BRZ

The ZD8 Subaru BRZ

The second BRZ went on sale in Japan on 29 July 2021. It keeps the first car's layout, a front-engined, rear-drive 2+2 coupé developed with Toyota, on a body about 50% stiffer in torsion, with an aluminium roof, bonnet and front wings. The engine is the FA24, a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre flat-four making 235 PS at 7,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 3,700 rpm, 24 PS and 38 Nm more than the FA20, through a six-speed manual or automatic.

It is not a copy of the GR86. The BRZ has aluminium front knuckles, saving about 1.5 kg of unsprung weight a side, and mounts its rear anti-roll bar to the body through the subframe, so those parts do not swap between the two. The R grade runs on 17-inch wheels and the S on 18s with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres. EyeSight came to manual cars in September 2023, when the STI Sport returned with STI-tuned Hitachi Astemo dampers.

What ZD8 owners upgrade

ZD8 owners spend more on the chassis and cabin than on the engine. Wheels are the top order, then adjustable links, arms and strut braces from the handling range, with 326 Power and Cusco among the makers, and LSD upgrade kits from OS Giken and Cusco in the drivetrain.

Steering wheels, shift knobs, seat rails and gauges from the interior range are popular, along with rear wings and STI emblems from the exterior range. On track, owners' own data logging has shown oil pressure dropping in long corners, which is why baffled oil pans are on the list. STI, Blitz, GReddy, HKS and Recaro are among the names owners choose.

Genuine parts

The ZD8 is still young, so genuine parts go mostly to servicing and to repairs after road or track damage. Because the front knuckles and rear anti-roll bar mounts are the BRZ's own, order them for the BRZ rather than from a GR86 parts list. They are in our genuine Subaru parts catalogue, with filters, pads and body parts.

Wheels

The ZD8 has five studs on a 100 mm PCD with M12 x 1.25 nuts. The R came on 17x7.5 +48 wheels and the S on 18x7.5 +48 with 215/40R18 tyres. Other sizes are listed under wheels that fit the ZD8 BRZ.