2022 Subaru BRZ News and Rumors

[banyan]

We've known for a while that a successor to the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins is in the works, but now we know just how close the next-gen jointly developed sports car is. A photo of a Subaru future product presentation was leaked to enthusiast forum GR86.com, and in it is the automaker's product plans through 2023. There are many juicy tidbits in the timeline, but the one that jumps out immediately is the BRZ replacement, which the leak suggests will launch next spring.

That's earlier than expected, and likely means the car is close to fully developed. A set of spy photos posted to GR86.com confirm that test mules are already out and about, with one spotted testing alongside a Ford Mustang. The car is still heavily camouflaged, so it's hard to make out any details, but it appears the next-gen Subaru BRZ will maintain the basic dimensions and proportions of the current model. As we learned recently, the BRZ is skipping the 2021 model year, so expect the new one to be a 2022 model.

With the BRZ so close to launch, its near mechanically identical Toyota sibling can't be far behind. As we've previously reported, the 86 successor is expected to adopt Toyota's Gazoo Racing (GR) branding, changing its name from 86 to GR86. At this point the name has changed so many times, from Scion FR-S to 86 to GT86 abroad, that one more won't hurt.

The fact that the next-gen BRZ/GR86 is being benchmarked against the Mustang is encouraging. Currently, the Toyobaru's naturally aspirated 2.0-liter flat-four pumps out 205 hp at most, a far cry from the base Ford Mustang EcoBoost's 310 hp. But the new model should even the odds a bit with a (finally) turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four derived from the mill used in the Subaru Ascent SUV, which makes 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. And from the limited look we have underneath in the spy shots linked to above, the rear differential and suspension looks very similar to the current model.

Back to the product timeline, look closely and you'll also see it covers the next WRX and STI, which are slated to arrive in fall 2021 and fall 2022, respectively. Then there's the mention of a Subaru EV—probably an SUV co-developed with Toyota as part of their ongoing business partnership—which drops in spring 2022, according to the leaked document. That's a steady cadence of big reveals for just two year, and we're happy it all kicks off with the next-gen Subaru BRZ.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022...mageId=2439558

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[bugatti0628]

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/08/13/...rz-spy-photos/ the new brz looks nice and looks like it has eyesight. must be an automatic trim. I hope GRMN or STI add back a turbo to the engine.

[VarmintCong]

Turbo, rear drive, 4 seats? Wow, that's gonna be hard to resist.

[samagon]

Originally Posted by VarmintCong

Turbo, rear drive, 4 seats? Wow, that's gonna be hard to resist.

turbo: rumors are pretty solid on it being the 2.4 liter, they are pretty mixed whether it will have a turbo or not. most say not, but when there is so little info at this point, maybe it is a best kept secret like the 04 sti? still pretty doubtful.

rear drive: no question.

4 seats: in name only.

[bugatti0628]

Originally Posted by samagon

turbo: rumors are pretty solid on it being the 2.4 liter, they are pretty mixed whether it will have a turbo or not. most say not, but when there is so little info at this point, maybe it is a best kept secret like the 04 sti? still pretty doubtful.

rear drive: no question.

4 seats: in name only.

I agree with your 4 seats in name only, even if we only get 2.4 NA for now, there is hope we get a special trim with the turbo added back in. whatever turbo they want to use would be based on the tuner. If the 2.4 NA fixed the torque dip, the new brz will be fine as long as they kept the weight down.

[YungBoba]

If that rendering is close, it looks like Supra Lite, which isn't a bad thing. I am skeptical of the turbo though and will believe it when I see it.

The GR86 name strikes me as odd since Gazoo Racing isn't exactly a well-known name to many people, even to many car enthusiasts who may not necessarily be Toyota enthusiasts. And keep in mind that although us enthusiasts are the ones most interested in this car, the first/current gen twins sold quite well to teens/college kids/"first car" type people who got the car because it looks nice, is relatively cheap, and is slow enough for their parents to not worry about them wrapping it around a pole plenty of "regular" people drive these things, maybe even more so than true enthusiasts, and I feel renaming it the GR86 may just cause even more confusion. "Gazoo Racing? What's that? Oh. Cool, I guess."

[VarmintCong]

Originally Posted by samagon

turbo: rumors are pretty solid on it being the 2.4 liter, they are pretty mixed whether it will have a turbo or not. most say not, but when there is so little info at this point, maybe it is a best kept secret like the 04 sti? still pretty doubtful.

rear drive: no question.

4 seats: in name only.

I'm ok with a high-revving normally aspirated motor, maybe even better. I haven't heard great things about the 2.0L though.

I just need to fit two kids in the back seat.

[nealric]

Originally Posted by samagon

turbo: rumors are pretty solid on it being the 2.4 liter, they are pretty mixed whether it will have a turbo or not. most say not, but when there is so little info at this point, maybe it is a best kept secret like the 04 sti? still pretty doubtful.

rear drive: no question.

4 seats: in name only.

I think it's pretty well confirmed that there will be no turbo. Maybe there will be an STI version with a turbo one day, but I wouldn't bet on it

[JustyWRC]

Originally Posted by YungBoba

If that rendering is close, it looks like Supra Lite, which isn't a bad thing. I am skeptical of the turbo though and will believe it when I see it.

The GR86 name strikes me as odd since Gazoo Racing isn't exactly a well-known name to many people, even to many car enthusiasts who may not necessarily be Toyota enthusiasts. And keep in mind that although us enthusiasts are the ones most interested in this car, the first/current gen twins sold quite well to teens/college kids/"first car" type people who got the car because it looks nice, is relatively cheap, and is slow enough for their parents to not worry about them wrapping it around a pole plenty of "regular" people drive these things, maybe even more so than true enthusiasts, and I feel renaming it the GR86 may just cause even more confusion. "Gazoo Racing? What's that? Oh. Cool, I guess."

What's the difference in that or "GT-86"? Toyota eventually dropped "GT"; but, the average customer just doesn't care. "GT", "GR", I seriously doubt many will even ponder.

[bugatti0628]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.car...e-we-know/amp/
not bad looking looking. but if a turbo is introduced later after the initial launch of the FA24 versions, a little development would be needed to a turbo that will pass crash tests and not mess the styling or handling. it would require a slight change to the hood to allow a top mount intercooler, but there should be room for the turbo tubing. it would also require bigger brakes and adjustments to the suspension for the increased weight to the front. and of course sales of the NA24 have to justify going through the development of a turbo version by either GRMN or STI

[JP Chestnut]

That rendering looks great. If they can manage to make it as fast as the new Miata I will seriously consider one.

[botbs]

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FRSBRZGT86Enthusiasts/

[deanstevenson]

Originally Posted by botbs

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FRSBRZGT86Enthusiasts/

Nice! Really looking forward to the reveal.

[Kostamojen]

Would have been nice to take a quick look at it, I would have immediately dove for under the car

[BeepBoop]

Cmon toyobnaru... The car is fantastic in every way EXCEPT one... Please PLEASE give us something with some muscle this time around. That silhouette looks too good not to.

[AVANTI R5]

https://www.motor1.com/news/447232/2...ru-brz-teaser/

Once again, it will be twinned with the Toyota 86.

[UPDATE] A more revealing teaser image has emerged, and it's actually a real photo of the new BRZ. Attendees of the 2020 Subaru Tecnica International Subiefest World Record Attempt & Charity Drive at the OC Fair & Event Center Costa Mesa, CA were given a sneak preview of the sports car. Thankfully, someone took a photo of the camouflaged BRZ.

Subaru ended production of the first-generation BRZ at the end of July without going into any details about when its successor would arrive. Fast forward to October, a teaser image released on social media announces the world premiere of the “all-new” sports car will take place this fall. It could mean the rear-wheel-drive coupe will debut in November.

Once again twinned with the Toyota 86, the new BRZ was likely on the list of Los Angeles Auto Show debuts before the event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the time being, we only have this single teaser image showing the wheel design and a bit of the camouflaged body. It appears the front brakes are cooled via the ventilated arches while those ten-spoke wheels are seemingly borrowed from the Toyota GR Yaris.

That is all Subaru is willing to reveal for the time being, without any info whatsoever regarding the technical specifications. There have been contradicting reports whether the BRZ and 86 will finally get turbocharging, but the latest intel suggests the dynamic duo will stick to a naturally aspirated powertrain. The cars are allegedly getting the Subaru FA24 2.4-liter flat-four engine with 217 horsepower (162 kilowatts) and 177 pound-feet (240 Newton-meters) of torque. That’s a bit more than the current 2.0-liter unit rated at 205 hp (152 kW) and 156 lb-ft (211 Nm) of torque (or 151 lb-ft with the automatic gearbox).

It is believed customers will get to pick from a six-speed manual gearbox carried over from the current model or a newly developed automatic tailored to sports cars. A while back, Toyota said its new 86 would be better to drive than the Supra, which would mean the BRZ should also offer a more engaging experience behind the wheel.

Speaking of the 86, Toyota’s version was caught in traffic back in August with similar proportions combined with fully redesigned front and rear fascias. That camouflaged prototype looked like a refresh of the original bones rather than a completely new development, which would also apply to the BRZ. That being said, Subaru claims its next BRZ is “all-new,” so we’re getting mixed signals.

With a promised fall debut, we won't have to wait much longer to see the BRZ. Hopefully, the 86 is not far behind.

Sources: Subaru, subarudwayne / Instagram

[JustyWRC]

Would have been nice to get a closer/clearer pic of that QR code.....

[kayen]

So do we know when this is going to be shown in Camo and not behind the curtain?

[ajsti24]

Look like the new BRZ still sports a 5-100 PCD bolt pattern wheel set-up looking at teaser pic and sliding front brake calipers.

[moshter11]

per C&D:

The 2022 Subaru BRZ should arrive in the U.S. sometime next year with a starting price around $30,000.

Ummm...what
Didn't this used to be a $26k car?

edit: I removed the link to C&D article. Their "$30k starting price" is probably clickbait to get people sharing their article.

[4S-TURBO]

This thing's a lock for ~250 monthly sales for the next decade.

[JP Chestnut]

It looks good, and 217 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque is potentially a sizeable improvement versus the current car. Hopefully it's enough to match ND Miata speeds.

[Snow Drift]

Here is the wheel/fender teaser pic posted by SOA:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF8JD1aF...on_share_sheet

[Calamity Jesus]

Originally Posted by moshter11

per C&D:


Ummm...what
Didn't this used to be a $26k car?

edit: I removed the link to C&D article. Their "$30k starting price" is probably clickbait to get people sharing their article.

Funny, the C&D articles back in 2009 looked like this:



This was supposed to be in the low $20k range. Scion dropped it at $25k.. it only makes sense that the next version will be $30k.

[Ultimateone]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CF90APyp...d=cl6jowu1t038

More sneak pics

And I 100% believe it will be 30k and up