automotive media suggested the 86 is between a rock and a hard place. Even though Toyota didn’t confirm or deny the hearsay, the world’s third-largest automaker did highlight that sporty, exciting cars are in the pipeline.
Subaru BRZ Series.Gray 53 photos
Photo: Subaru
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Until now, Subaru didn’t comment on the matter. Carscoops.com got in touch with Ron Kinno, and the spokesman laid it out – loud and clear – that “we do not endorse this report. We are moving ahead with the next-generation BRZ, but have no further details at this time.”

Even if Toyota doesn’t continue the partnership with Subaru to their front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car, there will be an alternative from the Ebisu-based automaker, complete with a four-cylinder boxer. Expected to arrive in 2021 according to Japanese reports, the BRZ is also believed to feature more suck-squeeze-bang-blow.

Some people suggest hybrid assistance, others turbocharging. There’s even a case to be made for larger displacement from the four-cylinder boxer, but nothing’s official right now. Spy shots and leaked information are non-existent for the time being, favoring speculation.

Both the BRZ and 86 are manufactured in Ota, Gunma by Subaru, and prior to Scion getting the axe, the two fixed-head coupes were complemented by the FR-S. The 4U-GSE (a.k.a. FA20) develops 205 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 156 pound-feet of torque at 6,400 to 6,600 rpm.

Output isn’t everything about the BRZ and 86, which rely on the low center of gravity and sports-tuned suspension to thrill in the corners. The narrow-ish tires also make for easy tail-out action in the twisties, although that kind of exuberance needs plenty of revolutions per minute.

In addition to a short-throw manual, a six-speed automatic developed by Toyota (the A960E) is also available for customers who fail to understand what the BRZ and 86 stand for. As far as pricing is concerned, these babies retail at $25,795 and $26,505 for the 2019 model year.

Their closest competitor is the MX-5 Miata from Mazda, with an emphasis on the one with the retractable hardtop. The ragtop is $25,730 from the get-go while the RF starts at $32,345 excluding destination and handling.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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