Danny de Vito and body builder-turned actor-turned California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, were probably the only twins that were completely different to one another. On the other hand, that was a comedy film in which artistic freedom allows the producers to do anything they please.
In the real world, human twins may indeed differ, mostly in character – though not as much as Arnie and Danny by any stretch of the imagination. In the automotive world, however, when two manufacturers jointly develop a vehicle, 99.9% of the times it ends up being identical to its sibling.
Even Subaru and Toyota are not pretending that their BRZ and 86/GT86 are anything but the same car. They clearly admit it in their press releases and even inscribe it on the engine cover. It’s badge engineering, pure and simple. Therefore, all the hoopla about the extremely low center of gravity, the compact dimensions, the fun to drive RWD configuration et al is repeated in the BRZ which also made its premiere today at the 42nd edition of the Tokyo Motor Show.
In fact, the only noticeable difference, apart from the badging, is in the front fascia design. The BRZ looks a bit more restrained and less “Tokyo Drift”, but that’s just our take and you can decide on your own which is the better looking of the two.
And oh, Subaru is being more honest than its partner calling the BRZ a 2+2 and not “the world’s most compact four-seater sports car”.
Everything else is the same: the 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer, the six-speed manual or auto transmissions, the front strut and rear double wishbone suspension, the small steering wheel – heck, even the interior is identical.
Nevertheless, if Toyota and Subaru deliver what they promise, the BRZ/86 should be a very entertaining car – which we certainly hope so.
In Subaru's case, you know what would be even more entertaining? The BRZ STi concept shown in LA, complete with carbonfiber roof, front spliter and rear wing and a more aggressive body kit. As is customary with Subaru Tecnica International models, a little bit more oomph from the boxer engine wouldn’t hurt either…
Scroll down to check out our gallery with live pictures from the show as well new video footage showing the BRZ in action.
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