Eric Penn joins Tim Keirnan and Ken Mayer to discuss the first customer experience phases of his new 2023 Subaru BRZ after a month of ownership.
The “Toyobaru Twins” (Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ) are the same car with some slight differences. This vehicle is one of the best cases of “user-centered design” we have ever encountered, and Tim owned the first generation. Eric has purchased the long-awaited and much celebrated second generation, and we go into intense detail on these phases of the customer experience:
Encounter (02:44)
Decision (07:21)
Purchase (21:00)
Initial Use (43:00)

We will record a Part 2 episode about Eric’s longitudinal use in February of 2024 so that Eric has a full 12 months of ownership to discuss. On this podcast we are nothing if not thorough!

In summary, the 2023 BRZ (the second model year of the 2nd generation of the car) meets or exceeds almost every criterion for delighting Eric as customer. From the seating position, to the razor sharp handling, to the improved human-machine interfaces in the cockpit, to the new, more powerful engine, everything about this car screams or subtle implies “made for driving enthusiasts of light weight, nimble sports cars.” Neither Subaru nor Toyota invented us to be so positive about this vehicle. It is incredibly well-focused on delighting a well-defined customer target.

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