Japan: Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon, B4 Sedan get "tuned by STI" treatment
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It's been a year since the last JDM Legacy "tuned by STI" hit Subaru's home-market showrooms, and like clockwork, the new version has been announced. The package is available for the Legacy Touring Wagon and the Legacy B4 sedan. The "tuned by STI" cars are based on the 2.0 GT spec.B package, which plants a 260-hp/253 lb-ft (5AT) or 280-hp/253 lb-ft (6MT) turbo four-cylinder underhood. From there, a full STI visual upgrade is applied, and additional enhancements/accessories include:
- STI 18" wheels
- STI leather key case
- McIntosh audio system
- HDD navigation system
- STI springs and dampers
- STI strut tower bar
- Brembo brakes
- STI sport muffler
- STI-branded sill plates
- STI-programmed ECU
[Source: Subaru]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mr.ed 1:55PM (8/07/2007)
This basic body was introduced in 1990. How about a new one, Toyota? And make it better looking and modern than the uninspired Corolla knockoff you just introduced to the sound of dozens of crickets.
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Za 2:53PM (8/07/2007)
None of what you just said makes sense...this is a Subaru Legacy - a car that was redesigned in 2005 and refreshed in 2007. Also, the Impreza's uninspired design was penned long before Toyota had anything to do with Subaru, and really, in most aspects Subaru is still autonomous.
mr.ed 3:30PM (8/07/2007)
This Legacy body was first seen in '90. I had one, and a '92 also. It's been tweaked but is largely unchanged. My son has an '04.
Toyota now controls Subaru. Yes, I know the Impreza was a GM design, and was signed off about a year before the Toyota takeover. The design's so tame, it could have come from Toyota.
qwerty 2:03AM (8/08/2007)
Toyota does not control Subaru
Impreza has never been designed by GM
stop posting
max 12:12AM (4/22/2008)
i have one a these killer machines, i recently imported one but dont knw how to start the lil devil! it uses the press button start feature! this is wat happen wen i try to start:
first press of button: turns on entertainment system
2nd press of button: turns on the ignition
3rd press of button, everything shuts down again.
so i am convinced that i do not knw how to start this thing, so can any body help me out here!!
Dave in MI 1:56PM (8/07/2007)
Love that. Of course, i'd want all the performance and 32 mpg highway with allwheel drive.
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RG 2:19PM (8/07/2007)
What "basic" body style are you referring to. This Legacy platform was introduced in 2005 and was just updated this past year- where is 1990 coming from?
One thing that doesnt make sense are the power numbers- the last Legact tuned by STi made 280/280, while this one makes 260/253. Is this because last years was based off their specB and this year its the regular Legacy GT?
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Alex Nunez 2:33PM (8/07/2007)
RG, mistake on my part. The spec sheet is in all Japanese, and I overlooked the power differential. The 5-speed auto Legacy makes 260 horses. The 6MT does indeed make 280. Post has been updated to reflect that.
mk 12:12AM (8/08/2007)
This body was not introduced in 1990.
The Legacy was redesigned for 2001, and completely redesigned for 2005. (released a year before in Japan, and the rest of the world)
I have a 2005 Legacy GT, and it is not a 1990s car, in the least. And in Garnet Red, lowered on 18" silver wheels, it looks better than most sport sedans on the road, including the new BMW 3-series, and IMHO, the IS350. With 300 aftermarket horsepower, and a 5-speed manual, and less than 3500lbs, it is faster, too, short of a 335i twin turbo. AND I get about 27mpg highway, albeit city cycle is significantly lower, as any turbo would be. 32mpg with AWD is not likely, until diesel or HCCI or whatever gasoline compression and direct injection come around.
Just because Subaru doesn't re-invent the wheel, mechanically or aesthetically with every iteration of the Legacy doesn't mean that this car shares anything but the wheel-stud spacing with the previous cars.
Not only that, but the BL/BP Chassis cars were designed before toyota's minority share holding was even being considered, and GM owned a small fractional share in FHI. That doesn't mean that GM had any hand in it either. GM was more concerned with Saab getting some sales with a restyled WRX wagon.
I've had people think that the back of my Legacy looks a bit like a previous generation Camry due to the tail light design, but no one with half an ounce of car recognition ability. The Legacy is much sharper looking when side by side. (and I do park in a lot with camrys in it.) Certainly no Corolla.
The sad thing about the article, is that all those features exist, and have existed since calendar year 2005, on the Legacys around the world, but not available here.
STI 18" wheels - importable, VERY expensive.
STI leather key case - importable trinket
McIntosh audio system - not available. No audio upgrade
HDD navigation system - DVD navigation on US models, finally.
STI springs and dampers - importable, not US available.
STI strut tower bar - importable, possibly US accessory
Brembo brakes - Retrofit from STI, Import kit is $$$$
STI sport muffler - SPT optional, STI not available.
STI-branded sill plates - Accessory option on all Legacys.
STI-programmed ECU - Not available, import incompatible.
All of these things have to be done in the aftermarket in the US, if people like me want them, thanks to Subaru of America not giving a whit about Legacy performance in the US, and US options, including the wagon bodystyle being pulled. At this point, the US is lucky to get a turbocharged legacy at all.
Thankfully, the 08 WRX has the same mechanical engine with a different state of tune, so hopefully enough of them will sell to create an aftermarket, which will apply to the 05+ Legacy GT.
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RG 7:52AM (8/08/2007)
mk-
I would just like to chime in and say that your post was fantastic. I too own a Legacy GT in Regal Blue and absolutely LOVE the car. When I was shopping for a car, nothing came close to the versatility, power and looks of the AWD Legacy and I still love it to this day.
However, if this Legacy STi were to come to the states I would have to think very hard about trading up. Like you said, most of these things can be purchased through aftermarket, however the prices are astronomical, and hopefully would be cheaper if offered by Subaru as a complete package.
Matt 3:44PM (8/15/2007)
I'm a little late responding, but great post. I have a black on black 05 Legacy GT and as much as I love the car, have been itching to get the horsepower up to 300. Can you share which aftermarket provider you would recommend? I've been looking at some of the Cobb Tuning packages
Thanks,
mk 4:07PM (8/22/2007)
Check out LegacyGT.com, if you haven't already. LOTS of information there. My handle is IwannaSportSedan, which I chose before I got one.
I have the Cobb AccessPort v.1, with a stage-2 91 octane map. Others with similar configuration typically dyno at about 300hp, extrapolated to the crankshaft.
why not the LS2/LS7? 2:38PM (8/07/2007)
We lost our manual-shift turbo wagons years ago, and lost all the Legacy (non-Outback) wagons completely this year.
This is salt in the wounds.
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500 2:44PM (8/07/2007)
Damn, I would totally buy one of these if offered in the US!
No thanks to the Outback though; I've heard from people who own them that the handling is terrible for a car.
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dcwf 3:35PM (8/07/2007)
500, I own an OB, not for the performance handling, but for the 8 inch clearance, which allows me to go off road (not the Rubicon, but off road on the farm), and drive in the soft snow without worries. EPA classifies the OB as a light truck, and in some respects, it handles like one. As everything in life, the OB is a compromise; good car for what it is.
500 5:40PM (8/07/2007)
Fair enough. I was not implying that the Outback isn't a fine vehicle for what it is, a "Sport Utility" wagon. Sounds like it's exactly what you need. But the Legacy Touring wagon is a very different kind of vehicle, and we no longer have that choice here. I'm more of a car guy, not a truck guy, and would rarely need the 8 inches of ground clearance.
Too bad the Legacy wagon didn't sell well here, but it seems that Subaru put the Lion's share of advertising dollars into the Outback.
RG 2:53PM (8/07/2007)
While this car does look very sweet, its value and allure tends to wilt a little bit when you start looking at how much a car like this would cost over here.
Would you be willing to spend $36k for this Legacy with no power bump? Thats a tough call when you find yourself cross-shopping G35s, IS350s and dare I say it, BMW 335s (for about $7k more)
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Tsunami Racer 3:24PM (8/07/2007)
this would have been a nice step up from my 04 Impreza STi when i started getting too old and too fat (ok, maybe just fat) for the rough ride and the boy racer wing. but subaru had nothing to offer me in the way of STi level performance with luxury features, so i had no choice but to go to another brand that makes awd cars in Ingolstadt...
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Stephen Armbruster 9:57PM (8/07/2007)
sorry i meant that to go under mr.ed's post, not sure how it ended up here
spoop 9:56PM (8/07/2007)
Uh, according to wikipedia Toyota has an 8.7% stake in Fuji Heavy, which definitely does NOT mean Toyota "took them over."