2021 Subaru Legacy

History/Overview

The Subaru Legacy has offered all-wheel drive to sedan buyers for more than two decades now. It originally did the same for wagon buyers, too, but the Outback became more popular and rather than have two, Subaru now offers the Legacy as only a sedan in the last two generations. This version of the car was new just last model year.

What’s New/Key Changes From Last Year

Only a year old, there were few changes for 2021. Most significant is the addition of LED adaptive headlights, but also appreciated is a reminder for the seat belts in the rear, and a heated wheel being added to Touring trim.

Available Trims

Subaru offers the Legacy in four trims, Convenience, Touring, Limited, and Premier. All come with all-wheel drive and a CVT, with the standard engine a 2.5L 182 hp flat-four. Limited and Premier can be had with the GT trim that adds a 2.4L turbocharged flat-four making 260 hp.

Standard Features

Legacy Convenience includes LED adaptive headlights and LEd mirror turn signals as well as automatic headlights. Subaru gives the cars a windshield wiper de-icer and variable intermittent wipers. Inside, dual 7.0-inch center screens are standard. The top screen is for infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the lower for the climate control system. A 10-way power driver seat is standard (manual adjust passenger) with cloth and heating for the seats. Subaru's EyeSight driver assistance suite includes pre-collision braking, adaptive cruise, lane centering and lane departure warning, and lane-keep assist plus auto high beams.

Touring adds LED fog lights and auto-dimming exterior mirrors along with 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the two screens are replaced with a single 11.6-inch tablet-style screen. There are two extra stereo speakers and Subaru Starlink connected services including collision notification, stolen vehicle assistance, remote stop-start, and other app-compatible features. The climate control adds dual-zone control and a humidity sensor, while there is also a proximity key with push-start and a heated steering wheel. All four windows get one-touch up/down.

Limited adds wireless phone charging and soft-touch instrument panel trim. The driver's seat gets cushion length adjustment and the passenger gains power adjust. The seats are also clad in leather, while the rears are now heated as well. 18-inch alloys replace the smaller ones on lesser models. The audio system is a12-speaker Harman Kardon system.

Premier adds chrome door handles and power folding mirrors outside. Inside, there is a CD player added, and the seats are premium Nappa leather. The front seats are ventilated. Added driver assistance features include driver distraction mitigation and a front-view camera.

GT models are equipped like their non-GT counterparts, but gain the turbo engine and GT badging along with twin exhaust tips.

Key Options

The only options on Legacy are colour and which trim you want.

Fuel Economy

Non-turbo Legacy is rated to get 8.9 L/100 km city, 6.7 highway, with turbocharged GT trim cars estimated to return 9.9/7.3

Competition

The most direct competitor for the Legacy is the also-AWD Nissan Altima. It also competes with the Honda Accord, AWD-optional Toyota Camry, and the Mazda 6.