2025 Subaru Legacy Review, Pricing, and Specs (2024)

Overview

The 2025 Subaru Legacy sedan has close familial ties with the popular Outback station wagon, but you'd never know it. Over time, the two have diverged in their styling and purpose—but underneath they still share a lot. The four-door Legacy is powered by the same horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines—a 182-hp four-cylinder and a 260-hp turbo-four—and it comes with the same continuously variable automatic transmission and standard all-wheel-drive system. The differences between the Legacy and Outback are down to body style, ground clearance, and image. While the Outback wagon dresses in outdoorsy clothes—a raised ride height, plenty of SUV-ish black body cladding, and prominent roof rails—the Legacy's appearance is far more mainstream. Infotainment and driver-assistance features are plentiful, and the Legacy delivers a smooth ride and stable handling. What's missing is the quiet athleticism that Honda Accord buyers enjoy; nor is the Subie's fuel economy a match for that of rivals such as the new-for-2025 Toyota Camry and the refreshed Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.

What's New for 2025?

Very little has changed on the Legacy for 2025. The Limited trim now comes with a sunroof, a heated steering wheel, and a driver-attention monitoring system as standard. Otherwise, the car remains the same as it was in 2024. Sadly, Subaru has also announced that the 2025 model year will be the Legacy's last.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

The midrange Sport offers a good balance between price and features. Not only does it come with the more powerful 260-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, but it also adds a bunch of desirable equipment. The Sport comes standard with 18-inch wheels, a power sunroof, LED fog lamps, a rear spoiler, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry with push-button start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, rear automated emergency braking, and cloth upholstery with red contrast stitching.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

A 2.5-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine is standard and makes 182 horsepower. Sport and Touring XT models come with a 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder. All Legacy models have all-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Regardless of which engine is under the hood, the Legacy offers a compliant ride and a steady cornering attitude. What's missing is excitement, though, and rivals such as the Honda Accord and Kia K5 offer much more entertainment for their drivers than the Subie does.

0–60-MPH Times

We've tested both engines now, and what a difference a turbo makes. The Touring XT managed to hit 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds while the non-turbo Sport required a lackluster 8.0 seconds. When we tested the Sport with the optional turbo engine, it outperformed the Touring XT with a zero-to-60-mph time of 5.7 seconds.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The non-turbo cars achieve higher fuel-economy estimates from the EPA—27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined—but the turbocharged models aren't far behind at 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. In our real-world 75-mph highway fuel-economy tests, the nonhybrid powertrain delivered 34 mpg, 1 mpg short of the Accord 2.0T's result. With the turbo engine, the Legacy delivered 31 mpg in the same test. That said, the Subaru and Honda pale in comparison with the 2.5-liter-equipped Camry SE, which delivered an impressive 45 mpg. For more information about the Legacy's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

Though the measurements may not show it, the Legacy's cabin feels much bigger than the last generation's, particularly in the back. While Legacy's interior design is still on the dowdy side, the cabin offers well-chosen materials throughout. Cloth upholstery is standard, but the high-end Limited and Touring models have leather. The front seats are well-sculpted and comfortable, and the upper trims feature a manual thigh extension for the driver's seat, a boon to long-legged buyers. The trunk is generously sized and held eight carry-on suitcases in our testing, one more than the Accord.

Infotainment and Connectivity

Base models use a version of Subaru's Starlink infotainment system that features dual 7.0-inch displays. The one-rung-up Premium model has the company's latest 11.6-inch vertically oriented infotainment display that looks as if it had been borrowed from a Volvo. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration come standard. And while in-dash navigation is only standard on the Limited and Touring XT models, it's optional on all but the base Legacy. A four-speaker stereo is standard, the Premium trim comes with a six-speaker setup, and anything above that gets a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

The Legacy is a great choice when it comes to safety. All Legacy models come with Subaru's EyeSight suite of driver-assistance features. For more information about the Legacy's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Standard automated emergency braking
• Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
• Standard adaptive cruise control with lane-centering

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Subaru's standard warranty package is basic but matches what most rivals in this class offer. The Hyundai Sonata and the Kia K5 both provide longer warranty terms, and the Camry comes with two years of complimentary scheduled maintenance.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
• No complimentary scheduled maintenance

More Features and Specs