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Buy this Ford vs Ferrari GT40 Movie Car2020 Subaru Legacy: All New and Safer Than Ever
2020 Subaru Legacy Review: totally redesigned for 2020 with exceptional safety ratings and driver-assist features. Read what our experts think here.
What’s New for the 2020 Subaru Legacy?
The Subaru Legacy is completely redesigned for 2020 and begins the mid-size sedan’s seventh generation. It gets an all-new interior including an optional 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system as well as many more new tech features. The Legacy also offers the option of a new 2.4-liter turbocharged engine which replaces the previous six-cylinder.
Wanting a newer model? See our review of the 2021 Subaru Legacy.
2020 Subaru Legacy – media.subaru.com | Shop 2020 SUBARU LEGACY on Carsforsale.com
The Breakdown
Standard active driver-assist and safety features
Standard all-wheel drive
Spacious interior
Base engine lacks punch
Too many basic functions integrated into touchscreen
Some functions on the vertical touchscreen can be hard to see
The lower trims deserve a more exciting engine
2020 Subaru Specs
- 182 horsepower from base engine
- 176 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 6 available trims
- 15.1 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- Back-up camera
- Cruise control steering-assist
- Lane keeping assist and lane departure warning
- Three year/36,000-mile limited warranty
2020 Subaru Legacy Powertrain
The base engine of the 2020 Subaru Legacy is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. Limited XT and Touring XT models come with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque. All engines are paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission and have all-wheel drive. The turbo engine makes a huge difference only requiring 6.1 seconds to reach 60 mph versus 8.0 seconds for the base engine, but it’s still slightly slower than most rivals.
The redesigned Legacy provides a comfortable ride and handles better than the previous generation. There is a bit of a nosedive during braking which makes slow, smooth stops a little challenging.
If you’re interested in other AWD options, see our list of the top 10 AWD sedans.
Still on the fence about AWD? We lay it all out for you in our article, 4WD vs AWD: What You Need to Know.
2020 Subaru Legacy Fuel Economy & MPG
With its base engine, the Legacy gets an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway, while the turbocharged models drop to 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. This is about average for a mid-size sedan, and given that the Legacy comes in all-wheel drive, a decrease in fuel economy is to be expected compared to its front-wheel drive rivals.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
The Legacy has a comfortable and spacious cabin that can seat 5 average-size adults with no issue. Cloth upholstery is standard on the lower trims, but the upper trims have leather with an upgraded, softer Nappa leather on the Touring XT. The front seats are supportive with bolsters in just the right spots and the back seat has nice sculpting which elevates it from the average flat bench seat. Though far from being cutting edge or luxurious, the Legacy’s interior styling is practical and functions well. The rear seat is very spacious with plenty of toe room under the front seats and ample headroom. Road and wind noise are more noticeable than its rivals, but entry and exit come with ease due to its wide door cut outs.
The Legacy’s trunk isn’t the largest in its class, but at 15.1 cubic feet, it can handle about 4 full-size suitcases. The rear seat folds down for even more cargo space, but unfortunately the middle seat belt stays in place creating an awkward obstruction for larger items.
Entertainment & Technology
The Legacy base trim comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen that uses Subaru’s Starlink infotainment system. The Premium and above trims have an 11.6-inch vertically oriented touchscreen display situated in the middle of the dashboard. Most features are operated through the touchscreen menu but there are a few physical knobs for temperature control, volume, and tuning. The controls for heated and cooled seats are routed through the touchscreen which may be difficult to find for some, especially while driving. The touchscreen operates fairly well but does have a lag when using some functions. The display for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is still presented horizontally and doesn’t use the entire screen. With other functions displayed below, the smaller screen within the larger screen can be a little hard to see.
There are four USB ports on all but the Base trim, which has two. A four-speaker stereo is standard while the Premium and Sport models come with a six-speaker system, and the Limited and above trims get a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system.
Safety Features
The Legacy gets top marks in the safety category. The IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick+ giving it the highest rating of “Good” in all six crash tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the Legacy an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the side crash, frontal crash, and rollover tests.
All models come with Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control with lane-centering capability, automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning, sway warning, and a rearview camera. Other available driver assistance features include blind spot monitoring, reverse automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist, Front View Monitor (a 180-degree front-vision camera), and driver attention monitor.
See how Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver assistance features stacks up against Honda’s in Car Tech: Honda Sensing vs. Subaru Eyesight.
2020 Subaru Legacy Trims & Pricing
Base – $22,745
The Legacy Base trim comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen, a four-speaker audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, two USB ports, and satellite and HD radio. Also included are 17-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, a rearview camera and Subaru’s EyeSight, a suite of safety features that includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and lane departure warning.
Premium – $24,995
The Premium trim gets an 11.6-inch touchscreen and a six-speaker audio system, a Wi-Fi hotspot, two rear USB ports, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power driver’s seat, heated front seats, alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, and heated mirrors. There are also options to add keyless entry and ignition, a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, a navigation system, and a sunroof.
Sport – $26,945
The Sport is similar to the Premium trim but adds some upgraded sporty styling features like 18-inch black-painted alloy wheels, black and silver accents, and two-tone upholstery with red stitching. Also included are keyless entry and ignition and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
Limited – $29,745
Next in line is the Limited which keeps all of the Sport’s added convenience features but excludes its unique styling. Additional standard features include leather upholstery, driver’s seat memory settings and thigh adjustment, a power passenger seat, heated rear seats, rear air vents, a blind-spot monitor with automatic emergency rear braking, LED headlights, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Optional features include a sunroof, navigation, a driver-attention monitoring system and a heated steering wheel.
Limited XT – $34,195
The Limited XT includes all of the above features and adds a more powerful engine and navigation.
Touring XT – $35,895
The Touring XT tops out the line with Nappa leather seats, ventilated front seats, chrome trim, a forward-facing camera with a 180-degree field of view, and a rear-seat storage box.
Warranties
Subaru offers a limited three year/36,000-mile warranty and a powertrain warranty that covers five years/60,000 miles. This is comparable to most of its mid-size sedan rivals with the exception of the Hyundai Sonata, which comes with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty—see our full comparison: 2022 Subaru Legacy vs Hyundai Sonata.
What we think
2020 Subaru Legacy – media.subaru.com | Shop 2020 SUBARU LEGACY on Carsforsale.com
The redesigned 2020 Subaru Legacy has much to offer for those wanting a spacious and practical mid-size sedan. With a plethora of standard safety and driver-assist features and standard all-wheel drive, we consider it to be a top contender in its class. The turbocharged 2.4-liter engine on the Limited XT and Touring XT models seems to be the best option to get the most engine bang for your buck.
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