US May Get a New Subaru BRZ that Looks Like the JDM BRZ tS

Without a doubt, the Subaru BRZ is the most successful new car Subaru’s launched in the past 5 years. Granted, it was developed with the help of Toyota, but it’s a spectacular sports coupe nonetheless. It drives well, looks great, gets great gas mileage and it’s affordable too. In fact, the sixth annual ALG awards recently chose the 2014 Subaru BRZ as the sports car that will hold its value better than any other car in its segment.

So, it’s no surprise that Subaru would be looking to expand their various BRZ offerings. Already they have a Subaru BRZ Premium and a BRZ Limited in the US, along with a Subaru BRZ tS in Japan, but now it looks like they’re considering adding another trim to the mix. Apparently it will be similar to the Subaru BRZ tS, but without all of STI’s handling upgrades.

The rumor comes from popular automotive blog Car and Driver. Somehow they’ve obtained information that indicates the BRZ coupe will look almost identical to the JDM-only BRZ tS. It will likely receive aesthetic upgrades such as black alloy wheels, a front splitter, side skirts and a huge rear wing. They also mentioned that the car may include STI badging, but that seems difficult to believe if the car truly won’t receive any mechanical upgrades.

The only reason that Subaru would include STI badging on a mechanically neutral upgrade is for marketing purposes. Car and Driver astutely points out that the Subaru Technica Organization is actually completely separate from Subaru the automaker within Fuji Heavy Industries (unlike, say, Nissan’s NISMO). Therefore, they may see it as a good first-step to introduce the badging and aftermarket parts to US drivers before releasing full-fledged STi-tuned vehicles, even though we’ve already seen a Subaru WRX STi.

One has to question why they wouldn’t just go all out and release a Subaru BRZ STi, since it seems hard to believe that such a car would be anything less than a blockbuster success. After all, BRZ fans are practically begging for it.

Regardless, it seems that the prospect of mechanical upgrades is indeed out the window. In fact, this anonymous source specifically confirmed that there will be no powertrain upgrades or changes whatsoever. This sadly means that the Subaru BRZ will continue its life without any turbocharged powertrain, again, despite the urges of BRZ fans around the world.

Now, don’t take this the wrong way. No one is going to be upset that Subaru is releasing another edition of their much-loved BRZ sports coupe. As we said at the beginning of this article, it’s a wonderful car that’s a ton of fun to drive, and no one will be upset that they’ll start providing a better looking option here in the next couple months. Still, we really just want to see powertrain upgrades, and one could even argue that a BRZ with only performance enhancements would likely outsell a BRZ with only aesthetic ones, although a BRZ with both would be ideal.