Wheel Woman: Baby, can you drive my car?

“But I want to drive!”

I practically stomped my foot like a two-year-old.

“You can’t. It will hurt your knee.”

Husband Garry’s patient tone was infuriating but I couldn’t really argue. After three weeks of hobbling around with a sore left knee from a walking mishap, I still wasn’t ready for a clutch pedal and a six-speed manual transmission.

Wouldn’t you know, my assigned vehicle for the week was a 2022 Subaru BRZ in dazzling World Rally Blue Pearl paint. Woe is me.

I would have to ask Garry to drive me around while I experienced the sweet little rear-wheel drive sprinter from the passenger seat. Woe is me.

Speaking of seats, the front seats of the BRZ do their job exceptionally well, providing comfort and stability. Maybe just ignore the back seats.

With a new 2.4-litre Boxer engine, the happy-faced sports coupe, a joint venture by Toyota and Subaru, has upped its output from the previous generation to 228 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. The lightweight pocket-rocket has a performance-tuned suspension, and the chassis is stronger and lighter.

Business took us to New Minas in the Annapolis Valley. The glorious spring sunshine and fresh, fluorescent colours of the lush rolling hills begged us to take our time heading back to Halifax.

Annapolis Valley is the verdant valley that feeds Nova Scotia. Its fertile soil bears fruits, vegetables and the all-important grape. Funky farm markets and fragrant wineries entice you around every turn.

We puttered through the town of Wolfville, a university town with posh, historic houses, upscale shops and a vibrant cultural scene. The flashy blue BRZ turned some heads among the college crowd. With a price point under $35,000, it’s within reach for many budgets.

Places to photograph the cute coupe abound in the Valley.

One of our favourite areas is the historic Acadian village of Grand Pré. This is the land of Evangeline, the fictional character immortalized by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The ultimate tragic romance, the expulsed Acadienne searched her entire life to find the young husband from whom she was separated on her wedding day when the English stormed the area.

The French people who first settled this area enjoyed a good relationship with the Mi’kmaq, the indigenous people of Nova Scotia. There was mutual trust and relative harmony between the two peoples. The French were able to build an incredible dyke system to hold back the tidal power of the Bay of Fundy and create fertile farmland, surviving and thriving in a hostile, unfamiliar environment.

Today, the farms bustle with activity, the rich, dark soil in freshly tilled rows promising nature’s bounty.

I pose behind the wheel of the BRZ, both feet twitching on the pedals. The long straight deserted stretch of road near the Grand Pré National Historic Site beckons.

Before Garry can say no, I’m gone. Just one rip to put it through the gears and see what this baby will do. Sore knee be damned.

Read a full review of the 2022 Subaru BRZ here.