2021 Subaru Legacy Review

Name: 2021 Subaru Legacy Review
Brand: Subaru

Price Range: $13,938 - $31,000

Subaru Legacy Limited Sedan Exterior Shown

The 2020 2021 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.

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Price & Payment

23 cars

$22,420 avg. price

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2021 Subaru Legacy Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Standard adaptive headlights turn in the direction you're steering
Seat belt reminder and rear-seat reminder added to all trims
Part of the seventh Legacy generation introduced for 2020

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.42 per gallon for regular unleaded in Illinois.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Illinois

$140/mo

$172/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Excellent

#12 out of 28 among Midsize Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Subaru Legacy from 2008-2022.}

$460/yr

vs. $415/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.79x/yr

vs. 0.87x/yr
for Average Midsize Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

11.5%

vs. 10.2%
for Average Midsize Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Subaru Legacy Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.2

42 reviews

5(64%)

4(17%)

3(4%)

2(6%)

1(9%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Reduced to 3 stars - this car is just too annoying

oldsnwbrdr, 04/14/2020

2020 Subaru Legacy Touring XT 4dr Sedan AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)

14,000 mile update. I still like the way the car drives. The interior is beautiful and the car is well put-together. It is reasonably quiet and a solid highway cruiser. AWD is great, MPG is excellent considering AWD and 260hp. I appreciate the updates to the infotainment system that fixed some bugs, brought the start/stop button to the first screen, and allowed portrait utilization … of Apple CarPlay. BUT, the car's secondary purpose (besides providing transportation) is to annoy me. - I HATE the cruise control switches. Why did Subaru find it necessary to change speed by 5mph increments each time you tap the button? No one asked for this! - Start/Stop is so annoying it must be switched off every time. When I want the car to turn off and stay off at a long light it doesn't. When I stop for one second it turns off. It's just not worth it. - Why does the car continue to recognize me (facial recognition) when I get into the car, but when I get out ask me if I want to create a new profile? - Still too many bugs, system is laggy. Like any other electronic product nowadays, you must learn how to reboot the system when it behaves strangely. - Active lane centering works best when hands are off wheel. When hands are on, it tends to tug to the right. ORIGINAL REVIEW LIKES: - Interior styling, especially the Touring XT and its brown nappa leather. The quality is better than the Lincoln MKZ I traded in, as well as some of the new luxury cars I test drove like the Cadillac CT5 and Genesis G70. It's stunning, really. - Eyesight features, especially adaptive cruise and lane centering. I give the system a B. You can set the aggressiveness to which the cruise control returns you to your programmed speed, which is a great feature. - Good stereo, the Limited and Touring versions have an upgraded Harmon Kardon system. Much better than my Lincoln's base stereo. - Turbo engine has very strong power. You want this engine for drivability and passing power. - Decent range and mileage. MPG will fall as your speed exceeds 70mph. Below that you'll easily get 30MPG; at 77mph I'm getting 27MPG and 450 miles on a tank. - Remote start (using the My Subaru app) lets me set the climate and seat heater settings when I start the car. - Great value proposition! - I think the CVT is fine. It does not call attention to itself at all. Unlike most car reviewers, I drive like a normal person, not a maniac, and I think the transmission and engine work together very smoothly. - Build quality. The doors have a very heavy, solid feeling, like a German car. The trunk lid does feel somewhat cheap though. DISLIKES: - The seats look comfortable. For me, the lumbar support is very lacking, even when fully extended. Long trips give me a sore lower back. I appreciate the extendable thigh support, but wish that the front of the seat tipped up a little more so I could feel the thigh support more strongly. - By default, the car lights up and makes noises like a video game. It's pointless and distracting. I have completely turned off all the indicator lights on the heads up display, which alert you to the fact that the system has locked on to a car in front of you [the system also beeps], or that the system has disengaged for some reason. There are other indicators on the dash that tell you the same thing, so the heads up indicators and beeps are redundant (and are switched off on my car). - Start/Stop. This is the first car I've had which had it, and I'm really trying to get used to it. Unfortunately, it is unrefined and results in an overly noticeable shudder when activating. Sometimes when I WANT the car to shut off because I know I'll be at a light awhile, it doesn't. And when I want it to shut off a long time, it restarts again after only about 20 seconds. I don't like pulling into my garage; the car shuts off when I stop, and when I shift to park, the car restarts again, only to have me shut it off immediately after. - Auto vehicle hold is nice, but like start/stop this must be activated every time you restart the car. I'd like to see the auto vehicle hold AND start/stop switches customizable so that they can be placed on the main screen. - Cruise control speed settings are silly. A tap up or down will increase or decrease your speed to the next 5mph increment. So if I'm driving 77 and want to slow down to 70, I tap down once to bring it to 75, and again to bring it down to 70. You must HOLD the switch down to increase or decrease in one mph increments. - I've changed so many settings I wish I knew that they were being backed up somewhere. If I have to restore to factory defaults, it will take me forever to figure out what I've already changed. This car and its center stack are for people comfortable with tinkering with their computers, ipads, etc. If you aren't willing to dive into the menus, you will have to learn to live with the cars little frustrations. - No automatic wipers, a surprising feature omission.

GREAT RIDE

Joe, from Pittsburgh , 02/04/2020

2020 Subaru Legacy Premium 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)

Researched and test drove accord and legacy for 3 months. Got the legacy, couldn't be happier. It has a great ride, plenty of power, unlike some of the reviews that tell you otherwise. Seats are great! When you get out of the accord you are so low to the ground, legacy is so much better.

Excellent car.. luxurious drive

SamK, 05/13/2021

2021 Subaru Legacy Limited 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT)

The car is outstanding in luxurious feel and smooth quiet drive, better than most luxury cars. Very spacious with plenty of cargo space in trunk. I find this car severely underrated. Minor issues with the car start-stop feature that you cannot permanently turn off.

2021 xt

Bill, 06/01/2021

2021 Subaru Legacy Limited XT 4dr Sedan AWD (2.4L 4cyl Turbo CVT)

Car has plenty of power. Plush ride, large trunk, plenty of room for 4 adults. You can squeeze 5 in but it will be tight in the rear seat. Heated seats dont get as hot or heat up as fast as the ones on the 2019 crosstrek i had. Some features you habe to scroll through a couple screens to find on the infotainment. Only fot about 25-27mpg on highway till i hit 5000-6000 miles, then …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Subaru Legacy, so we've included reviews for other years of the Legacy since its last redesign.

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2021 Legacy Highlights

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$22,895
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	30 MPG
Cost to Drive	$140/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	15.1 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	all wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Legacy models:

EyeSight System: Includes a variety of driver aids, such as lane departure intervention and emergency automatic braking for an imminent front collision.
Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive: Sends power to any of the four wheels with the most grip. Helps with acceleration when the roads are wet or snowy.
Blind-Spot Detection: Warns you if you're about to move into an occupied lane. It's paired with rear cross-traffic alert.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.1%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2021 Subaru Legacy Review

Price & Payment

2021 Subaru Legacy Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.42 per gallon for regular unleaded in Illinois.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Subaru Legacy Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Reduced to 3 stars - this car is just too annoying

GREAT RIDE

Excellent car.. luxurious drive

2021 xt

2021 Legacy Highlights

Safety

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2021 Subaru Legacy Review

Price & Payment

2021 Subaru Legacy Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.42 per gallon for regular unleaded in Illinois.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Subaru Legacy Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Reduced to 3 stars - this car is just too annoying

GREAT RIDE

Excellent car.. luxurious drive

2021 xt

2021 Legacy Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Subaru Legacy info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Subaru

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Subaru Legacy 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl CVT) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.42 per gallon for regular unleaded in Illinois.}