BRZ Tops Autoblog’s List of Sports Cars Under $50,000

Let’s say you are a multi-vehicle household. One vehicle is responsible for carrying everyone in the family for short or long trips and as the family cargo hauler for everything from local antique shops to Ikea and Home Depot. You have a crossover that carries out all those duties with aplomb. And the other car? It’s just your daily commuter. While almost any vehicle can fill that role, Subaru of Plano wants you to consider making it a unique experience. Nothing excessively costly or filled with performance you will never use. Instead, consider a car that lets you rediscover the art and joy of driving, that responds and feels as though it were an extension of yourself. Consider a light sports car. Consider the car that tops Autoblog’s list of Sports cars under $50,000. Quite a bit under $50,000 as it turns out.

Autoblog states that its list does not consider cars that are merely sporty or even high-performance. These are purpose-built 2-door coupes or convertibles “designed from the outset to fill the role of a stereotypical sports car.” Consequently, high-performance sedans like our own WRX and other hot hatches are not considered. Autoblog describes the category further: “The cars in this list prioritize sultry shapes, send their power to the rear wheels and don’t concern themselves with such trivial things as cargo room or (for some) even the presence of a backseat. They were designed with fun in mind, and that’s what makes them the best sports cars under $50,000.”

At the top of the list sits the Subaru BRZ. With a starting MSRP of $30,195, the BRZ certainly has room to spare under the price threshold, but that is not why it gets top billing. According to Autoblog’s description, “You get a high-revving boxer-four, notchy six-speed manual transmission and a simply joyous chassis.” To further the sports car experience, the BRZ is the only Subaru model that does not come standard, nor does it even offer all-wheel drive. Instead, it is a classic front-engine-rear-driver that puts you right in the center of it all. With the rear tires doing nothing but push and the fronts dedicated to setting the direction, you feel a direct connection to what the car is doing at all times. This, combined with a 50/50 weight distribution and standard Torsen® limited-slip differential, allows you to expand your comfort level in turns and curves while staying at less-than-life-threatening speeds. This is not to say the BRZ is slow. The second-generation BRZ’s 228-horsepower Boxer moves the BRZ’s 2818 to 2881 pounds just fine, and the standard 6-speed manual linkage is a joy to use.

It is no secret that the BRZ shares its powertrain, engineering, and almost—but not quite—everything else with the Toyota GR86, which is next on Autoblog’s list. But Autoblog addresses this directly: “…we tend to prefer the BRZ for its improved ride quality versus the Toyota.” 

The BRZ will get you to work and back just as well as any other car, but you will enter your workplace and home with a smile on your face. And if you have some spare time and a favorite road in the Plano area (we suggest Lucas Rd around Lake Lavon as a starter), you will be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable car to take on it. 

So, visit Ewing Subaru of Plano to make your daily commuter a little more fun. And when the time comes to replace that crossover, we can also cover that pretty well.