Garrick Goh is the product management analysis manager at Subaru of America, Inc. He enjoys spending time with his family, jumping over things with his mountain bike, and driving sideways.

The Sweet Spot

Spring 2015

Engineer Garrick Goh pens an open letter to his wife about the BRZ Series.Blue.

HI BABE,

While you were away, I had the opportunity to test-drive a 2015 Subaru BRZ Series.Blue.

Kid inspected, kid approved! Photo Credits: Garrick Goh

It was definitely a pleasant change of pace. But, as the responsible family man you know and love, I did have some concerns about how we’d live with a small 2+2 sports car. Would it integrate with our young family’s active lifestyle, assorted four-legged friends, and love of outdoorsy stuff? Could the BRZ Series.Blue occupy the elusive sweet spot between the needs of our family and my love of this perfectly balanced sports car?

The short answer is a resounding yes. In fact, I enjoyed my time with the BRZ so much that I think we should get one for our next family car. Yes, family car.

CHOOSE IT FOR THE SAFETY

Safety first, right? It may be a low-slung sports car, but, since it’s a Subaru, the BRZ is an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK that also received a 5-Star rating1 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. You can’t get any more stars than that, and these ratings are better than those of a slew of other family vehicles.

CHOOSE IT FOR STABILITY

With the SUBARU BOXER engine tucked down low and far back in the engine bay, it has an extremely low center of gravity to dance right around that deer in its headlights. The engine’s compact design with direct injection produces 100 hp per liter and 151 lb-ft of torque for a spirited drive. Plus, the ultra-quick steering ratio of 13.1:1 gives us that driver-focused performance and instantaneous response for an outstanding feel of the road. Coming from an engineer, this is quite a compliment.

CHOOSE IT FOR THE KIDS

Photo Credits: Garrick Goh

I know you’re thinking, “I just want something fun to drive, but there’s no way a BRZ would work for the family.” Sure it can!

When I picked Kieran up from day care, I was amused by the eye-popping, envious looks from the other toddlers when they saw me picking up our little guy in something that’s not a generic sedan, SUV – or dreaded minivan.

Plus, a sports car is a great choice for taking small kids on road trips! Remember throwing up in the backseat of your parents’ minivan? Blame that on the van’s marshmallowy ride; its wavy motions throw off a kid’s sense of balance, much like an adult in a boat on choppy waters. Just watch the way Kieran bounces up and down when he walks. That oscillation matches the agile movements of the BRZ. Which leads to a happy child, and thus, happy parents.

CHOOSE IT FOR US

Come to think of it, I haven’t gotten you a birthday gift yet. What do you think about unwrapping a new “special edition” BRZ? I’ll even let you choose the color. This very limited edition comes in WR Blue Pearl or Crystal White Silica with an STI Aero Package for enhanced aerodynamics. It gets great fuel economy, and you’ll be the envy of Kieran’s toddler pals when you pull up with 17-inch black-finish STI wheels, red-painted brake calipers, and leather/Alcantara®2-trimmed seats with blue bolsters, accent stitching, and BRZ logo embroidery. Think of how much fun it’ll inject into your errands and daily commute. And date nights certainly would be a lot more interesting!

CHOOSE IT BECAUSE IT'S A SUBARU

Despite sounding like an adult-sized cozy coupe, it’s still quite practical. I managed to haul items as diverse as a week’s worth of groceries to my 29er full-suspension mountain bike. And because the BRZ wears a Subaru badge, we’ll fit right in with the assortment of Forester, Outback, and WRX vehicles in the trailhead parking area. So what do you think? We’ll have to move fast if we want to get one of these because there’s only a limited amount available.

Let me know when you want to go for a test-drive!

Vroom,

~G

1 Star ratings are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safercar.gov program (safercar.gov).

2 Alcantara is a registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A., and Alcantara is produced by the Toray Group.