We finally got back last night and I thought I'd do a brain-dump on what I learned about the car on the way home.
The electronics can bite your ass.
Push button start is great and proximity sensors are cool right up to the moment they aren't. We had an issue at a gas station in Alabama when I got out of the car to fill the car up. I filled the car up and got back in and pushed the Start button. Beeeepp! No start. Tried again several times and nothing. Of course, I was devastated. The immobilizer light flashed every time I tried to start the car and locking/unlocking the car didn't remedy the issue.
To make a long(er) story short, we had to take both of the keys far enough away from the car for the car's immobilizer to reset.
I called the dealer and one of the guys said that this was a feature. It's supposed to protect you from accidentally leaving your key in the car and someone just hopping in and going. I guess it happened because I had left one of the two keys in cup holder when I got out. Oh well, live and learn, right?
The seats are definitely not for long road trips.
I purchased a BRZ Limited which comes with the leather seats.
We found that the Alcantara didn't breathe for sh*t. As a result, our backs were sweating after about 30 minutes in the car. I'm going to look into getting some sort of cover for the seats because this was annoying.
I have broad shoulders and the shoulder bolsters on the seats were a killer. I'm sure they're great for short sprints around the track but, for a journey of any considerable distance, they were too damn tight. I've owned quite a few cars and the closest I can relate it to was the seats in my Lotus Elise. Needless to say, I was hoping for something with a bit more comfort than the Lotus.
Other than the tight shoulder area and the breathability of the Alcantara, the seats are pretty damn nice. The stitching is top-notch and definitely goes with the car.
The navigation unit is functional but not totally intuitive.
I'm not going to change much on the car (for now) but the head unit is one of the things that I'll change pretty quickly.
I don't know who was in charge of designing the interface and screen flows for this thing but they dropped the ball. It's very unintuitive at times and unusable some times.
I had the salesperson help me sync-up my phone (via Bluetooth) with system at the dealership before I left. I was pleased to see it pull in all my contacts (names and phone numbers only), messages and call histories.
The car also has a USB port that you can use to plug your iPod into. I have an iPhone which, as you know, acts like a phone and an iPod. So, when I plugged it into the USB port (to charge), the head unit just started playing music. I don't know if it's the head unit's fault or my phone's but I couldn't figure out how to turn the damn music off. The problem was because there's no common audio interface that controls all the inputs. No, you have to go into iPod or Bluetooth to control each of those inputs. So, when the music started, I went into the iPod section of the head unit and pressed Pause. It kept playing. Naturally, I was confused. After some time, we figured out that the audio was actually playing through the Bluetooth connection. This is in a different screen altogether. I finally got it turned off and unplugged my phone from the USB port. After I found the cigarette lighter port, I plugged in a USB charger and plugged my phone in there. Problem solved -- sorta.
The steering is pretty damned cool.
Of all the features of the car, I was most impressed by the steering responsiveness. I think Subaru/Toyota made an excellent decision going with the electric steering. It feels heavy on the highway and keeps you from drifting back and forth in your lane. There's zero play in the rack. If you put in input, you get steering output -- immediately. Now, just because it feels heavy on the highway doesn't mean that it's not quick and light when you're carving corners. That's what surprised me most. It's the best of both worlds and, combined with the skinny(ish) wheels on the front, the steering felt most like my Lotus Elise. Very, very responsive.
There's plenty of power.
No, seriously. There is. My WRX is pushing close to 400HP and the BRZ actually feels quicker and more responsive. You'll love the fact that they didn't go with a turbo version. There's something great about it being 'all motor' at this time. It's got ample power and the gearing is positively perfect.
I'm running out of time here but I'll answer any questions you have when I get back. I am impressed with the car and have zero buyer's remorse. I let 5 or 6 of my friends drive it last night. These are guys that have Lotus, Porsche, Ariel Atoms and every other 'track capable' vehicle you can think of. They all said that it's like Lotus, Toyota and Subaru got together and built the perfect base car for track enthusiasts. They all commented on how responsive the steering is and how it has an absolutely perfect balance. It was funny to see these guys a little envious and jealous of the fact that you could get that out of a $30,000 vehicle. Track day is going to be awesome!