The world of motoring is not exactly drowning in lightweight affordable sports cars at the moment. There’s the MX-5, but that is only available as a convertible. What about the Audi TT? That costs at least £29,000 and the SLK is even pricier.

Toyota chairman Katsuaki Watanabe decided that was a market he wanted to compete in but, as his company was already at capacity he turned to Subaru (Toyota owns a 16.5% stake in Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries) and the BRZ and Toyota GT86 were born.

To the untrained eye the two cars are hard to tell apart, differentiated only by the badges, wheels and trim.

It’s a good-looking sports car. The sharp, coherent design is well-balanced and, while by today’s standards it can look a little under-tyred on its 16in rims, the wheels are a fundamental part of the car’s character and they’re contribution to the BRZ’s handling and poise should not be underestimated.

Both cars are powered by Subaru’s 2.0-litre flat four Boxer engine – chosen for its low centre of gravity – producing 197bhp and, in the BRZ that I drove, it proved to be a real beauty. It’s not the quickest – 60mph takes a fairly modest 7.6 seconds – and the engine needs to be worked hard to get the best from it but, and this is the important part, it’s worth it.

The throttle is nice and crisp, the short-throw gearshift is positive – although a little notchy and times – and the sound from the flat four enticingly raspy. It’s not the fastest, clearly, but it is among the funnest.

The engine/transmission package is only part of the fun feast though. After all, without a decent chassis wrapped around it you might as well be driving a shopping trolley. And a decent chassis it does have. The suspension is firm, but not hard enough to knock the smile off your face when you’re tackling tight and twisty country lanes. The steering is nicely weighted and never leaves you in any doubt about what’s going on under the wheels.

Road noise is quite intrusive but when you consider the strict diet the BRZ has been on it’s understandable that there have been some compromises here and there. The front seats are excellent, with superb lateral support from thigh to shoulder. They’re also comfortable despite the fact that there’s a distinct dearth of padding. There are two ‘seats’ in the back but, of the few friends I do have, most would struggle to get in the back and those who could would need to tie their legs behind their ears so the front seats could be put back in place.

The fixtures and fittings are relatively basic. There’s a 2 din touchscreen audio system with sat nav. It’s functional, but a fair way behind the integrated systems you’ll find in other cars. I couldn’t pair my phone to play audio over Bluetooth either. Whether that’s down to the audio system, the phone OS or simply the phone model I have no way of knowing. I could, however, take and make calls without any trouble.

I’m a long way past the age where I look anything but clumsy climbing in and out of car that sits so low, but I’m also too old to care, especially when the reward is so great. The similarity of purpose between the BRZ and Mazda’s MX-5 are clear. The Subaru is, however, a touch more expensive and you can’t drop the roof when the sun comes out. However, the BRZ is quicker, more focused, more economical and, for me at least, more comfortable. You even get an extra pair of (admittedly useless) seats thrown in. The MX-5 has been out-funned.

Subaru BRZ SE Lux

Price: £26,495

Engine: 2.0-litre flat four Boxer

Transmission: Six-speed manual

Power: 197bhp

Acceleration (0-62mph): 7.6sec

Maximum speed: 143mph

Urban: 31.4mpg

Extra urban: 49.6mpg

Combined: 40.9mpg

Emissions (CO2): 181g/km

For more information about Subaru cars click here.