Subaru BRZ Officially Revealed Before Tokyo

Hot on the heels of yesterday's reveal of the Toyota GT-86,  Subaru has dropped it's first images of the BRZ.  If we've seen the Toyobaru, now we're seeing the Subieyota.  (Toyobarubieyota?)  If you were expecting something radically different from the GT-86, well - err, no.

The Subaru BRZ is almost indistinguishable from the GT-86, except for the Stars of Pleiades badge on both ends, and a slightly different front clip.  The pattern inside the taillights is slightly different, and there's no "86" Boxer badge on the front fenders, but that's about it.

Even the same wheels.

Mechanically, it's identical to the GT-86.  That means a front-mid engine/rear drive chassis, a 2.0L "D4S" boxer engine with 197bhp/151lb-ft, and six speed manual or automatic transmission.  Subaru showed off a BRZ STi concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show a few weeks back, but none of that car's fancy add-ons will make it to the production vehicle.

Rather than spend more time talking about things you've already heard, i'll show you some things you haven't.  For one thing, here's a shot of the GT-86/BRZ's 2.0L flat-four, snagged from the 86's Japanese reveal by Speedhunters.

It looks mostly like every other Subaru non-turbo flat four out there.  That is to say, not a whole lot to see.  What is interesting is the Subaru/Toyota inscription on the small cover above the intake manifold; click here to see that.  Also, here is Toyota's release video for the GT-86, with a lot of cool  music and imagery  but not a single sound of a howling flat-four with an 86 in oversteer mode.  I'm sure someone will take care of that soon.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6WnrqMDTw

The interior is likely to be identical, again with a Subaru badge instead of a Toyota badge.  But if you were wondering what the right hand drive GT-86/BRZ interior is going to look like, here's a picture of the JDM Toyota 86 interior as well.

The interchangeability of the BRZ and GT-86 is confusing to me.  I'm not sure it makes much sense to be selling duplicates of the same car, even down to the styling.  I don't want to bring up the Dodge/Plymouth Neon here, but that's the closest case of an exact replica being sold through two different names I can think of.  I was expecting there to be something to differentiate the BRZ, be it all-wheel-drive, a turbo motor, some weird Subaru styling - something.  I suppose we'll see.