You want a Miata but for some crazy reason don’t want a Miata. Then you get a Subaru BRZ.
It’s one or the other. These are today’s best sports cars. Period.
What about everything else offered these days? Too big, too complicated, too much money.
Must even the base Porsche 911 have optional 21-inch rear wheels? Remember when we called those dubs and put them on full-size Impalas? And is it bad that those giant wheels don’t even look that big as the rest of the car is equally oversized?
The latest BMW Z4 M40i? It weighs more than 2 tons. In round numbers, that’s almost like a pair of early Miatas. Or a Miata and an MR2 Spyder.
The new Corvette is fast, sure, but it also starts at nearly $70,000. That might be a value in today’s supercar world, but $70,000 is still $70,000. And no stick shift available. The auto is faster? Maybe, but is it more fun on a crisp fall day?
Enter the MX-5 and BRZ. This is how sports cars should be. A chassis you can comfortably throw around. A fair price in today’s market. A cable-operated parking brake. (I don’t make the rules, I just drive the truck.)
And let’s be honest with ourselves: Do you have the skills to fully leverage the 388 horsepower found in that base 911? If you’re missing apex points by 6 or even 12 inches, more power isn’t going to solve your problems. Dial back the power and work on the fundamentals.
Just like the Miata, the BRZ will make you feel like a hero. At less than 2900 pounds, it’s a flyweight by today’s standards. The tires are narrow. The feel is light.
Touch the redline, nail a perfect two-three upshift, explore the edges of the contact patch without evoking Florida’s new super speeder laws. You will have fun. Guaranteed. This not about bragging rights.
Of course, you know all of this. Other than the engine update, the latest Miata hasn’t changed much in the past decade. The current BRZ–plus its near-twin from Toyota–has been with us for nearly half that time. This is not breaking news.
What is new with the BRZ for 2025? From the media kit: “All BRZ models now equipped with ‘Sport’ mode for enhanced throttle response.” And the BRZ Limited gets some interior updates.
As promised, that Sport button does sharpen throttle response. (My E46 M3 has a similar button, and to be honest, I often forget to engage it.)
But the whole BRZ experience? Some recent stick time in the BRZ tS, the sportiest model that comes with the STI-tuned Hitachi shocks, upsized Brembo brakes and 18x7.5-inch wheels, confirmed the emotions, the beliefs, the good times remembered: This really is all the sports car I need.
How much for this? Earlier this year, the BRZ tS stickered at $36,245. For $31,095, you could have bought a brand-new BRZ Premium, the lowest-cost model: same 228-horsepower engine, same six-speed manual gearbox, same balanced chassis, same Torsen diff, same good times.
You–or I–might want to act quickly, though. To buy a BRZ these days, add a little more than two grand to those figures: The BRZ tS now costs $38,360, with the least expensive offering going for $33,210. Blame “current market conditions,” the automaker says. Well, at least the cars are still fun.
Comments
So, a little behind-the-scenes or, as the cool kids say, BTS:
I came *this* close to buying a BRZ. I saw it the perfect street/autocross/track car.
Then I mentioned it to a friend. Oh, he said, a mutual friend was looking to sell his M3.
That night, I got the e-mail: Hey, I heard you’re interested in my M3. Here’s what I want for it.
That figure was less than the going rate for a decent BRZ.
So that’s why there’s an E46 M3 instead of a BRZ in my garage.
We still need a BRZ here at the home office. It’ll happen.
Is the BRZ "The Miata of coupes," or is the Miata "The BRZ of convertibles?"
One thing I like about the Twins is that for some extra money the manufacturers will add items that actually translate into noticeably lower lap times (per GRM's reviews/leaderboard info).
Meanwhile, historically at Mazda, you can have a wooden shift knob and steering wheel, and/or some paint and body cladding, etc., maybe a "Hard S" suspension or something similar that may or may not have made much of a difference depending who you're talking to.
Colin Wood said:
Is the BRZ "The Miata of coupes," or is the Miata "The BRZ of convertibles?"
That’s meta, Colin.
In reply to Coniglio Rampante :
The BBR package in the ND is probably the only package that will actually drop your laptimes and most of that is in thanks to the Brembos. Even then, most of my ND friends who autocross and track state that they prefer pocketing the cash and throwing it into a decent set of WilWood calipers as the Brembos have bad clearance for after market wheels.
Pretty sure the RF is the Miata of coupes.
So, Miata RF Club ($40,850) or BRZ tS ($38,360)?
What are "Florida's new super speeder laws"? Not that I'll be testing them.
More than 50 over the posted limit or exceeding 100 mph gets you Super Speeder status: 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
Some info from Orlando station WESH on the topic.
Snrub
Dork
8/13/25 9:07 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:
I came *this* close to buying a BRZ. I saw it the perfect street/autocross/track car.
Then I mentioned it to a friend. Oh, he said, a mutual friend was looking to sell his M3.
That night, I got the e-mail: Hey, I heard you’re interested in my M3. Here’s what I want for it.
That figure was less than the going rate for a decent BRZ.
So that’s why there’s an E46 M3 instead of a BRZ in my garage.
We still need a BRZ here at the home office. It’ll happen.
You did an Elantra N vs E46 M3 comparison. How do you feel it stacks up to a BRZ?
Displaying 1-10 of 49 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
