Hey guys/gals. I'm going to be getting my driver's license in about a month and want to get a BRZ Premium with the manual as my first car. I have a few questions about the car in regards to how it would work for a beginning driver. Here they are:
-This is going to be the first time I've driven a manual transmission. I know how to drive stick, but have just never done it before. Is the BRZ a good car to learn in?
-With the stock tires and traction control on, how easily does the back end come out? How easily would it in snowy or icy conditions?
-Would the trunk of the BRZ be able to carry a couple sets of golf clubs (I play golf and may have to carry a friends' clubs as well as my own)?
I don't see why the BRZ wouldn't be a great car to learn manual gear shifting. I have the automatic but I've read everywhere that the manual box is real nice.
With stock tires and traction control you wont be losing the back end. the traction control is excellent. I drove mine like I stole it when I went to Deals Gap (AKA the dragons tail) and I never once had a scary moment with the TC turned on, even in the rain. The TC is very quick to correct lose of grip.
You could get 2 sets of clubs in the BRZ but only with the back seats down.
Visibility is excellent, one of the best cars I've driven. Looking over my right shoulder to check the blind spot before changing lanes gives a good view but the left side (drivers side) can be a little harder because of the door pillar and a small back seat side window, but it's certainly not a problem. The view through the front is nothing short of perfect and the two raised areas on the hood, just above the front wheel arches are great touch and let you know exactly where the front wheels are when turning into a corner.
I concur with chiefmasterjedi - visibility is excellent except for looking over the left shoulder. However, if you set you side mirrors correctly, there is virtually no blind spot.
It was hard to get one set of clubs in without letting the seat down but I flexed the driver a little and my bag went in. In hindsight I could have put the drivers in the back seat. I have a carseat in the back and I didn't want to take it out to fold the seat down.
This car is fine to learn on. Just remember to pull the shifter collar up to get in reverse.
I knew how to drive manual (had idea of how to) in my head way before I actually got a manual car but thinking that you would be able to do it and doing it are two very different thing.
BRZ is my second car coming from driving an automatic car for 3 years before and I would say just take it easy if it is the first time for you to try manual transmission.
It's been few days since I got the car and for the first day I just drove only around my house but after that I started to drive in a town... very slowly. After 3rd day which was yesterday I just took the car out at night (around 12AM where there's almost no car on the road) and drove to empty parking lot at the town park. When I came back home it was like 4AM and I didn't even know 4 hours have passed by. I was really happy I was getting better and that I got the car!
First thing I would do is to not use accelerator at all and just getting to know where clutch engages with first gear by slowly letting the clutch off. If you do it right, the car will shake but it won't stall. If you've successfully done that put the clutch all the way in and brake (if necessary) and repeat the above steps.
The point of this is to get used to the feel of the clutch (how far it travels and where it starts to engage with gear).
I'm still learning my clutch engagement point(?) but I think the key to driving a manual transmission is getting to know where the clutch engagement point is by heart. People say you'll eventually build a muscle memory so that you don't even need to see the speedometer for RPMs to shift gears and what not.
If you know how to drive a manual already coming off from a different car and you were just wondering how manual BRZ feels like to drive, please disregard my writing.
You mention stock tires on snow and ice. I wouldn't recommend it. It CAN be driven but it can be tricky without snow tires especially for a beginning driver. I got blizzak LM70s with winter wheels for new England winters, and think they're great. Not as much cornering feel as the older LM25s were on my Integra Type-R but still pretty good.
I agree, winter tires are a MUST for snow and ice in this car......but even with them (I have Michelin X-ICE) the car is brutal!! I have driven for over 20years in everything from front wheel drive cars to my last car ( a RWD BMW 330i) and have never had as much of a difficult time driving in the winter! I know I live in Canada, and we can get a lot of snow where I live, but its the traction (or lack of it) that the car exhibits on snow and ice. Yes, it has traction control, but it far inferior to my last RWD car (bmw) and it seems to still let the whells spin and it fights very hard to find traction on slippery surfaces. It is SO LIGHT in the rear end as well, it just "floats" around on the snow. The other thing is how low it sits, and I had multiple times where I needed a push from other people to get me over the smallest snow bump! I feel as though I am an experienced winter driver and am currently looking for a chead AWD or 4WD vehicle to get me through the upcoming winter. I would not reccomend this car as your ONLY car if you are going to be doing ANY sort of winter driving.....especially as a new driver.
Just my opinion.
-This is going to be the first time I've driven a manual transmission. I know how to drive stick, but have just never done it before. Is the BRZ a good car to learn in?
Not sure if this part makes much sense but I know what you're saying. You understand how manual works not you know how to drive a stick since this is your first time driving a manual transmission. Knowing how it works and doing it is completely different but if you know the concept your learning curve might not be that steep. Even if you understand how it works it'll take quite a bit of work to get it perfect so be ready to have some mistakes, even some people with years of experience aren't driving it perfectly yet.
BRZ is really easy to drive... one of the easiest manuals I've driven.
It also has TC.. you can't go wrong here.. when in doubt, dump the clutch and let the TC sort it out.
That's how my wife drives manuals.
I learned on the brz, really like any other car thats manual, just takes some time to get perfect. And with traction control on, the second you loose traction it gribs back up really fast but like any rwd car in enough snow you aren't going far
You can learn to drive manual on any car, BRZ is ok to learn on, it has no torque (power) so it stalls easy at lower speeds.
I would not recommend this for a first car or daily driver because:
-learners hit things.
-these tires suck in the cold/winter
-low to the ground, not good for snow
-huge car payment for something with a high chance of getting dented
-Does not hold much in the truck or rear seat
-Golf clubs barely fit
-big blind spot over left shoulder
Go get something used to learn with. Then if you bump into something or someone hits you, no big deal. Not sure your age, but most learners are high school age, and a high school parking lot is no place for a nice car. The risk of hitting something is huge when first learning.
I agree with it not being the best first car as you're only learning to drive and it's not the best car to learn on, however I think it's a decent daily driver, unless you carry a lot of passengers but usually I'm by myself and I think it's a great daily driver.
I'm not sure about your financial situation, but my first 2 cars were $500 buckets of crap, but I loved them because they taught me to work on cars a bit and they were great to learn on. Nothing takes the stress out of stalling your first couple (read hundred or so) starts in a manual more than knowing it is an 88 honda with 5th gear missing.
With that being said: Am I glad i had to buy cars like that? yes. Given the chance, would I have taken something awesome like a brz instead? hell yes! I know that if I had the means to buy a nicer car when I was younger, the brz would've been it. It is indeed a really easy clutch to learn on. That shouldn't be an issue. The best advice I can give is: dont get too confident too soon. I still stall occasionally ( maybe I just suck at a manual, definite possibility). This car is also so much fun to drive I have a hard time behaving in it, so it might be hard on your driving record, especially with a new license.
If you get this car young man. I recommend being patient with the car for at least one year driving it ever day, dry, rain, snow conditions.
(Snow days snow tires recommended)
And while taking it easy for the first year doing it all with TC switched off. This way you'll become a better driver because you'll learn how to save the car without the car thinking for you when you have a moment.
And when you're finally ready to step up to giving the car the business. You won't feel timid to switching it off.
For those that drive it with TC on, will never be at the same level that drive the car through rain/dry/snow as those that do it everyday.
Good choice with the manual. Most kids in the US are learning how to drive with autos and not bothering to learn manual.
This is my first manual. I've had it for one week now and it's a daily driver. My first tank I averaged 25.3 (hand figured) and I just filled up now so it's hard to say average. That's great from the 11 I was getting in my truck. Let me tell you though, a manual is beyond fun, well once you stop stalling, which I still do occasionally. I don't know why I waited so long to get one.
I learned on this and am still learning, but I'm getting better. I'm finding out a rev at 2000rpm is best for me to go from a light, but maybe I'm weird. I agree with someone on the front page. I knew the concept of manual (from my father) but knowing and doing is two completely different things.
No comment on snow and ice. It doesn't snow in Alabama but with that being said, I went from a turn by the beach with some sand, and my back end tried to slide around.
I haven't hauled anything, so I can say about the golf clubs.
Visibility is not as bad as I had expected it to be. I have no problem looking over my shoulder and seeing blind spots.
About all the comments about the blind spot, if you change the way your side mirrors are aimed, this problem is solved (learned this from Car Talk). I'd always learned to aim so that you could just see the body panels, but that doesn't make any sense if you think about it. It leaves a large blind spot, especially on the left side.
So aim them this way: Lean head over to touch left window. Aim so can just see body panel. Then lean head to right, and do the same.
It REALLY works. it takes a day or two to get used to not seeing the panels, but it SOLVES THE PROBLEM.
I wish I'd known about this simple thing 20 years ago. It's just stupid simple. Or I guess I'm stupid simple.
My $0.02... the BRZ is an easy manual to drive and a beginner should have no issues with the trans and clutch. You ought to have a little coaching so as not to torch the clutch. However... as a first car I'm kinda scratching my head. Kudos for good taste and all, but this car is pretty wasted on a beginner. I guess if you got the money and don't need practicality... I started out a little more humbly, but nevermind.
Please don't buy this car thinking you can get by driving in snow. Just don't. Those of us that have to get to work in the Winter will appreciate your good sense in not purchasing a daily that is just going to get in our way (or worse). My BRZ goes in the garage where it belongs at the first sign of Winter weather. I've got an old highlander 4WD that handles Winter (and practical stuff like towing and hauling).
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