9. Subaru BRZ
One of the typical small, affordable-performance cars is the Subaru BRZ. This little sports coupe comes with a signature flat four naturally aspirated engine that delivers 205 HP out of 2.0 liters. The BRZ is a light and nimble coupe but the secret is in the position of the engine. Since Subaru is using flat-four engines, the center of gravity is lower than with regular inline four cylinders.
The lower center of gravity means that the car is better planted to the ground. This helps with driving dynamics by allowing the car to handle better. And they equipped the BRZ with a six-speed manual gearbox. This makes it a pure driver’s car that offers a lively performance and an engaging drive.
The 0 to 60 mph sprint takes 6.7 seconds while the top speed is 145 mph. With the affordable price and those performance numbers, the BRZ is a highly desirable model. Also, since they developed the BRZ in cooperation with Toyota, the BRZ and the Toyota GT86 are practically twins with different badges on the grille.