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https://www.motoring.com.au/new-suba...ked-in-128620/

The hotly-anticipated new 2021 Subaru BRZ is locked in for launch in Australia in the second half of this year.

Entering its second generation in a program that’s still shared with the Toyota 86, Subaru’s new rear-drive sports coupe was unveiled in November last year and will soon enter production at its Gunma plant in Japan.

But Australian allocations are now being set and Subaru Australia general manager Blair Read has confirmed that both the 2021 Subaru BRZ and the long-awaited new-generation Subaru Impreza WRX will be launched locally before the year is out.

“We’re targeting second half of the year,” Read told carsales.

“BRZ is similar to WRX STI – last year we had a phenomenal run, to be honest, with BRZ, and with customer demand in what was a swansong in its lifecycle.

“The updates that have been shown so far point to a really exciting direction with that car and it addresses what had been some of the areas that owners have been giving feedback on.

“So we’re really excited by the direction of the update to BRZ and think it will do fantastic things for the performance aspect of the Subaru brand.”

Subaru sold 407 examples of the BRZ in Australia last year, a handful more than the previous year which is not bad going amid the global pandemic that cruelled both demand and supply and saw the Japanese brand’s sales tumble 21.3 per cent overall.

One of the main criticisms of the current model is levelled at its engine performance, and Subaru has responded by replacing the 2.0-litre boxer four-cylinder – which manages 152kW/252Nm with a manual, or 147kW/205Nm in auto guise – with its new FA24-series 2.4-litre engine that can muster a much healthier 170kW/249Nm with help from Toyota’s D-4S direct and port fuel-injection system.

Both a six-speed manual and six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission will be available, with the latter no longer bringing a power and torque deficit.

There’s no sign of a turbo though, and asked whether an STI version of the BRZ would be developed this time around, Read said: “It’s not in the scope at this point.”

As carsales has reported, the incoming version is based on a revised platform – said to be a new architecture that benefits from “knowledge and techniques learned from development of the Subaru Global Platform” – that is claimed to be significantly stiffer and stronger, contributing to “improved steering response, more nimble handling and better traction in cornering”.

Various weight-saving measures, such as an aluminium roof and bonnet, aim to offset the extra weight of the bigger engine, while Subaru also claims that the revised architecture and other engineering work have delivered benefits in crash safety, better weight distribution and a lower centre of gravity.

The new BRZ has a longer overall length (4265mm) and wheelbase (2575mm) but a lower height (1310mm) and the same width (1775mm).

It sits on the same front strut/rear double-wishbone suspension, uses ventilated disc brakes all-round, and wheel and tyre sizes in the US market point to 17-inch alloys on 215/45 R17 tyres for Premium models, while the higher-spec Limited is shod with 18-inch rims on 215/40-section rubber.

Improved aerodynamics are also noted, along with new safety systems (including pre-collision braking and adaptive cruise control) and cabin tech such as an 8.0-inch multimedia infotainment unit with full smartphone connectivity, and a 7.0-inch TFT and LCD instrument cluster.