Mysterious 2022 Subaru BRZ may hint at an STI model | CarAdvice

A camouflaged 2022 Subaru BRZ has been spied testing at Fuji Speedway in Japan, wearing body parts suggesting the possibility of an STI variant.

The left-hand-drive BRZ was shown on Twitter by user @taku_saf1, showing a deeper lip spoiler add-on with winglets at the sides, finished in black.

The camouflaged body fitted with the uncamouflaged front spoiler could be put down to a prototype vehicle being used to test a new aero kit – the fact that it’s a left-hand-drive vehicle is likely insignificant.

A short video also shows the Subaru sports coupe being drifted while out on track.

めっちゃ滑らせながら走らせてるリアのスタビリティ高そうなのと、アドバンとか見てると普通に今のより速い pic.twitter.com/8WqpzmbEKg

— たくさふ@AAS (@taku_saf1) December 16, 2020

While Subaru has been adamant the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine in its new-generation BRZ will remain naturally-aspirated, rumours of a turbocharged version persist, particularly as a 2.4-litre turbo engine already exists within the Subaru lineup, a variant of which is expected to arrive in the upcoming WRX STI.

During the test day at Fuji, a blue BRZ was spotted in the garage with a number of Subaru engineering staff wearing STI jackets. While not a smoking gun by any means, it does point to the prospect of a sportier version of the BRZ being track-tested by STI engineers.

Even if the turbocharged BRZ doesn’t eventuate, we could see the introduction of a model tuned by STI, similar to the current BRZ tS which features mild aerodynamic enhancements, Brembo brakes, Sachs dampers and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres (which are now standard on new-generation BRZs with 18-inch wheels).