If I say "Subaru", you'll probably say "Forester" or "Outback". Fine cars, but there's another fine car that you probably didn't say the name of.
It's "Legacy". Subaru's family sedan, a direct competitor to the Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, the Nissan Altima, the Mazda 6, the Ford Fusion, the Chevy Malibu, the Hyundai Sonata, the Kia Optima, and the Volkswagen Passat. In fact, if I asked you to name family sedans, odds are very good you'd say one or more of those names before "Legacy" sprang from your lips. And that's a shame.
The 2020 Subaru Legacy is as strong a choice as any of the above if you're in the market for a traditional family sedan, and it brings with it some unique Subaru attributes, including full-time all-wheel drive and Subaru's reputation for fuel economy and environmental concern.
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Under the hood is Subaru's legendary 2.5-liter, four-cylinder Boxer engine. Mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission, it makes 182 horsepower. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's more than adequate for a family sedan. The EPA fuel economy estimate is 27 miles per gallon city/35 highway. And with an 18.5-gallon fuel tank, that works out to 647.5 miles of highway driving from a tank of gasoline. Sacramento to San Diego with four gallons left.
I drove the top-of-the-line 2020 Subaru Legacy Limited for a week and never wished I was in a competing family sedan. The base price of the Limited is $29.745 and the following comes standard:
- EyeSight driver assist with EyeSight assist monitor
- 12-volt power outlet in glove box
- Two USB ports in front console
- Two USB ports in rear console
- 60/40 split fold-down rear seat with armrest
- Active torque vectoring
- Adaptive cruise control with lane centering
- Auto stop/start ignition
- Auto vehicle hold
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Positive temperature coefficient heater for fast cabin heating
- Electronic parking brake
- LED headlights
- Steering-responsive headlights
- LED foglamps
- High beam assist
- Power doors, mirrors, windows and fuel door lock
- Rear vision camera
- Remote keyless entry
- Pushbutton start
- Sound insulation windshield
- Steering wheel with audio, Bluetooth and cruise control switches
- Tire pressure monitoring
- Subaru STARLINK 11.6-inch multimedia display
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Travel Link
- HD Radio
- Ten-way power memory driver's seat with cushion extender and lumbar support
- Eight-way power passenger's seat
- 12-volt power outlet in rear console
- All-Weather package (heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors, windshield wiper de-icer)
- Auto-dimming interior rearview mirror with HomeLink
- Blind-spot detection with lane-change assist and rear cross-traffic alert
- Dark tint privacy glass
- Exterior power mirrors in matching body color with integrated turn signals and two-position memory (passenger side auto-tilt for reverse)
- Heated rear seats (outboard positions)
- Perforated leather-trimmed upholstery
- Leather-wrapped shift handle
- Leahter-wrapped steering wheel
- Rear center console A/C outlets
- Reverse automatic braking
Again, that's all standard for $29,745.
Our tester also had a few extra-cost options, bundled into one package:
- DriverFocus distraction mitigation system, heated steering wheel, Subaru STARLINK navigation and power moonroof: $2,045
So, with $900 destination and delivery charge, the bottom line on the window sticker read $32,690. A full-featured, all-wheel drive family sedan with great fuel economy and killer highway range for about five grand less than the average price of a new car.
Subaru Legacy. Say that over and over. It's a name worth remembering.