If you’re after something that offers decent poke but you don’t want to follow the rest of the pack, the car in this month’s Buying Power could be right up your alley. While there’s little doubt that of the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive rally cars, Subaru’s WRX STI and Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution are the typical weapons of choice, there are one or two other handy players well worth serious consideration. Subaru’s twin-turbo, four-wheel-drive RSK B4 provides a healthy dose of grunt while still managing to maintain a certain level of stealth something neither the Evo nor WRX are ever likely to achieve, with or without the rear wing.

Subaru is of course used to building high-performance rally-spec cars, having competed on the World Rally stage for decades, all the while allowing the technical expertise garnered in that environment to filter down to its production cars. What that means for us is that we get to enjoy the fruits of the engineers’ labour by driving cars that were essentially built for competition and adapted for road use.

While the Legacy RSK B4 isn’t as raw and hard-edged as its smaller WRX cousin, it is nonetheless a potent ride with exceptional A-to-B abilities. The benefit of choosing an RSK (Rallye Sport Kompressor just in case you were wondering) over a WRX is that you get to enjoy much of the performance but in a more comfortable, classier, quieter environment. For want of a less cliched expression, it’s the perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The B4 was an immediate successor to the rounder GT-B Legacy, which enjoyed a long and successful run. The RSK was a slightly larger and longer version, and incorporated a far more angular modern shell with an upgraded half-leather interior. Although the performance didn’t increase significantly, there were still gains and various enhancements to the engine and electronics.

ENGINE
The famed EJ20 produces the gentleman’s agreed limit of 280ps at 6500rpm and a healthy 343Nm of torque at 5000rpm. Note the slightly higher rpm figure where maximum torque is produced possibly due to the design of the twin-turbo powerplant. The clever two-stage system utilised a small primary turbo to provide boost from as low as 2500rpm, and a larger secondary turbo to carry the power through the 5000rpm mark and onwards to the limit. The relatively high compression ratio of 8.5:1 also worked well with the primary turbo to provide a supremely driveable car at lower speeds, with plenty of torque available from well down the rev range.

DRIVELINE
Subaru provided no surprises by using a full-time four-wheel-drive gearbox in the RSK, along with a 5-speed manual box. An auto option is available with steering wheel-mounted controls. The RSK might look tame but it’s got more than enough in it to demolish more fancied names, and buying an auto version just wouldn’t be doing it justice.
The ride is firm but not as brutal as an STI, plus you’ll get the benefit of factory-fitted Bilstein dampers.

EXTERIOR
Subaru pretty much went for the stealth look with the RSK. The only giveaways are the bonnet inlet for the top-mounted intercooler and the B4 badging on the boot. Even the rear spoiler was an option, which is why some of the RSKs you see on the roads are barely discernable from their non-turbo stablemates. Our test car, supplied by Auckland’s A-Grade Cars, features a rare factory optional aero front bumper and grille, as well as a large boot spoiler but don’t expect to find these additions on every car. The stock five-spoke 17-inch rims do look good though, and there are front fog lamps and low-profile side skirts to keep the overall appearance smooth. The RSK is really not the type of car that’s going to get you a whole lot of attention, and nor does it look all that great with a body kit. The best way to improve its looks is to keep it simple with some 18-inch race-style rims and a decent set of coil-overs to bring the ride down a couple of inches. Any further exterior modifications will just look out of place.

INTERIOR
The interior in the RSK is pretty much what you’d expect from Subaru. It’s well laid out with decent instrumentation (except you don’t get the cool Defi-style gauges you see in the latest versions), and plenty of dark grey just to remind you that you’re essentially sitting in another mainstream Japanese sedan that happens to have been fettled by the factory. That’s always been a downside of Japanese cars the interiors. It’s not that there’s anything particularly bad about average Japanese car interiors, it’s just that there’s nothing all that great about them either. They’re usually pretty dull and uninspiring, although given that the cars are usually so much cheaper than their German equivalents, it’s no real surprise. Anyway, you won’t be too short on creature comforts inside, with a nice Momo airbag wheel, leather stitched gearknob, climate control, power windows and rear tints.

ON THE ROAD
This Subaru is the ultimate high-speed cruiser. The manufacturer admitted at the time of the RSK’s introduction that it wouldn’t offer the same kick in the back that the WRX would, but Subaru insisted that it was a better cross country cruiser with almost as much go as the smaller, nimbler WRX. You will still feel as though there’s plenty of power available, even if the Legacy weighs around 100kg more than the WRX. As soon as you reach that 3000rpm to 6,000rpm power band you’ll be smiling especially since you’ll still be able to hear yourself think, thanks to the quiet engine and comfy cabin.

The dampers are firm without being bone jarring, and the four-wheel-drive system, although not as complex as new Legacys and WRXs, will keep you well planted on the tarmac.

BUYING
There’s no change to the adage that you get what you pay for here. You should look for examples with up to around 100,000kms on the clock that are as original as possible. You don’t really want to be sinking your hard-earned coin into a car with 150,000km under its belt and an engine full of backyard modifications, you might as well just go and hand the rest of your savings to the mechanic down the road you’re guaranteed he’ll be seeing you soon anyway. Just make sure you look for service records, accident damage and leaks all the usual things you’d look for when buying a used car, basically. Boxer engines are notoriously expensive to service, too, so make sure it has been well looked after.

MODIFYING GUIDE
Like all turbocharged cars, to get the most for your money you need look no further than the magic three. Start with a high-quality exhaust system (preferably no larger than three inches in diameter), a good cold air induction setup and a good computer. If you can nail those then you should expect a decent 20 per cent hike in power for a relatively minimal cash outlay. Remember that you need to pay close attention to the life of the turbos. Small turbos like those used on the RSK tend to wear out quicker as they aren’t as robust as larger single turbos. Any inconsistencies that show up on a compression test should raise the alarm bells. Install high-quality spark plugs, a bigger fuel pump and a set of extractors to match the exhaust (if you don’t mind the noise). Have it all tuned by a pro and you’ll be away laughing.

Subaru Legacy RSK B4 – Factory Specifications

Engine: Subaru EJ20 2.0-litre quad cam 16V horizontal opposed-4, twin turbo, intercooler, multi-point fuel injection, 8.5:1 compression ratio
Driveline: 5-speed manual gearbox (auto option), full-time four-wheel drive
Suspension/Brakes: Independent MacPherson strut front/rear, coil springs, anti-roll bars, ventilated discs front/rear, twin-pot front/single-pot rear callipers
Exterior: Optional rear spoiler, bonnet inlet for top-mounted intercooler
Interior: Momo SRS steering wheel, leather stitched gear knob, climate control, in-dash CD changer
Wheels/Tyres: Subaru 17×7-inch five spoke alloys, 215/45R17 tyres
Performance: Max Power — 280ps @ 6500rpm, Max Torque — 343Nm @ 5000rpm

Words: Rob Dawson Photos: NZPC

This article is from NZ Performance Car issue 150. Click here to check it out.