Subaru BRZ Premium 2013

BY MIKE SUTTON | MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Subaru’s rear-wheel-drive BRZ sports car was a lock for long-term duty in our vehicle fleet, what with its being fun, affordable, and relatively efficient, as well as one of the most significant new models for 2013. So we ordered up a Premium model in Subie’s iconic WR Blue Pearl hue. Fitted with a six-speed manual transmission and priced at $26,265 to start, it’s the least-expensive BRZ trim, forgoing the optional $1100 six-speed automatic and the added conveniences—heated leather seats with faux suede inserts, heated exterior mirrors, keyless entry and start, fog lights, dual-zone climate control, and more—of the $28,265 Limited model. It’s definitely worth noting that, since our car’s arrival, the BRZ made it onto our 2013 10Best Cars list, along with its Scion FR-S twin.

Despite its entry-level status, our Subie packs as standard six airbags, multistage stability control, a touch-screen infotainment system with navigation and Bluetooth, fold-down rear seatbacks, supportive front sport seats, LED daytime running lights, a Torsen limited-slip differential, and 17-inch aluminum wheels. Also included, of course, are some of the best driving dynamics available today.

Toss and Catch? It’s Not Just a Ball Game

Once the Subaru was broken in, we turned it loose on the test track, where it posted a 6.4-second run to 60 mph and a quarter-mile gallop of 15 flat at 94 mph. Those times are comparable to those of other BRZs we’ve tested with the manual gearbox, as are the 172-foot stop from 70 mph and 0.89 g of grip around the skidpad. The 2757-pound coupe was able to reach a drag-limited 139-mph top speed.

Although the BRZ isn’t a particularly fast car, it’s organic and direct in its responses to inputs in a way that feels naturally hard-wired to the driver. Like the MX-5 Miata, the BRZ is an easy car to get to know. Take it down your favorite stretch of twisty bits, and you’ll be friends in no time. (We’re talking about roads. Settle down.) Initial logbook entries heaped praise on its balanced chassis and surprisingly communicative electric-assisted power steering, which is also nicely weighted and helmed by a small, grippy steering wheel devoid of secondary controls. The brake pedal is firm and easy to modulate, and the tight action of the manual shifter makes running through the gates very rewarding.

A Maddening Radio and Other Maladies

The remainder of the logbook’s first impressions, however, focused on the BRZ’s infuriating touch-screen interface for the audio and navigation system. Standard equipment on the BRZ, the head unit looks and feels far below even the Subaru’s affordable price point and is hampered by clumsy operation and a lack of redundant hard controls. The virtual buttons are small and difficult to locate while driving, and the system responds sluggishly compared with most factory multimedia setups. Some drivers have generously called it a nuisance; others call it flat-out dangerous to operate while on the road. As much as we appreciate the simplicity of the contoured steering wheel, having additional—and more effective—audio controls at our fingertips would be a boon.

We’ve made one scheduled stop—at 7685 miles for a $90 oil-and-filter change and inspection—but our unscheduled visits to the dealership have been many. The first occurred at 2600 miles when a chunk of the Subaru’s roof molding ripped loose in a carwash. It cost $47 to replace. About 1000 miles later, the leather-wrapped shift knob began to rattle at highway speeds, at which point we also ordered a new set of taillights because the ones on our car weren’t sealed well and were constantly filled with condensation. This apparently is a common problem with the BRZ, and a service bulletin has been issued. As of this writing, the new shift knob and the lights are on back order at the dealer, and both are covered by warranty. Finally, with about 6800 miles on the clock, the passenger-side power window stopped working on an icy morning after a freezing rainstorm. It fixed itself once the temperatures rose and has yet to fail again, although we haven’t seen similar weather since.

Winter Challenge

As we rack up the miles between service stops, the realities of regularly driving a small rear-drive sports car in Michigan are setting in. With just 1233 pounds over the rear axle and about five inches of ground clearance, we’re going to have to reset our expectations for a Subaru once the snow arrives. In hopes of giving the car a fighting chance of surviving the winter, a set of 215/45-17 Michelin X-Ice Xi2 snow tires ($604) have been fitted in place of the standard Michelin Primacy HP rubber. Light snow and the car’s utter predictability should prove to be highly entertaining, although outright grip and responsiveness have been reduced significantly by the new tires, with the BRZ now easier than ever to drift around at low speeds.

We’ve averaged an impressive 29 mpg so far—near the high end of the car’s 22/30-mpg splits, but we expect longer voyages to be few and far between. The BRZ has yet to leave southeast Michigan, in fact, which helps explain its low-for-us mileage accumulation thus far. The car has minimal accommodations for rear occupants and a cozy seven-cubic-foot trunk, although the track rats on staff will appreciate being able to stow a full set of additional tires in the car with the front-passenger and rear seats folded down. The BRZ is still an excellent driver’s car for novice and expert pilots alike, but the next 30,000 miles will determine if our relationship with the BRZ grows as close as the one the car has with the road.

Honda Accord Sedan 2013

BY AARON ROBINSON

There were low points in the past few years when we doubted Honda, but Big H might be on its way back. The new, ninth-generation Accord is a convincing reminder of the company’s core values and—considering all Honda has been through, including an earthquake that smashed its Tochigi R&D center and floods in Thailand that crimped production—a triumphant return to form.

This latest Accord is 3.5 inches shorter bumper to bumper and 0.9 inch tighter at the wheelbase than its fleshy predecessor. Yet once again, Honda conducts a master class in packaging. Against its porcine predecessor, the 2013 car’s cabin dimensions vary hardly at all. The Accord still feels like one of the biggest cars in the segment, with two roomy and extra-comfortable front buckets and a back bench you and two friends can stretch out on. Moreover, the capacious trunk is even larger, maximum volume having increased by over one cubic foot.

The overhauled DOHC 2.4-liter four falls under the somewhat nonsensical Earth Dreams marketing slogan; more important, however, is that it represents Honda’s first whack at gasoline direct injection for the North American market. Your only automatic alternative to the six-speed manual with this engine is a Honda-built continuously variable transmission (CVT) called the G-Design Shift (Honda’s committee for cutesy names has been working overtime).

The 2.4-liter is quieter at idle than some other direct-injection engines with their clattering high-pressure injectors, particularly Hyundai’s. And the Honda likes to rev, sounding healthy and full throated at its 6400-rpm power peak. But it’s the CVT’s tuning that makes the Accord feel fleet. The typical rubber-band delay has been minimized, and the throttle responds curtly when you ask for acceleration (although sometimes with some audible transmission whine at high revs). In mountain snakers as well as on city streets, the CVT works so efficiently that it all but disappears, and you never notice the lack of a manual control. Of course, we’d prefer the optional six-speed stick, with its tightly spaced gates and short throws—but, finally, a belt-and-pulley transmission we can live with!

Somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of Accord buyers opt for a V-6, and for them, the 3.5-liter goes up slightly in horsepower to 278. But the news with this engine is its lighter weight due to items such as plastic cam covers and work on the Variable Cylinder Management system that increases the time the engine runs on three cylinders. In motion, the cylinder cutout is completely transparent, and the V-6 does what it’s supposed to: provide more sophisticated and effortless propulsion.

Once again, only in the Accord coupe can you pair the V-6 with a six-speed manual—a six-speed conventional auto is the only box in six-cylinder sedans. Out of corners, the car is a “one-tire fire” as the open differential sets the less-taxed wheel spinning madly. But it’s a very hot setup in eight-tenths driving, especially given that it’s front-wheel drive.

That’s because the Accord drives as if it were constructed of old-fashioned Honda “lightweightium.” It’s not the lightest car in its segment, but it feels it. The steering, the brakes, and the suspension work in harmonious balance to make the Accord seem agile and springy. Yes, instead of control arms, it now has struts in the nose, but so does a Porsche Cayman. The Accord hustles through turns with fog-free steering and little complaint from the tires and never seems to be working very hard. You wanted a mid-size family sedan that feels as if it were made of recycled CRXs? Here’s your car.

Lessons from the distressed Civic have been learned, and the Accord feels nicely appointed, with softer materials and better sound insulation. The dash is done to Honda’s familiar template of large, maxi-print gauges and many, many small buttons. You can pile on navigation and the associated extra panel of controls, which will be familiar to current-gen owners, or save your money and make do with a deep drawer hidden behind a somewhat clumsy-looking plastic door.

Our favorite option is a clever blind-spot camera that Honda calls LaneWatch. Mounted at the bottom of the passenger mirror, the camera switches on whenever you activate the turn signal or push the manual control button at the end of the turn-signal stalk. Another techie option is LED headlamps, Honda’s first and available on the top trim level. A regular hybrid model returns to the lineup, but not until next summer, some months after its plug-in variant arrives at dealerships. We’ve already driven a prototype of the latter.

With a flat roof and highly conservative rake to its glass, the Accord remains unapologetically a mid-size family car. You can complain about the design’s lack of sizzle but not its practicality. The door openings are wide, the step-over sills are narrow, and the beltline is kept unfashionably low to create huge glass portals. If people don’t see you because your vehicle is plain, at least you will see them.

There are more Accord models than ever. To chase younger buyers, there’s a 2.4-liter Sport trim with larger, 18-inch rims; a dual-tip exhaust; a rear spoiler; fog lights; and paddle shifters on cars equipped with the CVT. At the top end is the new Touring, a V-6–only model that is sort of a Honda Avalon with leather, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, a thumpy stereo, and so on.