burlapp car

2013 Subaru BRZ

By  •  Published:  •  Last updated:



First official pictures of the Toyota clone.

It is really too bad they chose not to spend money into redesigning more of the car.
This is back from the old GM, Ford Chrysler days.
Back when a Mercury was just a Ford with more chrome.

Really sad….

Conversation 22 comments

  1. Most cars, rather unchanged have some characteristics improved or added features upon it. Well, we all have our wants in a car that we love anyway.

  2. Finally someone is talking about the serious badge engineering between these two cars! Thanks Vince for noticing! I haven't seen anybody else say anything about the two clones, and they really are since they share all sheet metal! I guess you could call both of these cars Subaru's since they use the same boxer engine. Sad!

  3. This looks much better than the Scion version, but C&D was throwing $28k around with a N/A 200 hp boxer..there is no way..

  4. So what if they have different plastic bits on the front and back ends? Visually they are both awful. It'll all depend on how they perform.

  5. I am not impressed. Rebadge Engineering at its best. No distinction at all, just the front bumper? Even GM and Chrysler are trying to stop this practice. What a sad excuse for a collaboration. And those Altezza style taillights, Please.

  6. This is not for consumers. This is just a step in the long road that will allow Fuji Heavy Ind. to sell Suburau to a real car company. Stay tuned.

  7. Anonymous said…
    This is not for consumers. This is just a step in the long road that will allow Fuji Heavy Ind. to sell Suburau to a real car company. Stay tuned.

    wondering the same myself – what is the goal of the toyota/fuji's partnership…GM???

  8. does have a GM smell to it…

    maybe toyota is sell the scion-badged daewoos to subie???

    maybe units merging to supply china with construction vehicles, with b-cars (Buick) as some sort of incentive???

  9. So it looks like Toyota stole this from Subaru because I notice the cues are more inline with Subie's design language as a brand. Developed by Subaru, sold by Toyota. Sad. If they're lucky, the Subaru will sell more than the Scion in North America.

    This is badge engineering at its absolure worst. Even lower than the Acura EL/CSX and Honda Civic situation….however the US will be getting that combo soon…haha!

    – FusioptimaSX

  10. Or for Fuji to reduce development costs by making all Subaru's built on Toyota platforms. Even sadder. I think if Subie becomes more Toyota'ized, it's going to reverse that growth trend. Not many Subaru buyers will want a Toyota product in any form.

  12. I actually think this version is more attractive. White helps. Still unfortunately not different enough. GM's J-Car of the 80s had more differentiation!

  13. all of you dumb people are throwing the empty phrase "badge engineering" without any logic behind it. the mercury/ford, chrysler/dodge badge engineering were frowned upon because they were selling the same car at HIGHER PRICE and pretending the same car is different and more luxurious when it's not. There's no pretense that the brz or 86 is significantly different form one another in term of performance, price or market position, so there's nothing wrong with it.

  14. One of the worst aspects of this design is how dated it already appears. Think 1990's. Because if this was rolled out back then, I am sure the Toyota/Subie clone would do well and the mixed if not underwhelming response to this would not be so palpable.

    What's missing? How about Toyota's opportunity to bake in some LFA design DNA? Instead, we see an amalgamation of soft looking design angles and edges, elements incorporating various other design makes.

    Worse yet, the interior is a blather of boring, if not cheap screaming, down market looks.

    Imagine, Toyota, after years and years of gestation, produces What is a tired looking and unimaginative car.

  15. "the mercury/ford, chrysler/dodge badge engineering were frowned upon because they were selling the same car at HIGHER PRICE and pretending the same car is different and more luxurious when it's not. "

    Badge engineering has nothing to do with pricing. It has entirely to do with attempting to create multiple branded cars while making the R&D investment in only one. Generally what you get is something that's differentiated by the "soft" plastic bits, and is watered down for all brands. I'm not impressed with the style of either car. But I am very intrigued by what's behind it. Because Subaru is in the DNA, I expect good things.

  16. Mobis,

    I agree that the design is already tired. It looks like an 90s successor to an 80s Celica. I don't agree that picking up any design cues from the LFA would be a good thing. The LFA looks like it was built in a barn. How about picking up style cues from Lamborghini or the R8?

  17. Chevrolet Celebrity, Buick Century, Pontiac 6000, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. Did these ever really have different price points with the exception of Chevy?

    Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave.

    Same S*** Different Day!

    I really thought the days of sharing sheet metal between models (to at least fool the general public) was the new standard? Platform sharing is ok when this and other brand specific tunings such as suspension and more take place!

  18. Sorry to dissagree with most, I LOVE THIS CAR. So, they look almost identicle. They are not sharing a showroom like ford/mercury cars did. Working together kept the cost down and now each company will have a kick ass affordable rwd car to offer. The rest of you keep driving your suv shoeboxes on wheels, I'll take one of these please.

  19. To Fusioptima:
    They were all at different price points. Their was overlap due to some having mechanical differences (suspension calibration; type & cost of materials used; available seating; available options; differing levels of equipment; etc.) Unfortunately many consumers were blind to these differences so GM was spending money to provide a level of detail and choice that only auto affectionatos appreciated. Personally I love the Buick Enclave and am deciding between that and a Grand Cherokee and a Navigator. The less expensive Traverse and sprotier Acadia I will never consider at all. But then, mabey I am pickier than you when it comes to transportation. On the other hand, if I buy new cars at 4x the rate of the average guy then mabey GM is right to give me more choices.

  20. The Subaru BRZ isn´t a clone! The Subaru BRZ is the original. Subaru built this model. The Toyota and Scion are a clone!!!!

  21. It is interesting that they would choose to release the official pictures of the car in white on a white background. It is as if they would like the car to not stand out and disappear into the background.

  22. I do to have to laugh at the badge engineering comments, this is a jointly developed car with Subaru doing most the chassis work and toyota lending the direct injection and getting it to work with the boxer motor (for lower cg).

    Yes, it shares all the sheetmetal, but if you share a chassis and still want to hit all your aero targets there's only so much you can do without driving costs (for a low volume car, no one really buys coupes remember) through the roof.

    From what I've read the scion will come in cheaper but the subaru will come better appointed out the door.

    And Vern, sunroofs don't below in sports coupes anyways, this car has been praised for it's low CG, not going to be able to keep that tossing lots of glass and sliding mechanisms at the top of the car..

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *