Your Sportify Playlist: Subaru BRZ vs Toyota GR86

A decade ago, Subaru and Toyota took the automotive world by storm when they collaborated to create a compact and rear-wheel drive sports coupe. The BRZ was worlds apart from the all-wheel drive rally machines that put Subaru on the map, while the 86 showed that Toyota can do much more than reliable sedans and hybrid vehicles. 

Since then, the BRZ and 86 identical twins have promised pure driving pleasure — what with their agile chassis unhampered by driving nannies, rear driven wheels that enable slipping and sliding, and driving environments that make the driver focus on the task at hand. 

Not only are the latest iterations of the sports coupe set to fulfill that promise like their predecessors did, but they would do so with more stylish bodies and stronger performance. 

The 2022 Subaru BRZ — an acronym for Boxer, Rear-Wheel Drive, Zenith — is here locally in manual and automatic-transmission variants. The second-generation sports coupe has been crowned by Edmunds as the Top Rated Sports Car for 2022 and it is also a podium finalist in the Japan Car of the Year 2021 competition.

Low, lean, and mean is how Subaru described the overall look of the 2022 BRZ. Looking more muscular and with an aggressive ducktail spoiler that is integrated into the boot lid, the new BRZ’s bold design suggests the handling abilities that lay underneath. 

 The proportions are even more purposeful now, thanks to a coupe body that is longer and lower (+25 millimeters and –10 mm respectively), while the stance looks even more planted than before, thanks to a marginally longer wheelbase (+ five mm) with a widened rear track (+10 mm) and larger wheels (upsized from 17-inch to 18-inch). 

 Helping the BRZ to cut through the air are front bumper ducts, front wheel-arch slits and rear wheel-arch fins, along with less obvious aerodynamic elements that manage the airflow underneath the vehicle for optimal stability on the move. 

Completing the well-engineered aero package are side sill spoilers, small vortex-generating fins at the leading edges of the tail-lamps, and a boot lid shaped like a ducktail to reduce drag.

Moreover, the twin exhaust tailpipes and gunmetal gray alloy wheels, along with the hexagonal grille, would satisfy loyal Subaru customers and sports car fans as well. 

As before, a Boxer engine — whose four cylinders are laid horizontally to improve weight distribution — powers the BRZ’s wheels, but the latest unit is now 2.4 liters in size, producing 237ps  of power at 7,000 rpm and 250Nm of torque at 3,700 rpm. 

And since old-school driving experience is the theme of the BRZ, the engine does away with turbocharging. 

The six-speed automatic transmission is quicker than before and has an improved Sport mode for a more exciting drive. The electronic throttle has been tuned to make the engine respond to the accelerator more progressively at high rpm levels, making it easier for the driver to control the flow of power when exiting a corner, for instance.

The two-door body is only slightly heavier than before (+10 kg), so the 2022 Subaru BRZ boxer’s bigger output dramatically improves the coupe’s power-to-weight ratio for much punchier acceleration. The new six-speed manual BRZ is able to accelerate from a standstill to 100kph  in just 6.3 seconds, while the six-speed automatic BRZ can do it in 6.8 seconds.

The new BRZ also achieves a shorter braking distance from 100kph to a complete stop, even sharper handling through a slalom, even less body roll while cornering and superior traction when exiting a corner promptly. 

Now honoring Toyota’s racing heritage with its Gazoo Racing name, the 2022 Toyota GR86 now boasts quicker steering and handling whether you're conquering the racetrack or negotiating regular roads.

Powering the 2022 Toyota GR86 is the same 2.4-liter, naturally-aspirated flat-four that delivers 237hp and 250Nm of torque The torque reigns lower down at 3,700rpm, quite an improvement in contrast to the previous two-liter engine’s 6,000rpm. Like its blue-badged brother, the GR86 also comes as a stick-shift and two pedals only. 

The sports coupe’s light weight is split almost 50:50 across its front and rear axles to ensure maximum stability (or instability, depending on the driver’s mood) in the corners.

For the Toyota GR86, it tips the scales at around 1,260 to 1,290 kilograms — on par with subcompact sedans and almost similar to the previous model — a curb weight that’s distributed 53% at the front and 47% at the rear. 

Since we had our short go in the GR86, we’re happy to report that thanks to all these facts and figures, the car fulfills its promise of being a peppy performer and swift handler. 

While the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 allow the driver to have fun, features like SRS airbags, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Hill-Start Assist Control (HSA), and Limited Slip Differential (LSD), ensure that they don’t get too ahead of themselves. 

To know more about — or spot the differences between these identical coupes — then the spec sheets of their three-pedal versions are available below.

SPECIFICATIONS	Subaru BRZ 2.4 6MT	Toyota GR86 2.4L MT
Length	4,265mm	4,265mm
Width	1,775mm	1,775mm
Height	1,310mm	1,310mm
Wheelbase	2,575mm	2,575mm
Curb Weight (kg)	1,289 - 1,293kg	1,289 - 1,293kg
Engine displacement	2,387cc	2,387
Engine Type	Boxer Engine, 4-Cylinder, 4-Stroke, DOHC, 16-Valve, Petrol	Boxer Engine, 4-Cylinder, 4-Stroke, DOHC, 16-Valve, Petrol
Maximum torque/rpm	250Nm/ 3,700rpm	250Nm/ 3,700rpm
Maximum power output/rpm	237ps/7,000rpm	237ps/7,000rpm
Transmission	6-Speed Manual	6-Speed Manual
Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive
0 to 100kph	6.3 seconds	6.3 seconds
Suspension	(Front) McPherson Strut  (Rear) Double Wishbone	(Front) McPherson Strut  (Rear) Double Wishbone
Brakes	(Front) Ventilated Discs (Rear) Ventilated Discs	(Front) Ventilated Discs (Rear) Ventilated Discs
Ground Clearance (mm)	130mm	130mm
Tires/Wheels	215/40 R18 Alloy Wheels, Dark Gray Metallic	215/45 R17 Alloy Wheels, Two Tone Finish
Front Grille	Black	Black
Headlamp	LED Type	LED Type
Front fog and driving lamp	LED	LED
Daytime running lights	LED	LED
Taillights	LED	LED
Outside Rearview mirror	Electric-Folding with Side Turn Signal Lamps	Electric-Folding with Side Turn Signal Lamps
Side Sill Spoiler	With	With
Rear diffuser with Twin Mufflers	With	With
Room lamp	LED Center Lamp	LED Center Lamp
Seating Capacity	Four	Four
Seat Material, Adjustment	Genuine Leather and Ultrasuede (Driver Height Adjustment)	Genuine Leather and Ultrasuede (Driver Height Adjustment)
Steering Wheel and Column	Leather / Manual Tilt and Telescopic Adjustable	Leather / Manual Tilt and Telescopic Adjustable
Sunvisors	(Driver) With Vanity Mirror and Lamp (Passenger) With Vanity Mirror and Lamp	(Driver) With Vanity Mirror and Lamp (Passenger) With Vanity Mirror and Lamp
Door trim	Dark Grey with Door Pockets	Dark Grey with Door Pockets
Power features	Window, Doorlock, Outside Rear View Mirror + Retract	Window, Doorlock, Outside Rear View Mirror + Retract
Multi-information display	7-Inch TFT LCD Display	7-Inch TFT LCD Display
Infotainment	8" Touchscreen Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto	8" Touchscreen Display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Connectivity	AM, FM, Bluetooth, USB, Aux, Six Speakers	AM, FM, Bluetooth, USB, Aux, Six Speakers
Safety Features	Front SRS Airbags, Side SRS Airbags for Driver and Passenger, Knee SRS Airbag for Driver, Steering Responsive Headlights, Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection, High Beam Assist, Reverse Automatic Braking, Rear View Camera, Seatbelts with Pretensioners and Load Limiters, Emergency Brake Stop Signal	Front SRS Airbags, Side SRS Airbags for Driver and Passenger, Knee SRS Airbag for Driver, Anti-Lock Brake, Vehicle Stability Control, Hill-Start Assist, Limited Slip Differential, Seatbelts with Pretensioners and Load Limiters, ISOFIX and Anchor Bracket x2, Toyota Vehicle Security System (TVSS), Rear Camera
Air conditioning system	Automatic Temperature Control	Automatic Temperature Control
Vehicle security system	With Immobilizer and Alarm	With Immobilizer and Alarm
Push start system	With	With
Wireless door lock	With Smart Entry	With Smart Entry
Cruise control	Without	Without
Light control system	With	With
Emergency stop lamp	With	With
Sidedoor Impact Beams	With	With
Available Exterior Colors	Blue	Crystal Black Silica, Crystal White Pearl, Ice Silver Metallic, Bright Blue, Ignition Red, Magnetite Gray Metallic, Sapphire Blue Pearl
PRICE	P2.519 million	P2.328 million  P2.348 million (Ignition Red)

 

Photos from Subaru, Toyota, Roy Robles and Dylan Afuang