Is The Subaru BRZ Really As Slow As Owners Say It Is?

The Subaru BRZ (along with its twin, the Toyota GR86) is a two-door sports coupe with four seats, rear-wheel drive, an available six-speed manual transmission, and a fun-to-drive vibe. The BRZ is also reasonably priced, with all four available trim levels coming in at under $38,000. The BRZ is well into its second generation now, with lots of praise from owners and automotive media alike. But apparently, that's not enough for some keyboard warriors who claim that the BRZ is slow. Specifically, some online commenters are bemoaning the lack of horsepower, listing off the more-powerful cars on the market that they believe have better acceleration.

At the test track, Car and Driver tested the BRZ and it accelerated from zero to 60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds. Get the launch right and keep your foot buried in the throttle, and it'll cross the quarter mile in 14.0 seconds at 101 miles per hour. Those aren't supercar times, but they aren't sloth-like either. And estimates put the BRZ's top speed at around 140 mph. But is that slow? Compared to small, relatively inexpensive, two-door sport coupes, how do those numbers stack up? When it comes to measuring speed, it's all about context, so let's put the BRZ into it. 

Driving the BRZ isn't a boring experience. Steering and handling are excellent. Go to any local track day or autocross event and you'll likely see a few BRZ's (or GR86's) darting between corners, with wide smiles on the owners faces. But if those events were at a drag strip, would you see the same enthusiastic grins?

The Mazda Miata, one of the BRZ's strongest rivals, has similar acceleration times: zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. The quarter mile? That takes the Miata 14.3 seconds at 96 mph — so the Subaru fares better the longer things go on. Another fun, attainable compact car with sporty intentions, the Honda Civic Si is worth considering. The Si has 200 hp and four doors, making it a bit less powerful and a bit heavier than the BRZ, but its zero to 60 time is 6.6 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 14.9 seconds — significantly slower.

Online commenters have compared the BRZ to midsize sedans like the Camry and Altima — so let's look at those too. When Car and Driver tested a 2024 Nissan Altima, it made the run from zero to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds. The all-new 2025 Camry? It did the dash in 6.8 seconds. A new V8-powered Ford Mustang going from zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds would beat the BRZ, as would an EcoBoost Mustang (zero to 60 in 4.5) but the BRZ is no slouch up against average vehicles.

The current 2025 Subaru BRZ is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter flat-four engine. It makes 228 hp at 7,000 rpm and 184 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm. While that might not seem like a massive amount of power, the BRZ's curb weight is under 2,900 pounds on all three trim levels: Premium (2,820 lbs), Limited (2,837 lbs), and tS (2,851 lbs). That helps the BRZ feel light on its feet. How heavy a car is matters when it comes to straight-line acceleration, but it also makes a big difference when you consider braking, handling, and overall driving dynamics. The lighter the car, the better it feels from behind the wheel and the less power it needs to feel sporty. 

The BRZ's low weight isn't its only sporting element either — there's a lot of available equipment that makes the BRZ an enthusiast's playground. The six-speed manual transmission that comes standard on the BRZ is paired with a limited slip differential for better traction and handling. And depending on what trim level you go with, the BRZ also offers features like Brembo brakes (with gold-painted calipers), STI-tuned suspension dampers, and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires. Even without the big power upgrades available on the options sheet, the BRZ is a good option for shoppers that want a bit of entertainment in their practical daily driver.

If you're at the drag racing strip, your zero-to-60 mph time and how quickly you pass the quarter mile will certainly matter, but almost everywhere else, acceleration is relative. Being able to sprint to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds is impressive, but how often are you darting away from a set of lights at full throttle? In our review of the 2025 Subaru BRZ tS, we considered the 228-hp engine to be a feisty powerplant — one that's enjoyable to rev to the limit and tackle mountain roads with. Want to make a pass on the highway? The BRZ is certainly up to the task. Need to make a quick merge on a short on-ramp? Not a problem. Could Subaru build a BRZ with much more power? Sure. But other aspects of the BRZ ownership experience might suffer.

If Subaru were to add a turbocharger or supercharger to the BRZ's engine, power would certainly go up, but prices could easily increase, while fuel economy ratings would likely drop. According to the EPA, a BRZ with the automatic transmission will return 25 mpg combined (21 city/30 highway), while the six-speed manual model checks in at 22 mpg combined (20 city/27 highway). While those aren't exactly Prius numbers, they're certainly respectable for a car with so much fun baked in. Is the BRZ slow? No. Are more powerful cars sometimes faster? Sure. But straight-line speed isn't everything and the BRZ gets that.