Subaru unveils new STI-tuned BRZ tS

Subaru has a go at improving on perfection...

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 25 July 2023 / Loading comments

No, it doesn’t have a turbocharger. Doesn’t have any more power at all, in fact. And no, this latest Subaru BRZ is not coming to the UK. But the current pair of Toyobaru twins are so good - and so emphatically up our street - that no new variant can be ignored. Especially with STI bits among its freshened-up quota.

The uprated BRZ tS was revealed to fans at Subiefest in California over the weekend, boasting new front and rear dampers from Hitachi with STI tuning. They are said to promise better control and stability for Subaru’s rear-drive sports car, along with the ability to ‘maximise its light weight, ultra low centre of gravity and precision handling’. Given how peerlessly well the current Toyobaru does that already, any improvement at all would be deeply impressive.

Just as notable are the new Brembo brakes, which are more than just snazzy gold calipers: the upgrade earns the tS four-piston callipers at the front, two-piston at the back with larger pads and rotors, promising not just greater stopping power but also better pedal feel if its maker is to be believed. The tyres are unchanged, with 215-section Michelin Pilot Sport 4s on 18-inch wheels.

It’s the new look that might be of most interest, mostly because the tS is not all that different from a standard BRZ. The model will become the range-topper in the US when it arrives, so it’s conceivable that Subaru might have chosen to push the addenda boat out - mercifully, the brand has resisted the temptation. Externally, you get tS badging in the front grille and on the bootlid, with the mirrors and shark fin antenna in Crystal Black Silica. But that's about it.

Inside - presumably where buyers expect to see the extra premium at work - you get tS-only contrast blue stitching on the front seat bolsters, steering wheel and just about everything else the driver might touch. There’s also a blue leather accent down the centre of the sport seats and a ‘nubuck-like’ material on the instrument panel visor and door trim. For lovers of detail, the STI logo appears on the red starter button and the seven-inch digital instrument cluster, which also gets tS-exclusive red accents.

For lovers of safety, Subaru has added a raft of driver assistance tech that most BRZ buyers could probably live without, although they also get a decent amount of standard kit - primary among them the 228hp 2.4-litre in-house boxer unit, close-ratio six-speed manual and Torsen limited-slip diff that makes the car worth seeking out in the first place. Ultimately a fairly light fettling then - but shouldn’t stop anyone this side of the pond feeling jealous when the tS goes on sale later this year.