The Subaru BRZ is a high smiles per dollar roadster that offers an accessible 6-speed gearbox for drivers new to manual transmissions.

One of the things I love about California’s landscape is how the mountains run right up to the sea. Big Sur, in Central California, is perhaps the most famous example.

In the Los Angeles area, Malibu Canyon Road connects Calabasas to the PCH, while on the big screen, Mulholland Drive has carved its way into the hearts of cinephiles since Hollywood’s golden age.

For drivers, roads through coastal ranges provide endless fun, dramatic beauty, and an alternative to freeway backups.

Santiago Canyon

One such route near my home in Southern California is Santiago Canyon Road, which cuts through the Santa Ana Mountain foothills just inland from Interstate 5.

My niece and fellow enthusiast, Zoe, first brought me to Santiago to take pictures of Heidi Vrum. Zoe cut her teeth on these roads behind the wheel of her beloved 3rd-gen Acura Integra.

(She also cut her muffler, when, while executing a three-point turn, she reversed “Teggy” onto a small boulder. My thanks to the hospitable neighbors who waited with her for the tow truck at the whimsical intersection of Thisa Way, Thata Way, and Bytha Way.)

Gear Shift

Zoe and I returned recently to Santiago Canyon for an emergency driving lesson. Teggy was out of commission and Zoe was the proud new owner of a brand-new 6-speed Subaru BRZ.

Small problem: Zoe doesn’t drive stick.

Big problem: I had only a day and a half to teach her before she drove up the coast to school.

Santiago Canyon came to mind as the perfect test track to prepare her for the Central California hill country around San Luis Obispo. If she could handle these roads, I knew she could handle SLO.

Subaru BRZ

I got us going in the BRZ and needed only two gears before I knew Zoe would be just fine.

For starters, she’s built autonomous vehicles in her engineering program and, beyond the basics, hardly needed much uncle-splaining from me.

But also, as manual transmissions go, the BRZ, developed jointly with the Toyota GR86, is as easy to operate as they come, all thanks to an extremely shallow clutch, short throws, and gear ratios with lots of room for error.

(Once, Zoe pulled off the line from a full stop at a red light in third gear and the transmission handled it just fine.)

Suba-vroom

We ran the high-revving, rear-wheel drive roadster up and down the canyon all afternoon. The naturally aspirated 2.4-liter flat-four felt like it was putting out far more than 228 horses.

That canyon day in the BRZ was a blast that made me feel like a college student all over again, and with an MSRP in the mid-thirties, it’s hard to imagine more fun for the money.

It gets up to sixty in 5 and half seconds. It’s confident through the corners. And, with the windows down, the sound of the flat four reverberates off the canyon walls to add to the driving experience.

Fast Learner

Zoe drove to SLO the next day in a relentless rain storm. She met up with one of her college friends in L.A., herself the owner of a GR86, and they kept an eye on each other’s tail lights all the way up the coast.

She visited home about a month later, picked me up on a Saturday morning, and drove me down to San Clemente for cars and coffee, shifting like a pro down the 5 freeway.

I found myself filled with pride for the student who is well on her way to becoming the master.

For more on the Subaru BRZ, visit https://www.subaru.com/vehicles/brz/2026.html

Canyon Carving in the Subaru BRZ