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Lussoman

Differences between BRZ SE and BRZ SE Lux?

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Can anyone list all the differences?

I have a brochure from 2015 but neither trim level is even mentioned!  The Subaru Range Price List that came with it does list both but doesn't say what the differences are other than the on the road price - £22,495 and £23,995 respectively. 

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^^ If you're not bothered about heated seats and plan on upgrading the head unit the SE is fine. I opted to have the SE over the SE Lux. I recently looked into swapping to the SE Lux seats but there is some wiring involved. 

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97004

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Many thanks all.  Seems it's pretty much just the seats then.

I'm looking to buy (have been for a long time on and off!) a used WR Blue one, manual, low mileage.  Obviously I'd try and get the best spec possible, but I now know I'll not be missing out on too much if I finish up with an SE.

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1 minute ago, Lussoman said:

Many thanks all.  Seems it's pretty much just the seats then.

I'm looking to buy (have been for a long time on and off!) a used WR Blue one, manual, low mileage.  Obviously I'd try and get the best spec possible, but I now know I'll not be missing out on too much if I finish up with an SE.

Yeah I went through the same, just couldn't wait to get my hands on a BRZ :P Good luck on finding yours :)

 

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I have top trim and find myself almost never using seat heating, after all, when it's cold, most probably wear warm outerwear eg. coat, thus i won't feel cold inside car anyway. Seat finish .. i guess it's subjective thing, imho cloth seats are good enough, and of same shape anyway. IIRC there are some extra lesser importance bits in car top trim, like electric light for sun visor, HID lights, fogs, but main things in car that matter (eg. LSD), usually are in all trims. Only thing i'd check if it's in lower trim too - digital speedo. Very usable feature i'd miss. BTW, some pros of cheaper trim in my eyes are slightly lesser weight of car with unheated cloth seats, and foglight places usable for brake ducting inlets.

If one buys used, due little difference between trims, i'd take whichever with lesser mileage/in better state/cheaper, no matter the trim.

If one buys new, i'd rather think if to get one with performance package (brembos/shocks/wheels) or without, but again, ignoring "comfort bits" in trims.

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Thanks for your insight Church. 

I have heated seats in my current car (Alfa Spider), and they're leather, so very cold in winter until the heating eventually becomes noticeable, which is usually when I'm almost at my destination - I do a lot of 'local' driving.  So certainly not essential for me.

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If there had been choice, i'd wish to have heated steering wheel though. Sadly not an option.

Also regarding seat heating, there is bit i dislike in their implementation - they work only if one sits there. So if i wanted for seats to heat up during 5mins i brush snow off from car to sit in already warm - no, similar to you, if i'd switch them on, i'd feel it only half-way already driven distance to work.

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I have top trim and find myself almost never using seat heating, after all, when it's cold, most probably wear warm outerwear eg. coat, thus i won't feel cold inside car anyway. Seat finish .. i guess it's subjective thing, imho cloth seats are good enough, and of same shape anyway. IIRC there are some extra lesser importance bits in car top trim, like electric light for sun visor, HID lights, fogs, but main things in car that matter (eg. LSD), usually are in all trims. Only thing i'd check if it's in lower trim too - digital speedo. Very usable feature i'd miss. BTW, some pros of cheaper trim in my eyes are slightly lesser weight of car with unheated cloth seats, and foglight places usable for brake ducting inlets.
If one buys used, due little difference between trims, i'd take whichever with lesser mileage/in better state/cheaper, no matter the trim.
If one buys new, i'd rather think if to get one with performance package (brembos/shocks/wheels) or without, but again, ignoring "comfort bits" in trims.
UK model BRZ is fully kitted out even in SE, so no difference in HID lights etc. Cloth seats , as you rightly say, do not heat up or cool down like leather so heating is a nice to have than must have.
Brembo , Sachs are only available in GT86 performance pack, not here in the BRZ unfortunately. They cant be retrofitted without changing wheels as it needs 7.5 width.

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I have an SE Lux and can confirm that it has half leather & heated seats.

I sincerely hope that the 'Starlink' head unit is not a special because, in my generous estimation, that steaming pile of merde is worth £1.28.

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I have an SE Lux and can confirm that it has half leather & heated seats.
I sincerely hope that the 'Starlink' head unit is not a special because, in my generous estimation, that steaming pile of merde is worth £1.28.
Happy to bite your hand off it at that price, if you sell it.

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Sooner or later I'll get an Android head unit so that I can install apps that are genuinely useful, like Waze.

The Starlink will go in the bin if I'm feeling generous.  If I'm not, then I'll read it some Vogon poetry.

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1 hour ago, Lussoman said:

How unusual about the seats only heating up if you're sat there.  I say unusual, it may be normal and that way on my current car.  I've never noticed in 9 years of ownership!

As someone who knows how to operate the heated seats (a lot of owners don't), I can confirm that they are better with the half leather/alcantara option. You have to push the button forward to initially heat them, then push the button bcack once warm. Mine are hot within a minute. I don't wear any extra clothes when driving in the winter as I'd rather feel the benefit of them. They are well worth it IMO and far nicer than the no option cloth seats. Full leather heated seats don't work as well as I've found. 

I wouldn't buy one without heated seats. Glad I specified it as an option. 

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BRZ-123: IIRC for GT86 it was not exactly performance pack, but only in some blue edition(?) GT86 that had all those goodies. Didn't know that Subaru @UK hasn't made that extra set available (IIRC called performance package for USDM brz).

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1 minute ago, Church said:

BRZ-123: IIRC for GT86 it was not exactly performance pack, but only in some blue edition(?) GT86 that had all those goodies. Didn't know that Subaru @UK hasn't made that extra set available (IIRC called performance package for USDM brz).

There is no 'performance pack' option for UK BRZ's. Only the GT86 Blue Edition has it. 

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7 minutes ago, Lauren said:

As someone who knows how to operate the heated seats (a lot of owners don't), I can confirm that they are better with the half leather/alcantara option.

So you're saying cloth-covered heated seats were also available?  I'd assumed it was just on the Lux's leather/alcantara upgrade.

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Then PP unavailability further simplifies purchase decision. It makes sense if it comes on car, then extra cost is reasonable, but those shocks+brembos+wheels cost so much more if sourced by parts individually, so that many aftermarket BBK kits (including ones, that will work with OE non-PP wheels, and ones that are more capable then PP brembos) will cost noticeably cheaper.

Pitty that only one color GT has it. It's matter of taste, but that blue paint is not among my favourites. Would have been much nicer, if one could choose that option with any color car, imho that would make that option chosen few times more often.

Lauren: hmm, it takes a bit longer even on hotter mode in my car. And it still needs for me to sit in for heating to heat.

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This is the SE car that prompted me to post:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202001226428347?price-to=20000&advertising-location=at_cars&make=SUBARU&postcode=pr29wx&seller-type=trade&radius=1500&model=BRZ&sort=datedesc&maximum-mileage=35000&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&transmission=Manual&page=1

202001226428347?price-to=20000&advertisiOne of the cheapest blue ones I've seen, and with a very low mileage.  A year or two older than what I really want, but I am tempted.  It's the first one I've seen for ages that's within about a two hour drive of home.

The dealer has a very naff-sounding name, but they do have great reviews.

 

 

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This is the SE car that prompted me to post:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202001226428347?price-to=20000&advertising-location=at_cars&make=SUBARU&postcode=pr29wx&seller-type=trade&radius=1500&model=BRZ&sort=datedesc&maximum-mileage=35000&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=New&transmission=Manual&page=1
202001226428347?price-to=20000&advertising-location=at_cars&make=SUBARU&postcode=pr29wx&seller-type=trade&radius=1500&model=BRZ&sort=datedesc&maximum-mileage=35000&onesearchad=New&transmission=Manual&page=1One of the cheapest blue ones I've seen, and with a very low mileage.  A year or two older than what I really want, but I am tempted.  It's the first one I've seen for ages that's within about a two hour drive of home.
The dealer has a very naff-sounding name, but they do have great reviews.
 
 
Looks like a good deal assuming it's one owner and FSH. They have not been clear about it making me assume neither of the 2 are true. Worth checking. Otherwise these cars are pretty much bulletproof.

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Thanks for the feedback BRZ-123.

As you allude to, service history and number of previous owners are very important to me, and as it's not mentioned, probably not great on both counts.  I may call them.

That said, companies like Evans Halshaw routinely 'advertise' (more like 'list') cars with minimal information, usually giving just colour and price.  Everything else is simply listing standard spec and no juicy information for the actual individual car.  They must not employ sales people anymore!

 

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2 hours ago, Lussoman said:

So you're saying cloth-covered heated seats were also available?  I'd assumed it was just on the Lux's leather/alcantara upgrade.

That is not what I'm saying. Cloth seats are not heated. I was saying that the heaters on the leather/alcantara work better than on the full leather seats. The full leather option may only apply to GT86's. Not sure if they were available on the BRZ. 

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45 minutes ago, Lauren said:

That is not what I'm saying. Cloth seats are not heated. I was saying that the heaters on the leather/alcantara work better than on the full leather seats. The full leather option may only apply to GT86's. Not sure if they were available on the BRZ. 

Ah, now I understand; sadly full leather's never been available on a BRZ AFAIK.

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Leather+alcantara seem acceptable to me .. never been fan of full-leather. Simply because how god awful is if in summer one wears just shorts/t-shirt, and there is own skin touching leather. Sweaty unpleasant result. So my view is that not big loss, if any :). Gain - only easier to keep clean from stains. Prefer personal comfort to that.

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