BL · 2003–2009

Turbo comes back to the US Legacy — borrowed straight from the WRX STI.

The fourth generation's turbo 2.5L was derived directly from the North American Impreza WRX STI, ending an eight-year US turbo-Legacy gap. JDM performance models (EJ20X/EJ20Y, 2.0L turbo) made 276 bhp / 343 N·m, with the GT Spec B offering an optional 6-speed manual; a 2006 facelift swapped the twin-scroll VF38 turbo for a VF44 (automatic) or VF45 (manual) unit. In North America, the sporty equivalents were simply 'GT' and 'GT Limited,' with a limited-run 2006 Spec B (500 units) becoming a regular low-volume production model from 2007. This generation is also where the Outback became fully 'its own model' per Wikipedia's framing, coinciding with the Legacy's own platform change.

Scope

Global; turbo returned to the US Legacy line for the first time since 1994, on an engine derived directly from the North American Impreza WRX STI.

Coverage

Generation tracer-bullet · 23 July 2026

Powertrain

Engine options

EngineYearsPowerTorque
EJ20X/EJ20Y Turbo (JDM)2003–2009276 bhp343 N·m

Configuration

Trims and transmissions

The 2008-and-later Legacy S402, an STI-prepared special edition included on STI's own heritage list, belongs to this generation but is not yet researched in depth in this corpus.

Identify & buy

Identification and ownership notes

A US 'GT' or 'GT Limited' badge on this chassis indicates the WRX STI-derived turbo 2.5L; JDM 'GT Spec B' cars instead carry the smaller-displacement EJ20X/EJ20Y.