U-DRAGS: 2022 Subaru BRZ vs. 2022 Subaru WRX

Welcome to Edmunds’ U-Drags, our series of down-and-back drag races! In our latest U-Drag, we pit Subaru’s two sportiest models — the WRX and BRZ — against each other. Will the WRX’s extra horsepower be enough to offset its heavier weight against the BRZ? Find out with Edmunds’ Clint Simone, plus get a full breakdown of the numbers, in the video above!

00:00 Intro
01:16 The Numbers
02:05 Race 1 Prep
03:10 Race 1
04:46 Race 2 Prep
05:44 Race 2
07:02 Stats Recap
08:41 WRX In-Car Run
09:25 BRZ In-Car Run
10:14 Edmunds' Take

[edmundscars]

Keep it old-school or embrace modernity — which Subaru speaks to you? Let us know in the comments.

[enekoprins]

I totally expected the WRX to beat the BRZ. Even in the new Gen, people still say the Toyobaru twins are too slow. Looks fast enough to me.

[skittlesgarage]

Didn’t expect the BRZ to win. Great launch from the BRZ on race 1. Seeing that the script flipped in race 2, it’s obvious one of these is a superior driver to the other.

[DTEL]

Having lost to plenty of GR86/BRZ at the autocross, I feel qualified to say that it is am amazing chassis that punches well above its weight.

[StgVirus]

That BRZ did better than I expected. Nice test setup to show these cars potential.

[jakegreenberg]

Keep doing more U-drags. This is good content.

[MLHunt]

I love this concept. Tells you so much about a car's performance in so little time. And such a simple idea! Surprised no one came up with it sooner. But credit to you guys for thinking it up.

This is a very interesting matchup of two fairly different cars that are nonetheless similar enough that people might be cross-shopping them.

[jmmch]

I was very surprised with the results, I thought that the WRX' Turbo & AWD would easily beat the BRZ. But the great handling and lightweight of the BRZ made all the difference. Amazing!

[reesee]

What did we learn today?
A driver-mod goes a long way.

[pbourdon]

This is the old expression: "Give a car more power, and you'll make it faster in a straight line. Make a car lighter and you'll make it faster everywhere." in real life. Weight is everything. It's just too damn bad everyone is obsessed with horsepower these days. Bring back the lightweight sports car....

[DaBrute]

Kurt is clearly the better drag racer here. He launched the crap outta both cars and nailed every shift

[yfarmeaahka]

The BRZ in a straight line really surprised me, almost seemed slightly faster. Would love to see this again with both of them tuned

[derrin]

I just bought a BRZ. I test drove both cars quite a few times. They are both great. I decided on the BRZ in the end. It is more nimble, exciting, faster than you think through the gears, and it handles like it is on rails. It was a hard decision, but I felt the right one.

[danishow]

That's the first time i watch a video from this chanal, and honestly, i loved the way you guys tested the car, making a break test, corner test, reacelerate, it all in a single teste. Congratulations

[biggranny]

It makes sense, there's a lot of drivetrain loss with a AWD system, i love my WRX because it's a good "do it all" daily that's fairly quick and fun to drive.

[farve]

Love the brz.. glad to see theres still sports cars under 3000lb at this price point that not a miata with real healthy hp numbers thats naturally aspirated.. beautiful car and great upgrade to the previous model.. impressive

[billshoe]

What an awesome race! Love that the BRZ won. Everything is more fun with manuals.

[DJBirbman]

As a previous 2018 Wrx owner and now a 2023 brz owner, I enjoyed watching this. Everyone from the VA community considered me getting a brz a downgrade. It is in terms of practicality but more upgrade as a fun sports car. The Wrx had decent potential but the new one doesn’t look as good as I would like it to. Hoping subaru will disregard killing of the Sti and bring it back. The Wrx was a great experience but I hated the shift feel.

[carlmanu]

I always thought the BRZ could take the WRX on this test but I think it could have been better had Kurt not messed the braking or Reese messed the launch.

[solocamo]

Weight and AWD drivetrain loss killed the WRX here on the roll, though I must say the BRZ did way better than I expected in a straight line.