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The 400Z is sending Subaru a message
June 03, 2021
The Nissan 400Z (it may just be called a "Z") is about to be released, and one thing is for sure, it is sending Subaru a message.
Two actually.
The big question is, will they hear it and respond?
The first is in the performance that the new 400Z promises to deliver, and the price point. If the final numbers come in with what has been talked about to this point, there will be a build of the new 400Z that makes 400 horse power from a twin-turbo V6 engine, and it will cost somewhere between $40,000 and $45,000.
For a long time (many would say far too long), the standard for a sports car in the high $30K to low $40K range has been in the 300 - 350 hp range. With most of the options landing very close to the 300 hp end of that. The STI is of course one of those cars, and the Golf R, Focus RS, etc. are part of this group as well. Because of all of the offerings in this price point being so similar, it made it look like the ceiling for performance in this price-point was this range.
Technology has improved a lot in recent years, and it has seemed like it should be possible to raise this bar a bit, but now Nissan has gone and done it with the 400Z.
I have written before about why I think that the new STI needs 400 hp, and this makes that argument even stronger. I don't think that the 400Z will be a car for everyone, and any all-wheel drive platform is going to be significantly different from the 400Z in a number of ways. But the 400Z will bring the consideration of power into the conversation, and for some, this could be the top statistic to consider.
For the same cost, how does an STI that is somewhere between 50 - 100 horse power down on the 400Z stack up?
As big of a message as this is, the bigger one may be about what customers want from a rear-wheel drive sports car. And in this price range, the BRZ and GT/GR86 specifically.
Since it was first released, and now with the second generation about to come out, Toyota and Subaru have been adamant that the BRZ/GT86 is a drivers chassis. The purpose of this car is to make the best handling car possible that rewards the driver with great feel and handling, so that the car doesn't need to make gobs of power to put a smile on your face. And so far, they have largely done this.
But there has always been a call to make a version of this small, rear-wheel drive chassis that had all of that handling but with more power. And there was a fairly high expectation that this would happen with the next generation of BRZ. But even though the engine was improved, and displacement was increased, the overall power gains were minimal. That isn't to say that the increase in displacement will be a step in this direction, but I think it is safe to say that most of us expected more.
What the 400Z offers is something that is beyond many people's wildest dreams of what the BRZ/GT86 could possibly be from the factory, and at a price that is just roughly $10,000 more than a reasonably optioned BRZ.
As with the STI,the BRZ/GT86 is a different car from the 400Z, but the STI and the 400Z are a lot closer in price, and with a price gap of roughly $10K - $15, not everyone that is looking at a BRZ/GT86 would even consider a 400Z.
But I am sure that some will.
When there is a similar car that makes double the power of the top of the line BRZ for just about $10K more, it is going to be something that some BRZ customers consider. Not to mention the fact that it would be difficult to add even 100 horsepower to a BRZ for that same $10,000. While I am sure it won't factor into everyone's consideration, I am also sure it will for some.
We know that Subaru could build both an STI and BRZ that would be comparable in performance to a 400 horse power 400Z, the question is will they. And where they have been very hesitant to move the bar themselves, what is different this time around is that Nissan has done that for them. The question now is will this be enough motivation for Subaru to finally make a big step forward with one or both of these platforms.
What Nissan has done in one move with the new 400Z is thrown down the gauntlet and now it is up to Subaru to respond.
With a little bit of luck, in a few months, we will have the high-power tuned and tweaked versions of both the STI and BRZ that we have been dreaming about for years.
Come on Subaru, Stay Tuned!
- Jon Cooley
