Subaru BRZ to get EyeSight for manual transmission

EyeSight for manual gearboxes quickly being developed by Subaru

For the longest time, Subaru’s innovative EyeSight suite of intelligent driver aids has only been available to the automatic variants of their vehicles. Even the all-new BRZ was not immune to this as only the automatic version of the sports coupe gets the smart driving aids.

This is not surprising since driver aids like adaptive cruise control need to work in unison with a self-shifting transmission. A manual gearbox, adds unnecessary complexity as both systems need a certain level of coordination and communication from the driver and sensors.

In the future, however, the manual version of the second-generation BRZ will be getting a suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It will be based on the existing EyeSight system adopted from the automatic version and will give the manual BRZ features like; pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure and sway warning, lead vehicle start alert, and rear sonar warning.

Subaru added that it also retains high performance in collision avoidance, collision damage mitigation, and reducing the driver’s workload. The manual version of the Subaru EyeSight will also combine control over the tailored and operating characteristics of M/T vehicles.

Subaru has yet to reveal the exact specifics of the EyeSight for manual transmissions. However, they did mention that the BRZ will be the first recipient of the new technology and will be introduced in the Japanese market this fall in Japan. We’re also curious just how the stick-shift will work with the intelligent driver aids without interfering with the vehicle’s performance.

With the all-new BRZ the first Subaru vehicle with EyeSight for a manual, does this mean the WRX will also get it as well? That we'll have to wait and see.