So ends the stay of the second long-term Subaru BRZ we've had in our fleet. What can we say? We like these inexpensive sport coupes. I came into this BRZ's life late in its stay with us, but bonding with it happened quickly. Rory Jurnecka called his 2013 silver Limited "Burrzz." I settled on the somewhat clunky but no less satisfying SuBlueRu.

The Series.HyperBlue designation added a black and, um, Hyper Blue exterior and interior motif as well as some Alcantara to the seats. What else is special? Not much beyond exclusivity; only 500 exist. The paint attracted plenty of attention, both good and bad, while I cared for the car. I liked the exterior color combination but found it disappointing having to explain how it and exclusivity were the sole upgrades. On the flipside, our car was roughly the same price as a Limited BRZ at an as-tested $28,485.

At 19,778 miles, our BRZ didn't cover as much distance as most in our long-term fleet. We like to see at least 20,000 miles over a year of ownership. Part of this has to do with how close I live to the office, but it's mostly because we opted for more comfortable cars when faced with a long-distance drive. Why? Although the BRZ offers the rear-drive handling balance we pine for, it does so at the expense of ride and comfort. The cabin allows plenty of road and tire noise, and the suspension tells you of every bump on the choppy city streets and freeways we have here in Los Angeles.

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It's easy to overlook these standard-fare sports car criticisms with excuses like how engaging the car is to drive and how great the engine feels. But this is growing more difficult with the BRZ. The 200 horsepower from its 2.0-liter flat-four should be plenty, but enjoyable acceleration always seems one shift too far away. The gearing feels too tall, and the flat spot in power delivery from 3,000 rpm to 5,000 rpm amplifies the sensation. (A shorter final drive and other updates in 2017 models make considerable improvements.) Further, although we admire the volume of the engine sound under hard acceleration, its coarseness doesn't make you want to work the gas pedal harder like how naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines from Honda and Mazda might.

Months later, I'm still surprised just how much sports car you get with the BRZ—acceleration notwithstanding.

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We've accepted the engine's character for the benefits its compactness brings to the rest of the car, such as how its short height allows a lower hood and center of gravity. But now similarly priced cars offer more powerful and engaging powertrains. The BRZ easily remains the best-handling car in its class and, in a vacuum, the most fun to drive. I routinely drove with traction and stability control switched off because limit handling was so easily controlled and accessed. Sadly, the reality of daily commuting diminished the fun. Especially when trucks and SUVs can out-accelerate our flashy blue BRZ on freeway on-ramps.

Outside of the occasional ego bruising, our ownership was mostly problem-free. We noticed early wear on the left bolster on the driver's seat, and Bluetooth connectivity was hit or miss. Sometimes the car would stream Bluetooth audio immediately, and sometimes it would take 15 minutes before connecting. Sometimes it didn't happen at all. The infotainment display screen was easy to navigate, but we longed for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality.

See all 67 photos

See all 67 photos

Our BRZ visited the dealership for the usual oil- and filter-change service three times. Most important, Subaru's free scheduled maintenance for the first two years or 24,000 miles of ownership means the total cost of ownership came only from gas. On that note, the BRZ was quite frugal. Our car exceeded its 25-mpg combined EPA fuel economy rating, averaging 27.1 mpg over 12 months. It went even higher during Emissions Analytics' Real MPG testing, returning 30.8 mpg combined.

Rory Jurnecka concluded his verdict in 2014 by saying, "For those raised on the concept of small, nimble sports cars that emphasize handling and driver involvement over sheer speed, this is one of the best cars on the market at any price." Our experience has shown little has changed since then. The BRZ still delivers best-in-class handling at some expense of livability and comfort. And although similar compact sports cars have grown faster and now offer greater functionality, none matches the BRZ's handling balance. For many of us, that's more than enough.

More on our long-term 2016 Subaru BRZ Series HyperBlue here:

Our Car SERVICE LIFE 15 mo / 19,741 mi BASE PRICE $26,190 OPTIONS Series.HyperBlue package ($2,295: black-color wheels, exterior badges, side mirror caps; Hyper Blue paint, interior accents and stitching) PRICE AS TESTED $28,485 AVG ECON/CO2 27.1 mpg / 0.72 lb/mi PROBLEM AREAS None MAINTENANCE COST $0 (2-oil change, inspection, tire rotation) NORMAL-WEAR COST $0 3-YEAR RESIDUAL VALUE* $15,100 / $16,500 RECALLS None *IntelliChoice trade-in/retail (at 42,000 miles)

2016 Subaru BRZ (Series.HyperBlue) POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Flat-4, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 122.0 cu in/1,998cc COMPRESSION RATIO 12.5:1 POWER (SAE NET) 200 hp @ 7,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 151 lb-ft @ 6,400 rpm REDLINE 7,400 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 13.8 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 4.10:1/3.14:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 13.1:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.8 BRAKES, F;R 11.6-in vented disc; 11.4-in vented disc, ABS WHEELS 7.0 x 17-in, cast aluminum TIRES 215/45R17 87W Michelin Primacy HP DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 101.2 in TRACK, F/R 59.8/60.6 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 166.7 x 69.9 x 50.6 in TURNING CIRCLE 35.4 ft CURB WEIGHT 2,763 lb WEIGHT DIST., F/R 55/45% SEATING CAPACITY 4 HEADROOM, F/R 37.1/35.0 in LEGROOM, F/R 41.9/29.9 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 53.1/45.3 in CARGO VOLUME 6.9 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 2.4 sec 0-40 3.6 0-50 5.1 0-60 6.8 0-70 9.0 0-80 11.4 0-90 14.6 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 3.6 QUARTER MILE 15.3 sec @ 92.3 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 114 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.91 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.1 sec @ 0.68 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 2,600 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $26,190 PRICE AS TESTED $28,485 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/yes AIRBAGS Dual front, front side, f/r curtain BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/60,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/36,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 13.2 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 21/29/24 mpg ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY 160/116 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.81 lb/mile REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 28.1/34.9/30.8 mpg RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium