Car and Driver’s 30,000 Mile BRZ Report

Car and Driver liked the BRZ so much they decided to keep it around for a while. For 40,000 miles, to be exact. Because as much fun as the BRZ for a week can be, they wanted to see what this sports car is like to drive throughout the year. Would it remain just as enjoyable? Or would the limitations of such a small sports car take its toll? Subaru of Rochester reports on their update after 30,000 miles.

Four Seasons Sports Car

The BRZ’s home was in Michigan, where, like Rochester, it would experience all four seasons. The last report was in the summer, which, of course, is ideal sports car weather, and they praised the quick responsiveness of the BRZ’s 2.4-liter engine that came with the redesign, as well as its sublime agility. As winter approached, they dutifully replaced the OEM rolling stock with 16-inch winter tires, at which point they continued to enjoy the car. “In between stints, it’s easy to convince myself that this car is not as good as I made it out to be in my mind, but then I drive it again, and it’s exactly as good as I remember.”. Another editor said simply, “The BRZ is 80 percent the fun of a Porsche for a third of the price.” 

Fun Car Doing Everyday Tasks

You can’t achieve 30K miles on joy rides alone. The BRZ had plenty of commuting and shopping duties, as any daily sports car driver would. The result is that the editors found the car more useful than they thought. The folding rear seats were beneficial, enabling the small car to carry more cargo than its size suggests. Still, the BRZ is a far cry from an SUV, and one editor did relate a story of picking someone up from the airport who had multiple large bags that would have definitely fit better in any other car in their long-term fleet. Long interstate road trips revealed a fuel economy that exceeded its combined EPA estimate by four MPG. 

No Unscheduled Service

Notably, the car’s operation was impeccable and never had to go in for any kind of service beyond the scheduled service appointments. The 24K mile scheduled service entailed an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and inspections for a cost of $139. The 30K scheduled maintenance cost was $549 due to the scheduled replacement of brake and clutch fluid. While this task came earlier than most cars, Car and Driver concluded that it is in anticipation of how this car is expected to be driven.

Like true sports car owners, Car and Driver couldn’t leave the model alone. Having sampled the track-oriented 2024 BRZ tS, they decided to see if they could match that model’s impressive braking performance by fitting their model with aftermarket brake fluid, rotors, pads, and a set of 18-inch technically street-legal Bridgestone Potenza Race tires. As this was a recent change, they have not yet reported on the results except to say that the aftermarket brakes squeak a lot.

If you already have your practical car with room for people and cargo but need another vehicle just to get to work and back, the BRZ will accomplish that task while also putting a smile on your face every time you hop in. Pay a visit to Subaru of Rochester to see if the BRZ could work for you.