2024 Subaru BRZ tS Review and Test Drive

Already an excellent sports car, the BRZ tS gets performance enhancements that make it even better.

Perry Stern | 

Feb 7, 2025 | 6 min read

Perry Stern

The Subaru BRZ is a glowing example of why outrageous power is not a prerequisite for a good sports car. With its well-balanced chassis, manual gearbox, and rear-driven wheels, it's quite a compelling package. The 2024 BRZ tS further enhances the car.

The tS is one of three versions of the 2024 BRZ, which also comes in Premium and Limited trim levels. Base prices range from the low to mid-$30,000s, including the destination charge to ship the car from the assembly plant in Gunma, Japan, to your local dealership.

Perry Stern

For this review, Subaru provided a BRZ tS for evaluation in Southeastern Michigan. My test vehicle had no options or accessories, and the manufacturer's suggested retail price was $36,465, including the $1,120 destination charge.

Is the 2024 Subaru BRZ a Good Car?

For a driving enthusiast, it doesn't get much better than a lightweight, agile, and affordable sports car with a quick-revving engine, rear-wheel drive, and a manual transmission. The Subaru BRZ tS checks every box and wraps all those goodies in a stylish two-door coupe body.

Those same qualities are found in the Toyota GR86, a virtual twin of the BRZ. For drivers who want similar performance in convertible form, the Mazda MX-5 Miata is an ideal choice, but it's hard to go wrong with the BRZ, which is an absolute joy to drive.

Perry Stern

What's Different About the 2024 Subaru BRZ tS?

Subaru added the BRZ tS to the lineup for the 2024 model year. It's the most performance-oriented variant of this small sports car, a position underscored by the fact that this trim is only available with a manual transmission.

While additional power isn't on the menu, the BRZ tS offers several appealing upgrades. For example, unique dark-gray 18-inch wheels distinguish the tS from the rest of the BRZ lineup, while Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires provide excellent grip and handling. Additional design differentiators include tS badging on the grille and rear decklid, while the shark-fin antenna and rearview mirrors get a black finish.

Those exclusive wheels front a high-performance Brembo braking system with gold-painted four-piston calipers up front and two-piston stoppers in the rear. The Brembo system features larger pads and rotors to enhance stopping power and improve the pedal feel.

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The final piece in the performance-upgrade puzzle is the STI-tuned suspension featuring front and rear Hitachi dampers. Subaru says they maximize control and stability and create a better driving experience.

Inside, the BRZ tS has performance-design front seats trimmed in leather with synthetic suede inserts. Blue stitching and accents liven up the cabin, and there is a bright red STI engine-start button. The BRZ tS also gets a unique STI-design digital instrument cluster with red metal accents.

What Makes the BRZ tS a Good Sports Car?

There are people who think a proper performance car needs massive horsepower, extreme acceleration, and a top speed approaching 200 mph. But some of the most enjoyable cars I've ever driven were more entertaining at 40 mph than 140 mph, and the Subaru BRZ is one of them.

Perry Stern

Under its hood is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine generating 228 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. That's not a lot of power, but Subaru hasn't tasked the engine with motivating a lot of weight. So, when paired with the quick-throw manual gearbox, it delivers surprisingly satisfying acceleration as you row through the gears.

While the BRZ isn't likely to win any drag races, it's got plenty of oomph to have a good time. Ultimately, the BRZ's stiff chassis, low center of gravity, balanced handling, limited-slip differential, and rear-wheel drive make it an ideal vehicle for threading a favorite back road.

At the same time, the BRZ can work as a daily driver, offering a reasonable 6.3 cubic-feet of trunk space and respectable fuel economy. The EPA rates the BRZ with the manual gearbox at 20/27/22 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. During my evaluation, the trip computer indicated a 25.5 mpg average.

The rear seat is small and even young children would feel cramped if they could get back there.

Perry Stern

On the Road With the Subaru BRZ tS

The Subaru BRZ is already a great car to drive, so I expected the enhancements accompanying the tS to make it even better — and I was right.

Shortly after the BRZ arrived, I hopped in and headed out of town toward my favorite Southeast Michigan back roads. With a pleasing rumble from the twin exhaust outlets serving as the soundtrack for the drive, I shifted quickly through the gears, enjoying the car's spirited performance.

While the performance enhancements are challenging to discern in day-to-day driving, the tuned suspension and powerful brakes are blatantly evident when enthusiastically attacking a road. The BRZ tS is incredibly agile, with responsive steering that delivers excellent feedback and a smooth-shifting manual transmission. When I pushed hard into turns, the BRZ tS stayed flat and stable, giving me the confidence to add power sooner as I exited the corner. Just thinking about the drive makes me smile.

Perry Stern

While the BRZ tS is great fun on a winding back road, I was concerned that the performance suspension would create an uncomfortably stiff ride in daily driving. So it was a pleasant surprise to find the BRZ quite comfortable, even on rough pavement. You feel the bumps, but the ride isn't jarring. However, the BRZ gets very loud at highway speeds, with road noise resonating throughout the cabin. It was loud enough that it was difficult to carry on a conversation at 70 mph.

Adding to the ownership experience, the 2024 BRZ was the first Subaru with a manual transmission to get the company's EyeSight advanced driver-assistance systems. In addition to forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert, the BRZ tS has adaptive cruise control.

While there isn't a lane-centering assist system, the adaptive cruise worked well on the freeway, maintaining speed and distance from the car ahead. But with a manual gearbox, the system can't bring the BRZ to a complete stop. The system disengages when the car slows too much for the currently selected gear.

Perry Stern

The Subaru BRZ was already one of my favorite sports cars, and the upgrades accompanying the new tS model make it even more desirable. It isn't the fastest or most powerful sports car on the market, but its good looks, agile performance, and satisfying power make it one of the best sports cars available today.

Perry Stern

As a small child, Perry was constantly playing with toy cars and trucks, and that enthusiasm for anything motorized with wheels never faded. After college, he moved to Seattle and began his long automotive career working in an automotive consulting firm, helping customers choose the right vehicle for their needs. In the late 1990s, Perry joined Microsoft to work on CarPoint, part of the new Microsoft Network (MSN). He went on to become editor of the site, remaining on staff for 20 years before venturing out on his own. Today, in addition to his work on Capital One Auto Navigator, he still contributes to MSN, as well as J.D. Power, TrueCar.com, and U.S. News & World Report. Perry lives in the small town of Dexter, Michigan, with his wife and dog, and he still smiles when he sees his 2006 Mazda Miata in the garage.