Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, is working hard to get noticed in the shadow of Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. So it’s not surprising that their next entry into the lucrative luxury crossover segment would be a coupé-inspired design.
The new QX55 features the same variable-compression turbo four-cylinder found in the QX50 we just reviewed. Here it puts out a similar 268-horsepower and 280 lbs-ft of torque through a continuously variable transmission. In North America the QX55 will only be available with all-wheel drive, unlike the more mainstream QX50, which is also available in front-wheel drive.
Pricing has yet to be announced. Vehicles should hit dealers in spring of 2021.
Today we have a first look at the new 2022 Subaru BRZ. This new one is more powerful, more nimble, and in my opinion – it looks better, too. And, yes, the vents are functional.
From some angles, it looks a little Porsche, with a touch of Bangle BMW in the back.
Of course the most important part of any sports car is what’s under the hood. Here, Subaru has upgraded the BRZ with a new naturally-aspirated 2.4-liter 4-cylinder boxer engine with Toyota’s direct fuel injection and port injection. This setup puts out up to 228 horsepower and 184 lbs-ft of torque to the rear-wheels – that’s 23 more ponies than the outgoing engine.
For those that were hoping for a turbo, Subaru says that going down that road would have made the BRZ too expensive. But they also agreed it needed more power – this 2.4-liter is the compromise. And, though it does share the same bore and stroke as the turbo 2.4 in the Ascent, Subaru says the BRZ boxer engine is all-new design.
This new engine is also placed lower in the chassis to improve its already impressive handling characteristics. It’s still the lightest rear-wheel drive sports car in America, tipping the scales at only 2,900-lbs.
You can get the new BRZ with either a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters, or a close-ratio manual transmission. Interesting to note that the automatic has Sport, Snow and Track modes – which modifies traction and power. The Manual, only gets Track.
Trunk space seems pretty close to the outgoing model. Not huge, but significantly better than a Miata. Subaru says with the seats folded down you can fit a bike with the wheel off, or four tires for a track day.
The interior is still familiar, but with some nice updates: including a digital gauge cluster with a g-meter and lap timing capabilities. The display also changes based on your drive mode. The seats look great, with dual stage heat. Dual-zone climate control is also available.
Automatic models come standard with Subaru’s EyeSight safety system. The 8-inch infotainment screen has been upgraded, with an interface that now matches the rest of the Subaru lineup. Switch into reverse and it doubles as a backup camera with improved resolution over the outgoing model.
Unfortunately, today we just have a couple pre-production cars – which we’re not allowed to drive. But, thankfully, we know someone that can. Subaru invited pro driver Scott Speed to give us some laps in a pre-production vehicle. Watch the video for the full story.
Of course, we’ll have a full review of the 2022 Subaru BRZ as soon as we can get our hands on a production car. It’s too early to say what pricing will be, though we expect it will be nicely equipped for under $30-grand. Final production cars are expected to hit dealerships in early fall of 2021.
Welcome to the newest version of the Driving Sports TV web site. In this update we’re going to focus on expanding utility of the site with quick access to our latest YouTube videos.
We also added a tool to get more information about the vehicles we test for the show. Read the original window sticker, search and sort by specs, see which one has the fastest 0-60 as tested and more. Jump to the Test Vehicle Data page to try it out!
