Calling the Stagea a Skyline wagon is definitely a stretch, but as a strong Subaru Legacy rival, there’s definitely a case to be made.
According to Regular Cars, calling the Stagea, even in RS Four form, a Skyline wagon, is like calling the Toyota Cresside a four-door Supra, although Nissan did make sure to build the WC34 Series 1 Stagea to resemble the R34 Skyline.
This 1997 model has R34 Skyline-like headlights and grille, and even the placement of the air dams and indicator lights might remind you of the automaker’s iconic sports car.
The Stagea is a lot more similar to the R33 Skyline from a mechanical perspective, where the 2.6-liter 260RS model even shared the same engine as the R33.
This car here is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine, good for 235 PS (231 HP), making it not only quick, especially for a late 90’s wagon, but also practical – with features such as the available pull-out mat for protecting the rear bumper. Some might also appreciate the pillarless door look, which in today’s world is reserved only for premium models.
On the road, the reviewer found the Stagea RS Four to be surprisingly quiet and with a firm steering feel. But in terms of it being sporty, well, let’s just say that the Stagea is a very big car and leave it at that.
Also, some of the humor used is a little R-Rated, so keep that in mind when deciding where and when to watch this video.