| MSRP | $24,519 |
|---|---|
| Edmunds suggests you pay Based on nearby sales up through June 7th | $21,417 |
The midsize sedan segment is one of the most competitive in the marketplace, and it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. It's also a segment where buyers tend to have fierce loyalties, often staying with a make and model for over a decade. The Subaru Legacy has long enjoyed a loyal, if not a little cult-ish, following, but sales have trailed behind heavy hitters such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. For 2020, Subaru has redesigned the Legacy in the hopes of closing that gap.
It's a tall order, but the Legacy offers new levels of refinement, an impressive list of standard safety features, and, as always, standard all-wheel drive for extra traction in wet conditions. An all-new interior, including an optional 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, will surely sweeten the deal. Providing motivation is one of two four-cylinder engines. While the base engine lacks a little excitement, the new turbocharged 2.4-liter engine — which replaces the previous six-cylinder — is the clear driver's choice. It provides strong acceleration and higher fuel economy than the old six-cylinder.
How does it all stack up? Well, the class leader remains the impressively upscale Honda Accord. We're also fond of the stylish Hyundai Sonata and, if you want all-wheel drive, the newly revamped Nissan Altima. But any preconceived notions of the Legacy should be put aside. With the combination of standard all-wheel drive, a long list of safety features, and a redesigned interior, the 2020 Subaru Legacy is one of the more intriguing choices for a new midsize sedan.
Our verdict | |
The 2020 Subaru Legacy is a thoughtfully executed, comfortable and thoroughly competent midsize sedan. It's terrifically utilitarian, with plenty of room inside, good storage space, a large trunk and standard all-wheel drive. However, the non-turbocharged Legacy variants lack a distinctive personality and fail to get the blood pumping. | |
How does the Legacy drive? | |
The well-tuned transmission (a CVT) feels responsive, but flooring the pedal reveals there's not a ton of power on tap. With a 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds, the Legacy is slightly slower than similarly powered rivals, especially those with turbocharged base engines (such as the Volkswagen Passat). The Legacy shows an aptitude for handling performance, gripping the road a bit better than other midsize sedans, even though body roll feels a bit excessive in tight turns. The steering is nicely weighted, and the Subaru responds naturally to the driver's inputs. There's noticeable nosedive during braking, so slowing smoothly can be challenging. Smoothness isn't a hallmark of the auto stop-start system either, and the car bucks on restart with the force of a low-speed rear collision. | |
How comfortable is the Legacy? | |
Comfort takes a central role in the Legacy's story, as you'd expect of a midsize sedan. Our Sport tester offered simple but effective front-seat adjustments. Cushioning is supportive without feeling stiff, and the bolsters keep you in place in turns. Even the back seats are sculpted for passenger comfort and feel much better than a flat bench. The ride is cushy without feeling floaty, but wind and road noise is more pronounced than in rivals. Engine noise is more subdued than in many other cars equipped with a continuously variable automatic transmission. The dual-zone climate system works well, but there is a bit of a learning curve to decipher some settings. The three-stage seat heaters work well and transition from mildly warm to overcooked. | |
How’s the interior? | |
The Legacy's cabin is warm and inviting, with plenty of room throughout for tall adults. The rear is surprisingly spacious, with ample toe room under the front seats and an abundance of headroom. Adjustments are basic, but it's easy to find a comfortable driving position. Getting into and out of the Legacy is a cinch, and the large windows afford excellent outward visibility. The only misstep is the overreliance on the central touchscreen. There are few physical controls, and most functions are hidden in touchscreen menus. The lack of a dedicated engine stop-start disable button is particularly egregious considering how intrusive the system is. The infotainment system is also slow to respond to user inputs. On the bright side, most menus are easy to navigate. | |
How’s the tech? | |
There's no doubt the Legacy is loaded with tech, but the hits come as often as the misses. The navigation interface is attractive, but searching for points of interest is effectively useless. There are plenty of USB ports (four on all but the base Legacy), and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration is standard. In our testing, the voice control system was largely ineffectual and Apple CarPlay, as well as the entire infotainment system, suffered from frequent crashes. We like that the EyeSight suite of driving aids is standard, but some features are unintuitive. Forward collision warning is overly sensitive and will pump the brakes and sound alerts as you come gradually to a stop. Adaptive cruise is too quick to react to changing traffic situations. | |
How’s the storage? | |
At 15.1 cubic feet, the Legacy's trunk isn't huge by class standards, trailing the average by about 0.5 cube. That said, the cargo area is deep and tall, making it perfect for storing bulky items. Contributing to its practicality are rear seats that fold down either by pulling a trunk-mounted lever or pushing a button on the seat itself. The only flaw is the middle seat belt, which remains attached to the rear shelf, so it's in the way even with the seat folded flat. The cabin offers many places to store small items, including a two-tier underarm console, decently sized door pockets, a small bin in front of the shifter, and a shelf in front of the passenger. Car seat anchors are easy to access behind small Velcro flaps. | |
How economical is the Legacy? | |
The Legacy is rated at 30 mpg combined (27 city/35 highway), and we had no issue hitting 30 mpg on our 117-mile evaluation loop. The Legacy is slightly thirstier than most front-wheel-drive rivals, but it's nearly identical to the AWD Nissan Altima. It's also considerably more efficient than turbocharged (but faster) competitors such as the Buick Regal Sportback and Volkswagen Arteon. | |
Is the Legacy a good value? | |
The Subaru Legacy is slightly more expensive than comparably equipped rivals, but the gap can largely be explained by its all-wheel-drive powertrain. The same goes for its estimated fuel economy. The Legacy is a bit thirstier than front-wheel-drive competitors, but it's roughly neck and neck with the AWD Nissan Altima. The interior design is clean, and the materials mix is definitely above average. Bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage and roadside assistance are average for the class, though some other midsize sedans offer more generous coverage and free scheduled maintenance. | |
Wildcard | |
While most midsize sedans have finally adopted more expressive designs over the last few years, the Legacy still looks relatively anonymous inside and out. The Legacy handles a bit better than rivals, somewhat bolstered by its AWD powertrain. But the uninspiring engine never really makes you look forward to driving it. Those looking for a more exciting experience should consider the turbocharged XT or, better yet, a Kia Stinger. | |
The 2020 Subaru Legacy comes in six trim levels: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT and Touring XT. Each trim level offers a mix of appearance and luxury upgrades with the XT trims adding, among other things, a more powerful engine. Option packages are minimal and straightforward, and they provide similar features on each trim level.
2020 Subaru Legacy
2020 Nissan Altima
Like the Legacy, the Altima is the beneficiary of a recent redesign, which has helped the Nissan achieve new levels of comfort and refinement. Also like the Legacy, the Altima can be had with all-wheel drive, which is somewhat of a rarity in this class. The Altima also offers an impressive number of driver aids as well as an optional turbocharged engine. You can't get all-wheel drive with the turbo Altima, however.
The Honda Accord has long been the standard of this segment, and the newest iteration has simply pushed the bar even higher. The Accord offers excellent rear legroom, lots of cargo space, and impressive levels of refinement. But if you frequently drive on wet or snowy roads, you'll prefer the Legacy because of its standard all-wheel drive.
The Camry, another stalwart of the midsize sedan segment, has a loyal following thanks to decades of value for money and reliability. But recent years have seen the Camry eclipsed by rivals offering similar value but more cutting-edge technology. The Legacy is now poised to do the same with its advanced driver aids, quiet interior and standard all-wheel drive.
The redesigned 2020 Subaru Legacy is a midsize sedan with standard all-wheel drive and a long list of safety features. Subaru is hoping the Legacy's new architecture, revised transmission, and new optional 260-horsepower 2.4-liter engine will put the Legacy front and center in a very competitive class.
Subaru has been able to capitalize on the growing popularity of crossovers and SUVs thanks to its Forester and Ascent models. Traditionally, the Legacy sedan hasn't quite had the same success. This new Legacy combines some traditional Subaru hallmarks — such as a horizontally opposed engine and all-wheel drive — with improvements in refinement and value that should make it appealing to a wider audience than before.
You'll want to cross-shop the Legacy with stalwarts such as the Honda Accord, Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry. The Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Optima have quickly made a name for themselves as well because of their excellent value and warranties. The Legacy's standard all-wheel drive should help it stand out since the Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima are the only others to offer it as an option.
In a word, or two words, really well. There's a solidity and sophistication to this new Legacy that was absent from its predecessor. Credit goes to Subaru's Global Platform that provides the underpinnings for this sedan. A lot of that solidity can be traced to the extensive use of high-strength steel and adhesive bonding that makes this new Legacy 70% stiffer than the old one.
With the exception of the base trim level, every Legacy is packing a new 11.6-inch tablet-style infotainment screen. It's a bold piece of electronic hardware that streamlines the interior design. Much of the Legacy's interior layout will be familiar to current Subaru owners but should also appeal to buyers who might not have been fond of Subaru's somewhat quirky interiors of yesterday.
The use of high strength steel has its benefits when it comes to ride, agility and safety, of course. But it also benefits trunk space. By using stronger steel, Subaru was able to make the rear bulkhead thinner, and in return make the trunk just a touch bigger than last year's model. With up to 15.1 cubic feet of capacity, the Legacy's trunk can hold four roller suitcases. Loading those suitcases is easy thanks to a generous trunk opening.
The 2020 Subaru Legacy will be available in six trim levels: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT and Touring XT, with the XT designating the 260-horsepower 2.4-liter turbo engine. Subaru's EyeSight suite of driver aids is standard on all trim levels and includes adaptive cruise control with lane centering, even at low speeds.
Edmunds saysWith the combination of standard all-wheel drive, a long list of safety features, and an impressive new interior, the 2020 Subaru Legacy looks to be off to a good start. We're curious to see how Subaru's redesigned Legacy stacks up against the best in the midsize sedan class once we get it in for our full evaluation.
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2020 Subaru Legacy:
The least-expensive 2020 Subaru Legacy is the 2020 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $22,745.
Other versions include:
