Subaru STi Legacy S401: The Last Twin
Way back in 1993 the sequential twin turbo was created from the first generation Legacy GT & RS Legacy. It was to be the family sedan option to the Impreza WRX single turbo (Which also originated from the first generation Legacy). The twin was designed to develop low-end power from the primary turbo, while the secondary turbo increasing boost over 4000 rpm's. It was a good idea but Subaru never got it to really work. Unfortunately, there was a dead zone or hole in the transition between the two turbo's at 3500-4000rpm.
The latest Legacy is the S401 and it's the end of the line for Subaru's sequential twin. Perhaps this is why Subaru have let STi work their magic on the Legacy.
Masaru Katsurada, the President of Subaru Technica International said, "I only want 400 people who understand this car to own them." Mr. Katsurada is in a unique position to comment on this, as he was the man behind the current generation Legacy from its birth in the design studio, through to release.
The Legacy STi is more of an evolution than revolution. The engine has under gone fine tunning with hand balancing of the internals, high flow cats and this is further improved via a remapped ECU. Using a 6 speed box from the WRX STi means that the driver will rarely be out of the power band, so helping response even more.
| The question we all ask is "yes all very good but what about the "hole ? " The infamous mid range power hole between the primary and secondary turbo's is certainly alot less noticeable. Of course no one has answered the question why the B4 wasn't like this in the first place. |  |
Overall from a distance the body shape doesn't scream STi special but a more careful look and you notice the bigger hoodscoop and the numerous pink STi logos tastefully added speak volumes. The only problem for Legacy fans is limited supply. Only 400 will be built in total only two will be sold outside Japan both to New Zealand. Will this be the last sequential twin-turbo Legacy ? Most likely unless the rumoured twin turbo flat six ever appears. While the Legacy twin-turbo was a success in Japan out selling the WRX, it was not exported to the main overseas markets. Limited space due to the twin-turbo's made it difficult to fit a left hand drive setup, vital for the American and European markets.
It's back to the future for the Legacy, returning to it's roots as a single-turbo design. Most likely the Legacy in America will receive a detuned 2.5-litre turbo flat four from the WRX STi. The Japanese market however has taxes on motor vehicles based on engine size and vehicle size. So more than likely a 2.0-litre engine with a single twin-scroll turbo will be the standard for the Japanese market. If the S401 is to be the last twin then STi have created a worthy finale.
Return to Turbo Legacy homepage