We are testing the new 2022 Subaru BRZ S manual with our family. We voted the previous model of this gorgeous little four-seater sports car our family favourite in 2018 when we drove it with our first daughter.
We have changed as a family since then with the edition of our second daughter and so our requirements of a car have changed too! Will we still feel the same about the new BRZ, now it has changed and our family has changed? Let's put it through some of our BabyDrive testing and find out!
Well, the first thing I noticed was my rear-facing little lady had to be turned forward-facing for the week in the BRZ! There simply is not room for rear-facing child seats in this four-seater sports car! She loved the opportunity to watch her feet stick out though!
Everyone is surprised but there are ISOFix points in both of the rear seats and top tether anchorages too, and they are all easy to access and connect to.
We did discover that when we grown-ups went to get in the front that the legroom and interior cabin space feels smaller than the previous, 2018 BRZ we tested. I am 162cm and could fit in front of either front position but hubby could only just squeeze into the front passenger seat and he's 184cm. The glove box seems to protrude much further than in the previous, model taking leg space from the cabin. It wasn't exactly comfortable for hubby (or the child in the back) when he tried to drive the 2022 BRZ either!
The interior is very nice in the 2022 BRZ, with nice suede seat upholstery with black and red leather trim. The seats are sporty and hugging which feels comfortable.
Storage is very minimal, as previously, with two cup holders in the central console and door bins that will hold a refillable water bottle. The door handles double storage wells too, which I found useful during my week with the BRZ and the glove box will hold an iPad and wallet with the manual.
Boot space seems smaller in this new model, with a large spare wheel in the boot which takes up most of the space!
The previous model BRZ fitted nine shopping bags in the boot and various prams and strollers but I could only fit five shopping bags in the boot or a compact stroller and three shopping bags into the 2022 BRZ.
I did find the spare wheel a great place for storing the kids' school bags though!
This is the top-spec S model with a manual gearbox, and it's FANTASTIC to drive! I feel the engine is nicer in this new model than the previous model too. The kids love the novelty of driving around in the BRZ, it's exciting and really good fun, it is easy around town and to park and great out on the open roads too!
The media system is really simple and nice and easy to use in the 2022 Subaru BRZ.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the reversing camera image fills the whole screen and is nice and clear too.
This new Subaru BRZ is great to drive! It is a great little run-around with the kids in the back and it's as much for them as it is for the adults on board!
The 2o23 Subaru BRZ has seven airbags as standard, dual frontal and front side chest airbags and curtain head airbags for the second-row passengers and driver's knee airbag. You get more crash-preventing technology in the automatic transmission version, which I guess they just couldn't get to work with the manual!
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the 2022 Subaru BRZ?
We wouldn't be expecting the boot of the new Subaru BRZ to be enormous! There is however a large spare tyre in it that wasn't in the old model so the usable boot space is smaller.
I found five shopping bags would fit in the 2022 Subaru BRZ when empty.
Or a compact stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Subaru BRZ with three shopping bags.
We did find the spare wheel was pretty useful for holding school bags etc in!
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as the kids lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
How good is the storage throughout the 2022 Subaru BRZ for families?
Like you would expect, storage in the cabin of the 2022 Subaru BRZ is compact. There are two cup holders in the central console box, that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and USB and AUX sockets are in there too.
There is no other storage space in the front of the BRZ…
…except for the glove box. Which is surprisingly large and will hold a wallet and iPad with the manual.
And the door bins which will hold a refillable water bottle.
That is it for storage in the 2022 Subaru BRZ, this is definitely a car for the minimal family!
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2022 Subaru BRZ?
The only sound from the new Subaru BRZ is the engine and that's a great sound to listen to!
The media touch screen is quite small but the system is easy to use and navigate.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which is great for connecting your phone easily.
The reversing camera image in the 2022 Subaru BRZ is lovely and clear and fills the whole screen.
I drove the manual S model, the cruise control is on a stalk behind the right on the steering wheel. The automatics come with more safety features including adaptive cruise control.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The doors and windows of the 2022 Subaru BRZ can be locked and unlocked on the driver's door control panel.
The sound of the Subaru BRZ's engine is fantastic while you're driving!
There are two top tether anchorages in the parcel shelf behind the rear seats…
…and ISOFix in both the rear seats too.
Both are really easy to connect to and it was surprisingly easy to fit the two Infasecure child seats in the back. My youngest child is 18 months old and still rear-facing in the Infasecure Attain More child seat but I had to turn her forward-facing in the Subaru BRZ in order to fit everyone into the car as space is limited. So it is definitely not a car for small infants that still need to be rear-facing.
With two forward-facing child seats installed we could fit a maximum 170cm passenger or driver in the front of the 2022 Subaru BRZ. Definitely less spacious than the 2018 model we tested!
Posting Bub into their child seats from outside the car is pretty tight in the 2022 Subaru BRZ! It's a low and compact car and luckily I'm only 162cm so I found it pretty comfortable for day-to-day life. I can imagine if you are taller bending in and out of the back might take its toll!
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2022 Subaru BRZ? And how good is the 2022 Subaru BRZ to drive?
The interior of the new Subaru BRZ is minimal and neat with highlights in the contrast red stitching and panelling.
The front seats are shaped, hugging and very comfortable and look good too.
I found I can not have a ponytail in the front seat which is sad 🙁
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the rear seats are comfortable but you do not have a lot of headroom.
For the first year of our Bub's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel in the 2022 Subaru BRZ is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard of the 2022 Subaru BRZ; two central ones above the media screen and one round one at either end.
There are no air vents in the back of the Subaru BRZ. The controls are easily used dials on the dashboard.
Visibility out of the Subaru BRZ is good, being such a small car you can easily park and manoeuvre and get around town.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Subaru BRZ was simple to park being such a small car.
I found the 2022 Subaru BRZ a fantastic car to drive. It is compact and nippy and a lot of fun with and without the kids onboard!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2022 Subaru BRZ?
Seven airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and curtain head airbags for both rows of passengers and a drivers knee airbag in the 2022 Subaru BRZ.
The automatic model comes with Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB), High Beam Assist (HBA), Lead Vehicle Start Alert, Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Lane Sway and Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Braking System.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
The 2018 Subaru BRZ has two ISOFix and two top tethers in the back and fits two child seats! As well as having a surprisingly large boot for fitting strollers in! Read More
The 2022 Porsche 911 GTS is a joy to drive and fits two Infasecure child seats in the back and a compact stroller in the frunk! Read More
1 Comment
i am planning to buy this car, however i have my elder one of 5 years and younger one of 1 year (rear facing seat), i am planning to pick them up from school occasionally , do you think it’s doable ?
i am planning to buy this car, however i have my elder one of 5 years and younger one of 1 year (rear facing seat), i am planning to pick them up from school occasionally , do you think it’s doable ?