What Does BRZ Stand For On Subaru?

Toyota and Subaru launched their first jointly-produced cars, the Toyota 86 (formerly called the Scion FR-S) and the Subaru BRZ, in 2012. The 86 was named in tribute to the iconic AE86 Corolla — a car that remains so widely celebrated that Toyota decided to build new and improved engine blocks and heads for the classic model.  The BRZ name, however, was entirely new, and its three-letter form neatly captures what the two sister cars truly stand for.

When the BRZ concept was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Japanese manufacturer revealed that the name was short for Boxer engine, rear-wheel drive, and zenith. According to Subaru, the name captures the car's passion while highlighting confidence in its renowned Boxer engine.

The first-generation BRZ, which launched in 2012 for the 2013 model year, came with a 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine and produced 197 hp, while later iterations saw power outputs increase to 205 hp. The second-generation BRZ/86 twins featured an updated engine when launched in 2021. The new boxer engine's displacement increased to 2.4 liters. The second-gen BRZ produced 228 hp, while the 86, now called the GR86, supplied four more horsepower than its sibling. Over the years, Subaru offered a few new variants to spice up its BRZ roster, including the BRZ tS, which has Brembo brakes with four-piston calipers and Hitachi Sensitive Frequency Response Dampers, although power output remained the same.

Japanese car manufacturers have long designed sporty, fun cars that offer great bang for the buck. Some of these models have become legendary, though their names' meanings aren't widely known. Take Honda's NSX. The letters in the NSX name stand for new sportscar, while the X represents "unknown world" or "unknown value." Another small, fun car from Honda was the S2000. Here, the "S" stands for sport, while "2000" refers to the engine's 2.0-liter displacement.

The aforementioned AE86 was simply Toyota's internal code for the car – the "A" stands for the engine, the "E" for Corolla, the "8" for the E80 series generation, and the "6" for specific model options within the generation. The Toyota MR2's name also seems to use the same strategy as the BRZ. It, too, alludes to the car's design and intended applications, standing for mid-ship, run-about, and two-seater. As mentioned above, the Toyota 86 was previously known as the Scion FR-S, and here, the three letters signify front-engine, rear-drive, and sport.

The Mazda Miata is called the MX-5 in some markets (i.e., Mazda Experimental Project – Number 5). The same "experimental" tag was also used for another JDM legend, the Mazda RX-7, which stands for Rotary Experimental 7.