Tokyo Motor Show: 2012 Subaru BRZ Debuts With Less Glamour Than Toyota FT-86

The 2012 Subaru BRZ has made its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show, alongside the Toyota GT 86, its identical twin. Indeed, remove the badges and you will be hard-pressed to differentiate the two. Yes, the lower front fascia is slightly different, but there is no denying that this is a case of badge engineering, which is increasingly common today.

To be launched in major markets in the second quarter of 2012, the 2+2-seater, two-door BRZ coupe is claimed to offer “pure driving pleasure”, in the words of Toshio Masuda, the main man behind the development of the BRZ, thanks to compact dimensions, a low kerb weight, a near-perfect front-to-rear weight distribution, and one of the lowest centres of gravity around.

Like the Toyota, the BRZ also features a 200 HP, 205 Nm front-mounted, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder Boxer engine, as well as a rear-wheel-drive layout; both of which are new to Subaru, whose models have always been equipped with turbocharged engines and an all-wheel-drive system. Going forward, Masuda reaffirmed that no turbocharged engine will be offered in the BRZ. Enjoy the live photo gallery of the 2012 Subaru BRZ below!

AboutSeow Yaohan

Seow Yao Han strives to bring you the latest and the most comprehensive information on cars available in Malaysia. But it's never easy for him to talk and write cars in this part of the world because what you lust after is often not what you drive home. When the euphoria of test-driving that branded, super-expensive sports car dies down, he just goes home in his less-than-glamorous ride.