IF it's a quietly refined, comfortable and somewhat gentle driving experience you are striving for, then you can forget the Subaru BRZ.

This is a sports car that is everything but. It's raspy, exhilarating, has blistering driving dynamics and delivers an edge-of-your-seat ride every time.

In fact, the sports coupe looks incredibly slick and the performance, for once, matches the appearance.

From the second you lay eyes on the beautifully streamlined silhouette of the BRZ it's very clear it's no ordinary 2+2 seats sports car. It boasts auto-levelling HID headlights, a long bonnet, twin tailpipes, a fin antenna, 16-inch alloys, a rear fog lamp and a rear spoiler.

The interior is simplistic and clutter-free, yet there is ample technology to be explored including the likes of a four-speaker sound system, manual air conditioning, supportive and body-hugging sports seats, electric windows and a multi-function display.

To be honest it seems a little bit dated, but any such gripes are soon forgotten when the engine kicks in. It bursts into life with a roar and the audio just gets louder and louder.

Powered by a 2.0-litre 200ps petrol horizontally mounted Boxer engine and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, the Subaru BRZ is a car that simply wants to be driven hard.

It delivers superb handling, gripping the road surface like glue with direct and very sharp steering. And that means fast, open roads can be attacked with confidence - as can tight bends (the tighter the better).

There is a gear shift prompt, but this only seems to engage when you need to change down to keep the revs high. It is one of the best cars to drive by sound alone - when the engine screams at you, then step up a gear - it's that simple.

In and around town, it crawls along like a sulking teenager waiting to be let loose. Then present the car with the open road and it takes full advantage of the opportunity. Factors like the bouncy ride, pretty poor visibility and lack of space in the back seats are quickly forgotten and easily compensated for by the BRZ's superb driving performance.

It can sprint to 62mph from a standing start in 7.6 seconds, which may not sound that fast, but certainly feels it. It has a top speed of 143mph and according to official figures can return 40.9mpg on a combined run with emissions of 181g/km.

Obviously a car like the BRZ needs to be packed with safety features and it is. There are whiplash-reducing front seats, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, a brake assist system, brake override, front, side, curtain and knee airbags, a safety pedal system and lots more besides.