Ah, special-edition cars. Some are wonderful and add tons of goodies, while others disappoint sorely with little more than a name and a limited quantity. Subaru 
has decided to toss the BRZ into this ring with the Series.Hyperblue model, which is more of the former than the latter, thankfully.
has decided to toss the BRZ into this ring with the Series.Hyperblue model, which is more of the former than the latter, thankfully.
The BRZ is a polarizing model: some folks find it to be the best inexpensive sports car ever made, while others think it is just expensive smoke and mirrors. I feel the engineered torque curve and skinny tires make the BRZ feel much more fun than it really is. Plus, I think Subaru and Toyota are sandbagging it a bit to help build interest in the much-anticipated and oft-denied turbocharged models.
ever made, while others think it is just expensive smoke and mirrors. I feel the engineered torque curve and skinny tires make the BRZ feel much more fun than it really is. Plus, I think Subaru and Toyota are sandbagging it a bit to help build interest in the much-anticipated and oft-denied turbocharged models.
Regardless of my personal opinion, I am set to give the limited-run BRZ Series.Hyperblue a fair shakedown to see if it is worth the wait and the added expense.
Updated 09/03/2015: Subaru announced prices for the special edition Series.Hyperblue BRZ, which will arrive in retail locations this fall. Prices will start at $28,485, including $795 destination and delivery.
SOURCE:TOPSPEED
Exterior
The exterior of the Series.Hyperblue BRZ isn’t much different than its mass-produced siblings. The only bits that separate this limited model and the rest of the BRZ lineup are its 17-inch black-painted alloy wheels, gloss-black badges, gloss-black mirror caps, and its exclusive Hyper Blue paintjob, of course.
I am not too sure how much of a fan I am of the hue, but hey, it’s a limited model, so the chances of me seeing it are slim. And that’s a good thing.
Interior
The interior is where it’s at for the BRZ Series Hyper.Blue. In making this package, Subaru added in Hyper Blue bolsters on the leather seats and the headrests. Also included is a blue and black leather-wrapped steering wheel, blue kneepads on the center console, and blue inserts on the door panels. Tying the whole black and blue motif together is blue contrast stitching on the steering wheel, the shift boot, the parking brake handle, and the floor mats.
Beyond these extra goodies, the 2016 BRZ also comes standard with premium features like the Starlink 6.2-inch infotainment system, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, a USB port, and a rearview camera.
Drivetrain
What kills me about this Series.Hyperblue model is that it’s yet another lost opportunity for performance enhancements on the BRZ. This means that this special-edition model comes with the same old 2.0-liter boxer-four engine that puts out a respectable 200 horsepower but only 151 pound-feet of torque.
Buyers can opt to row their own with a six-speed manual transmission or go with the do-it-for-me six-speed auto transmission.
In independent testing, the manual-equipped BRZ hit 60 mph in just under seven seconds, but the auto-equipped models was alarmingly slow at just under eight seconds.
Prices
The special edition BRZ Series.Hyperblue is priced at at $28,485, including $795 destination and delivery. It will be limited to just 500 units.
Conclusion
I love special-edition cars, particularly ones that offer more than just a name. This BRZ is certainly one that looks great on paper. It not only has an exclusive color, but it also has plenty of interior upgrades and a limited quantity to sweeten the deal a bit. I may not be the biggest fan of this color, but I am sure there are 500 North Carolina Tar Heel fans who would love to have this parked in their driveways…
Press Release
Subaru of America, Inc. has announced the 2016 Series.HyperBlue limited edition available exclusively on BRZ and WRX STI models. As a follow up to the 2015 Series.Blue BRZ, the 2016 Series.HyperBlue cars feature exterior paint in Subaru’s exclusive Hyper Blue with matching interior trim. Production will be limited to 700 WRX STI and 500 BRZ cars for the United States. Vehicles will go on sale this Fall.
Series.HyperBlue BRZ
The Subaru BRZ marked a return to the fundamentals of sports car design, emphasizing low vehicle weight, an ultra-low center of gravity and precision steering. A 200-horsepower 2.0-liter BOXER engine powers all BRZ models.
For 2016, the BRZ receives the STARLINK 6.2” Multimedia System with a 6.2-in. single-touch gesture display, AM/FM stereo with HD Radio®, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Radio Data Broadcast System, single-disc CD player, Bluetooth® hands-free phone connectivity and audio streaming, iPod® control, iTunes® Tagging, a USB port and an auxiliary input jack. Smartphone integration features Aha™ and Pandora®, along with STARLINK cloud applications iHeartRadio®, Stitcher, Calendar, Music Player, News and Weather. New for 2016, the BRZ receives standard rear vision camera.
The Series.HyperBlue BRZ cabin features an exclusive design scheme. The leather and Alcantara upholstery includes Hyper blue leather seat bolsters and head restraints. Blue stitching accents the seats and the blue and black leather-wrapped steering wheel, as well as the shift lever boot and leather-wrapped parking brake handle. The blue motif carries to the center console kneepads and door trim, accented by an embroidered silver BRZ logo on the front seatbacks. Carpeted floor mats also pick up the BRZ logo and blue stitching.
The exterior continues the Series.HyperBlue theme with 17-inch black alloy wheels, black glossy badging and painted black finish exterior mirrors. A frameless day/night rear-view mirror and simulated carbon fiber center dash panel add a high-tech look, and the finishing touch is an illuminated engine start / stop button.
Pricing on these models will be announced this Fall.
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