Is the New Subaru BRZ the Spark 2020 Needs?

The redesigned Subaru BRZ will be hitting dealerships this year.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone. That includes automakers, who have seen a dip in sales as many Americans cut out commuting from their daily lives, at least for the time being.

Despite the lull, the year has nonetheless brought us some interesting automotive news. Nissan finally unveiled its new Z car, for example.

Now, Subaru is giving us an updated BRZ, its two-door sports car that shares a platform with the Toyota 86.

It’s a bit of a surprise, considering that we previously heard that Subaru and Toyota were ending production of the current-generation BRZ and would not be offering a 2021 model.

Instead, the new 2022 Subaru BRZ is coming to us this fall.

The sporty coupe was due for an update, since it’s looked essentially the same since its 2012 debut.

As Jalopnik points out, the Subaru BRZ enters a crowded field of cheaper, sporty cars. Hopefully the added competition means that Subaru will make some adjustments to keep the BRZ interesting. At the top of our list is a turbocharged version, which would do a great deal to inject some fun into the naturally-aspirated four-cylinder boxer engine currently utilized for the BRZ.

Subaru posted a shot of the BRZ wearing light blue camouflage on its Instagram in a teaser post. Although the official teaser doesn’t give us a good idea of how the BRZ has changed, people who went to Subiefest in Costa Mesa, California got a chance to see the revamped model in person.

To our eyes, it looks like it has absorbed some of the Genesis Coupe, sporting taillights that end in a sharp point over the rear wheel wells.

The BRZ was already a handsome-looking car, so as long as they stick with their current trajectory, we’ll be happy. The performance updates are what will really make the new Subie stand out.