While the joy of driving a sports car with a manual transmission can’t be compared with anything else behind the wheel, the three-pedal configurations often come with some limitations regarding their driver assist systems. Subaru now announces it is working to make its EyeSight family of safety technologies available for its models equipped from the factory with a stick shift.
In an official press release, the Japanese automaker confirms it is currently adapting EyeSight to the driving and operating characteristics of manual transmission vehicles. When all the development work is done, the system will operate in a wide range of conditions and will assist the driver in critical situations, just like EyeSight does in vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions.
Gallery: 2022 Subaru BRZ: First Drive
Subaru promises the MT-specific system will retain the full functionality of its version for automatic gearboxes. This includes pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, and rear sonar warning. The automaker also claims there will be no reduction in performance in collision avoidance and collision damage mitigation.
The first application of EyeSight for manual transmission will be the Japanese version of the BRZ sports car. Scheduled to debut this fall, the coupe will bring the safety systems listed above onboard a three-pedal BRZ for the first time with more markets to follow. There’s no confirmation regarding the US market yet but Subaru says it aims to achieve zero fatal road accidents among occupants of Subaru vehicles. To date, the company has delivered more than 5.5 million vehicles equipped with different generations of the EyeSight suite since its launch in 2008.
For the 2023 model year in the United States, the BRZ has a starting price of $28,595 before destination and delivery charges, tax, title, and registration fees. This price is for the base BRZ Premium, while the more expensive BRZ Limited kicks off at $31,095 before taxes.
