Subaru debuts new BRZ tS at Subiefest California
July 25, 2023The Subaru BRZ is already one of our favorite sporty cars, and now Subaru has added a new tS trim level, with upgrades specifically for track work.
OK, so it’s not the turbocharged STI variant that some fans may be hoping for, but there’s still plenty to like here. The tS comes with new dampers from Hitachi, which are tuned by Subaru’s STI team. It also gains Brembo brakes with gold painted calipers—4-piston calipers at the front, 2 at the rear. Finally, like the BRZ Limited, the tS comes with 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires. The powertrain is a 228 horsepower, naturally aspirated 2.4-liter flat-four, shared with other BRZ models, and offered only with a six-speed manual transmission in the tS (other BRZs offer a six-speed automatic).
Exterior changes on the tS are mostly subtle, with “tS” badging and the aforementioned gold brake calipers being the most notable changes. The interior is also fairly restrained, although it does get blue contrast stitching throughout, and a blue stripe on each of the front seats. In addition, Subaru’s STI logo adorns the starter button and digital gauge cluster.
Like all other 2024 BRZs, the tS will come standard with Subaru’s EyeSight active safety suite, which includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, and lead vehicle start alert. This is the first time EyeSight has been offered on a manual-transmission car.
We here at MotorWeek have been big fans of the Subaru BRZ (and Toyota GR86) since it was launched, with the Subaru and Toyota winning our 2022 Drivers’ Choice award for Best Sports Coupe. In our road test of the BRZ, we called the BRZ “a throwback thrill to drive no matter the speed or the road you’re on.”
Subaru says pricing for the BRZ tS will be announced later this year, and we’ll have more on actually driving the new tS soon on MotorWeek.