2013 Subaru BRZ: Motoramic TV

When car companies misread the market for a new model, they tend to overreach on the high side, building more cars than they can sell. Based on early feedback on the 2013 Subaru BRZ, Subaru might have the opposite problem on its hands. The company plans to build only 6,000 examples of the BRZ, but anecdotal evidence suggests that they could've moved many more than that. A parked BRZ seems to always attract a crowd, and some dealers are charging a premium on top of the car's $26,270 base price.

So why all the enthusiasm over a small two-plus-two that makes only 200 hp? Because the BRZ's horsepower number is the least important thing about it. Subaru (and its partner on the project, Toyota), concentrated on minimizing weight, optimizing balance and fine-tuning the ephemeral business of the driving experience — the steering, the sound of the motor, the placement of the pedals. And when it comes to elemental driving pleasure, the BRZ is a knockout. But will the lack of horsepower ultimately prove too much of a handicap against the 300-hp competition from Ford, Chevy and Hyundai? We suspect that the BRZ audience is gonna let that slide, if you catch our drift.