LOOKS

Subaru vehicles have always had unique exterior designs compared to rivals, and that's true to the end for the Legacy. Its bold front grille and lighting designs stand out vs. more generic sedans.

My test vehicle featured 18-inch alloy wheels (base model starts with 17-inch wheels), LED fog lights, satin chrome auto-folding heated power mirrors with turn signals, power moonroof, and LED steering responsive headlights with High Beam Assist.

Moving inside, the Legacy offered a nicer interior than many may anticipate for a non-luxury ride. It featured quality leather-trimmed upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats (outboard positions), heated steering wheel and other upscale features.

Seating is extremely comfortable for all 5 passengers, and there’s plenty of legroom and headroom in both rows. A dual-zone climate system is included as well.

The Legacy offers a respectable amount of 15.1 cubic feet of space in the trunk, and the rear seats fold down to increase cargo space. There’s also plenty of small storage space in the Legacy.

HOW’S THE RIDE?

Two engines are offered on the 2025 Subaru Legacy. I tested the more powerful offering, a turbocharged, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder option producing 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque.

Lower trim levels get a non-turbo, 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with output of 182 horses and 176 pound-feet. As you can see, these are pretty significant differences in horsepower, so the two engines will offer very different experiences.

Base, Premium and Limited trims get the weaker engine, and the Sport and Touring XT trims get the turbo option. Regardless of which engine you have, all Legacy models offer all-wheel-drive, and feature an automatic (CVT) transmission.

I highly recommend the turbo engine as the much better option, but also recognize that the increased price it brings may be too much for many budgets.

The turbo engine will push you from 0-to-60 in just under 6 seconds, with the base engine taking at least 2 seconds longer.

Those who opt for the base engine will find the vehicle sluggish at times, but the turbo offering takes care of that issue and then some — competing well against most of its sedan rivals. Overall handling and responsiveness to driver input are strong on both straight and curvy roads, and the ride is generally smooth and quiet. 

The standard AWD will also make the Legacy a strong choice for drivers in areas with regular inclement and wet weather, where extra traction is needed. 

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY

The 2025 Subaru Legacy’s tech setup is based around a vertical, 11.6-inch center touchscreen that is well-organized but features a pretty basic design. It’s not the most intuitive setup, but drivers will get used to it somewhat quickly. (Note: Base models of the Legacy get a pair of 7-inch displays)

Voice commands work effectively in the Legacy for radio, phone and navigation, and there are some physical buttons on the side of the screen for climate and other features.

The Legacy I tested featured a solid stereo setup, with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system that boldly resonates throughout the cabin. Lower trims get four or six speaker systems.

Smartphones can be connected to the vehicle for streaming calls and audio (and phone mirroring via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), and four USB ports are in the Legacy. Both HD radio and a trial of satellite radio are included.

Looking at safety features, Subaru lives up to its reputation as an industry leader in safety.

At the center of the safety offerings is Subaru’s EyeSight system, which offers a variety of helpful features, including:
— Forward collision mitigation (warns of collision and applies the brakes)
— Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain constant distance to the car ahead)
— Lane departure warning and lane centering (alerts if vehicle is drifting from its lane, and will steer back into the lane)
— Head-up display (projects key information onto windshield)

These systems all work as intended and are not overly intrusive. It’s no surprise that the Legacy scored five-star safety ratings in NHTSA testing.

Other safety features include:
— Driver Focus (Distraction Mitigation System) 
— Reverse Automatic Braking System
— Airbags throughout the vehicle, including side-curtain airbags
— Whiplash protection in the front seats 
— Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert 
— Rear Vision Camera
— Rear Seat Reminder

The top trim level adds in a front-view camera to help with parking, and an upgraded wide-angle camera system (which better recognizes pedestrians, cyclists and cross-traffic)

MPG

Official fuel mileage numbers on the 2025 Legacy with the turbo engine are 23 city/31 highway/26 combined. With the base engine, those numbers jump up to 27 city/35 highway/30 combined.

In my real-world testing with the turbo engine, I averaged about 20 mpg, several miles per gallon below the estimated numbers.

Overall, the Legacy falls a bit short of key rivals in the fuel mileage battle, but the difference isn’t extreme enough to be the deciding factor for most buyers. 

PRICE

The 2025 Subaru Legacy that I tested was priced at the high end of the scale, coming in at $39,481. On the low end, base price starts about $26K. This range from $26K to $40K is fairly even with most rival sedans in the non-luxury realm. — including the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Kia K5, Hyundai Sonata, and Nissan Altima.

Trim levels on the 2025 Legacy include: Base, Premium, Limited, Sport and Touring XT.

Subaru’s warranties fall short of segment leaders (Hyundai and Kia), and include:
— 3 years / 36,000 miles overall warranty
— 5 years / 60,000 miles powertrain warranty 
— 3 years / 36,000 miles of 24/7 Roadside Assistance


BOTTOM LINE

If you're a prospective car buyer looking for an affordable, roomy, all-wheel drive sedan, 2025 is the last year that the Subaru Legacy will be an option, so now would be the time to act.

The Legacy delivers a quality driving experience, especially with the turbo engine, and will get you where you need to go safely and in style.

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