Category: Subaru

When Subaru Australia announced they would bring the BRZ sports coupé to market we wondered how this would affect their advertising campaigns, which had hitherto drawn heavily on Subaru’s exclusive all-wheel drive product range. Now we know and it seems Subaru would have us believe that rear-wheel drive equals raw.

Overall it’s not a bad effort, although some will question the reliance on WRC footage, given Subaru withdrew from the sport a few years ago now. And we still prefer the ad from Subaru Canada.

Decide for yourself by watching the ad after the break.

Over the weekend Subaru Australia has added the MY13 BRZ to its library of online brochures ahead of today’s official launch. Why not download your own copy now.

Remember, online sales of the BRZ start at 12 noon today and we reckon you’ll need to get in quick! So grab the brochure and read over Subaru’s full press release; forewarned is forearmed!

A hastily scanned dealer brochure gives Australian readers their first look at the local specification for the new Subaru BRZ. As we revealed last night you can expect driveaway pricing for a manual BRZ with no options to be a touch over $37,000, depending on your state.

Thanks to the brochure posted to gt86.com.au we can see some of the standard equipment for the BRZ includes:

• xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights
• TCS limited slip device (mechanical or electronic?)
• 17″ alloys
• dual zone climate control
• cruise control
• Bluetooth

The short list of items available as factory-fitted options are:

• automatic transmission (with steering wheel mounted shift paddles)
• leather/alcantara seats
• heated seats

Oddly, we think, satellite navigation and rear parking sensors are listed as accessories. In the Australian prepared brochure they’re placed alongside cosmetic items such as a rear spoiler, an alternate rear diffuser and the like.

The BRZ will be available in seven exterior colours (shown below), including the WR Blue Mica you see above, which is labelled as “Subaru exclusive”.

Some reports also suggest the BRZ is available to order by the internet only. We can’t confirm if that is correct, and it would seem a unique way of selling what a product sure to have high demand.

We also hear the BRZ may come with three years free servicing (to be confirmed).

[Source: gt86.com.au]

Subaru Australia will sell the BRZ for less than $38,000 when local pricing is officially announced next Monday (16 July). Unlike its Toybaru cousin which is offered in two trim levels, the BRZ will be offered in Australia as a single model line with relatively high levels of standard equipment.

An AUSmotive reader was today told the driveaway price for a 6-speed manual BRZ would be $37,150 (may vary depending on your state’s taxes etc). That would make list pricing somewhere in the mid $30K range.

While the BRZ is expected to be high-spec compared to the Toyota 86, there will still be options available. Expect the auto gearbox to be close to the $2500 Toyota charges and, one from left field, heated leather/alcantara seats to be $1500.

Toyota Australia is enjoying strong demand with its very well priced 86 offering and expects to shift some 250 models per month. But don’t start thinking the arrival of the BRZ, now in Australian showrooms, will do much to boost supply. Speaking to Carsguide last month Subaru Australia boss, Nick Senior, revealed they have limited the BRZ to around 30 units per month for the first six months.

“We are going to be very constrained in terms of supply. We’re likely to get 201 cars for the first six months,” Senior said. “We had an order bank, but we got to the stage that we had to say we couldn’t take any more orders.”

We’ll bring you the official word from Subaru as soon as it comes to hand.

[Pic: gt86.com.au | Thanks to Jimmy for the tip]

UPDATE 12 July: We’ve been doing a bit more digging today and have found conflicting information on the pricing shown above. First we came across some info that indicated the pricing we listed may be list figures only, not including on roads. Soon after we found something else which supported the pricing we received last night. Looks like we won’t know for certain until next Monday.

The Australian launch of the Subaru BRZ is not too far away. We wonder if Subaru Australia’s marketing team can top this TVC made by Tribal DDB for their Canadian counterparts.