We absolutely LOVED the Subaru with the longest name ever, the almighty Impreza WRX STi Spec C Type RA-R, and you know what? It's based on the supercar-challenging Impreza S204...so when we first heard of a potential Subaru Legacy S402, we got pretty damn excited.
Then the AWD master Subaru announced that their mean machine was developed in hell, the green one, the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife, the type of race track making any other look like a kid's playground... from there we were sold and couldn't wait to get our hands on this beautifully spiced Legacy...Was the wait justified? Read on and find out!
Design :
The Legacy is a great looking car and this S402 is no different. It's very similar to the standard version, and only STi fans will notice the slight visual modifications brought to the body. These include the bumpers and a few logos here and there that makes this one stand out from the pack. This was a choice Subaru made to keep the car close to the original model, and make most modifications under the hood and under the body.
Sounds like a good idea, doesn't it?
On the road :
When told a car has been developed from the ground up at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, you expect it to feel at home anywhere, and Subaru Tecnica International worked hard on the chassis and engine.
Under the bonnet lies a 2.5 liter, 4 cylinder, Boxer engine with exclusive ECU and turbo modifications providing 282 sweet horses ready to go. Power, as always, is transmitted to all wheels. When you look at the specifications, it's all great, but unfortunately we weren't impressed with the car for the following reasons:
Equipped with Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI-Drive), the Legacy, once this mode is turned to ON, feels miles away from what you'd expect. Acceleration is good, but doesn't feel like 282hp and...pretty much the same as the WRX STi (that we criticized for the exact same reasons), we really don't understand what a mode like this is doing on a supposedly powerful car.
Then there's the Sport Sharp Mode, sounds better already. With this ON we could finally play with the Legacy B4 and have a little fun with the AWD system and horsepower in the Japanese mountains. The turbocharged engine provides good torque from 1800 up to 6000 rpm allowing you to forget about downshifting and let the motor do its thing. The S402 isn't the wildest Legacy you'll find, but in terms of performance it clearly is a big step forward from the standard version .
Another thing we were a little disappointed about is the amount of body roll the car takes on corners, even though the car remains fully controllable and secure at the same time. On the other hand, the brakes proved to be excellent but extremely noisy, at least when your right foot tends to be heavy on the gas pedal.
Conclusion:
The S402 is, without a doubt, the best Legacy B4 or wagon you can get at the moment, but to get more attention from German car owners, Subaru will have to work harder on their interiors.
After spending a couple days with the car though, we can't quite understand Subaru's choice to limit the car to just 402 units. The S402 doesn't feel exclusive enough in our minds to deserve such treatment, (in comparison to the RA-R for example) but it's still a very valuable addition to the line up.
Posted on 03/08/08 By G-A.G
