Subaru Legacy STI: Rally Heritage

The Subaru Legacy sedan has always remained in the shadow of its younger sister Impreza, which has long won titles on racing tracks. The Legacy itself never participated in competitions, but it seems that engineers from Japan decided to fix this...

For the test, we got a very interesting specimen. Externally, it seems like a regular Legacy sedan, but with an aggressive aerodynamic body kit from STI and huge 18-inch wheels. Think that's all? Not at all. The most interesting thing is hidden not in the interior or under the hood, but in the suspension. Sport shock absorbers and springs are installed under the arches, which lowered the car and turned the Legacy into a real predator.

Since the car proudly displays the STI badge (Subaru Tecnica International), it means you need to drive accordingly — pedal to the metal, no less. When you start the engine, the body shudders and sways from side to side. Usually, huge SUVs with powerful V8s and soft suspension behave this way. But our hero has a different reason — the boxer engine, which today is used only by Subaru. I am in the cabin of a business-class sedan, although it falls slightly short of "business" in terms of trim materials. In dimensions, the car is comparable to the Audi A4 and its classmates. The Legacy's interior could be called nice if it weren't for the strange box placed right in the center of the console, in the most prominent place. What to put there and who needs it at all is a mystery. It would have been better to make an open compartment, like in a Gazelle — both more pleasing to the eye and more useful.

The exterior of the Subaru is much more interesting. Unlike the flashy and controversial designs of the Impreza family, which seem beautiful only against the backdrop of even stranger new versions, the Legacy has always had its own style. No kitsch, but at the same time modern — a kind of Japanese Mercedes E-Class. Not flashy, but no one will accuse it of lacking taste. The aerodynamic body kit, 18-inch wheels, and lowered ground clearance make the Legacy STI even more attractive. The silhouette has become even more streamlined and pressed to the ground, and the low bumper seems ready to sweep away anyone who stands in its way.

If you believe the surveys, appearance and interior are not the main things for Subaru fans. They love this brand for its characteristic boxer engine and all-wheel drive. From a practical point of view, all-wheel drive on a passenger car is an excessive thing. Those who dream of off-road and snow drifts should take a closer look at a full-fledged crossover like the Mazda CX7 — it is not inferior in power, and its interior is more spacious. For the city, front-wheel drive would be enough. Whatever marketers and fans say, all-wheel drive on a Subaru is pure pleasure, not a necessity.

In the evening, having got out onto free roads, it is not at all necessary to look for long straights. Of course, the 3.0-liter engine is clearly more powerful than the small-displacement golf-class cars, but with more serious rivals, the Legacy finds it hard to compete — the "automatic" is not so quick, and the heavy transmission has noticeable inertia. But in corners, it's pure pleasure. The main thing is to turn off the stability control in advance and master the technique of counter-steering to overcome the understeer of the heavy front end. Pointing the car's nose at the exit of the turn, you can safely press the gas and accelerate while others are still entering the turn. It looks spectacular and fun. On ice, the Subaru obeys the driver like a well-trained horse that understands its owner at a glance. Want to spin a "top" — please, want to describe a sliding arc — no problem. Keep steady gas and control the car as you please — it will do everything.

The only thing STI requires from the owner is utmost attention to the quality of the road. The lowered suspension is very stiff, and sometimes it lacks energy intensity. This is not rally behavior at all, but the 3.0-liter Legacy weighs much more than a racing car that can jump from ramp to ramp without consequences, ignoring the surface.

The suspension of our car is tuned more according to track philosophy: minimal body roll and lowered ground clearance — ideal for the track or smooth European roads. But in our conditions, especially at the end of winter, such a suspension turns into a test: the driver is forced to constantly look out for potholes, and passengers are periodically shaken quite a bit on hard bumps.

The 3.0-liter engine paired with the "automatic" left a pleasant but not outstanding impression. Its character can be customized using the Si-Drive system. Essentially, it's three modes for controlling the engine and gearbox, switched with one button. Si-Drive controls engine power, throttle response, and gearshift algorithms. In the calmest Intelligent mode, shifts occur earlier, not bringing revs to peak, and when releasing the gas, the gearbox tends to immediately upshift and is in no hurry to downshift when pressing the pedal. The ride is measured, even slightly sluggish, which is suitable for traffic jams but poorly matches the STI image. The opposite is Sport Sharp mode: as the name suggests, driving becomes sharp and aggressive. The "automatic" holds low gears for a long time and at the slightest press of the gas jumps down, trying not to let the tachometer needle drop below 5000 rpm. Now this is combat-like — the engine responds instantly and is always ready to dash forward, which is ideal for street racing. In this mode, driving is even more convenient than with manual shifting — the electronics execute commands with maximum precision and sharpness. The intermediate and probably the most suitable mode is Sport. During full acceleration, the engine revs to the limiter, and the "automatic" does not annoy with sharp shifts and extra revs. In addition, the gearbox has a true manual mode with convenient paddle shifters, allowing even more precise control of the car.

The main thing I took away from this trip: Legacy is a car that truly impresses. I first got behind the wheel of this sedan four years ago, when the model had just debuted, and during that time I had managed to forget what it feels like to have full control over the road, which Subaru skillfully combines with quite decent comfort. True, back then I got the base version with a two-liter engine and a manual transmission, but now under the hood is the flagship three-liter unit paired with an automatic. In both the first and second versions, the Legacy is an exemplary balanced car that, for its money, especially considering the all-wheel drive, looks very attractive. And the Si-Drive system allows you to fine-tune the car's behavior even more precisely to your current mood and driving style.

But everything related to the "charged" suspension, huge discs, and STI aerodynamic body kit is already a clear overkill. For those who want a truly sporty Subaru, I would advise looking at the Impreza WRX STI, preferably one that has just rolled off the assembly line: dealers probably still have zero-mileage examples, and discounts on them are good right now. Trying to turn a large sedan into a semblance of a race car by stiffening the suspension and lowering the body looks, frankly, strange. Inside, it's still spacious, but constant shaking and how often the suspension bottoms out on bumps prevent you from enjoying that space. And honestly, you expect more from the handling. The three-liter engine, which is pushed far beyond the wheelbase, is not the best choice for a car claiming to be a driver's car. And if someone needs a spacious trunk, then it makes more sense to look at the same Impreza, but in a wagon body.

And yet, despite all the flaws of this particular example, the Subaru Legacy remains an excellent choice for a driver who loves active driving, but without fanaticism. Especially when it comes to the wagon — it's just an ideal everyday car. On weekdays, it reliably takes you to work, giving the driver a dose of adrenaline along the way, and on weekends it easily heads out of town or on a long trip. The Legacy has excellent handling compared to its classmates, a huge trunk, and, of course, the signature all-wheel drive. Just a dream.

Test: Leonid Pavlov