Subaru’s second generation BRZ was finally revealed on Wednesday. Now, there’s still the question of when it’s Toyota-twin, the new 86 will come forth, but until then, we have time to hypothesize with the BRZ and in particular, an open top version.
While at first that may sound like a futile thought, we’ll remind you that Toyota and Subaru was actively looking into a convertible variant of the first generation model, having even presented a concept version back in 2013. Could it happen with the new BRZ and 86? It could, but with sales of convertible cars slipping and possibly getting even worse as global economies get hampered by Covid-19 related lockdowns, it sounds like a hard sale. Regardless of what may or may not happen, we can show you what a 2022 BRZ could look like, courtesy of this rendering from XTomi Design.
We would assume that the BRZ Cabrio would
carry a weight penalty over the regular model, which is estimated to tip the
scales at less than 1,315 kg. This would slightly affect the
straight-line acceleration. Power would still be supplied by the 2.4-liter
engine. The naturally aspirated flat-four unit produces 228 horsepower and 249 Nm of torque, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed
manual or a six-speed automatic transmission, with a limited-slip differential
being included at no extra cost.
Unfortunately, the Japanese automaker
chose not to reveal the 0 to 96 km/h sprint time and the top
speed of the 2022 BRZ, but it will be quicker than its predecessor, which
requires over 7 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark. Subaru will likely announce the
performance figures next year, as the all-new BRZ will launch in the United
States in the fall of 2021, with production taking place at the Gunma facility
in Japan.
