To me there is something intrinsically appealing about a (relatively) fast car that is also almost completely nondescript. You can enjoy your fun without attracting unwanted attention!
One thing you forgot to mention...while many of its competitors now offer awd as an option, none of them offer it with their upgraded engines, only the standard.
And another thing you may not have known, and few people seem to: Correct that the CVT and engine are same with WRX. But what you need to do is switch it to Manual and launch it from a standing start. THIS cvt is very good and will switch through the "gears" quickly. I just bought one and had sadly traded in my STi. But I am not exaggerating when I say, when I launch it via manual, it will almost eat an STi for lunch to 60mph. I was amazed when I first did that. This truly is Subaru's current well-kept secret.
@@BlameGamerOfficialI'm South African also and in all honestly, it not worth buying cats that aren't assembled here. Imported cars just don't last under our conditions anymore.
It's a brilliant car but so many of us are guilty of going with an SUV over the sedan. The SUV or Crossover is more suitable to loading in pets and other items. I wonder if the Levorg Layback may eventually be what takes the Legacy's spot in the Subaru lineup.
I'd love to get that model in the US, the main argument against the outback it holds is that it is over $4k cheaper, it seems like the price jump is worth it to most.
The Outback being so good has definitely eaten into many sales the Legacy might have earned. Roads have also become increasingly bad so I guess a sedan isn't so great for such roads.
The Legacy occupies a unique niche in the marketplace - an American made sedan offering superb foul weather capability and turbo power that runs on regular gas. Toss in the fact that you can still get CD player and it's the perfect old school ride.
Do you happen to know which model years come with a CD player? I've been looking for a sedan that still has one, and would love to know. It looked like this 2024 doesn't have one, unless it just wasn't mentioned.
I believe it is standard on the top trim Legacy and Outback, including for 2024. The CD player is hidden in the center console. It can be added as a dealer-installed option on lower trims. @@benwarpup
the Legacy is a masterpiece of a car. it's an impressive balance between economy, comfort, safety, utility and practicality. it's a crime it's so under-appreciated (but the outback is probably stealing the legacy buyers away)
The fit and finish is where Subaru could definitely stress the premium brands. At least Subarus tend to hold up to a little abuse on the interior decently.
I clicked on your video since I’m looking at a Legacy as my next car and you’re in Bloomington, IN?! Awesome! Go Hoosiers! I think personally I’d go with the Touring XT. My wife owns the 2.5L Outback and it’s slow. Slowest car I’ve ever owned. I’m hoping this will itch for something responsible but also a little fun. I’m not expecting it to be a WRX, but I think it’ll be at least a solid option.
I compared a new Legacy to a new Outback. If the Legacy offered a 6 speed manual I would have been sold. The Outback seemed like a much better value and I can see why it's their best seller.
Idk if anyone will see this, but two points to address since I bought this car. Earlier this year (2024) Subaru put out a huge infotainment update which addressed some of the horrible lag. It is a very noticeable difference in speed and responsiveness. Still noticeably laggy though just much faster. The CVT lag has something to do with temperature of the CVT and the eye sight camera. Without S[i] settings, disable all of the Eyesight features and you have to drive the car a bit to warm up enough. You'll notice the lag essentially disappear once you've been on the highway a bit. Personally I'd still get the WRX for the fun factor, but I'm about to start a family so having a large sleeper is much more enticing :) Hope this helps some prospective buyers out there!
Literally just bought one yesterday. A 2024 that I traded my 21 Forester Sport on. This video was one of a scant few on the Legacy and even fewer on the Sport that helped me make the decision. It's a lovely car and feels much more well built than the Forester did, and obviously it's considerably faster. One odd thing I noticed on mine, then confirmed on the one you had here... I think they only made one wheel for it, not a specific left and right version. So the driver's side is all laid back and the passenger side is aggressively angled forward. It would be nice if they were all one way or the other or symmetrical so side didn't matter. I'm thinking about writing Subaru about this.
It would be more popular if a wagon version was offered. A manual version would be welcome as well. The car feels like an afterthought compared to its competitors.
Thanks for review, I was debating between this and Honda Accord. My practical side left the building and drove a WRX and went that with a six speed manual😁
Great review, i own a 2018 limited legacy and i love almost every feature this car has included heated rear seats and vents (that my 2021 limited crosstrek doesn't have), but my only beef with this car is the CVT maintenance. For a supposedly "lifetime" fluid that has to be replaced every 30,000 miles from 50-60k miles is not exactly reassuring. I didn't realize this was totally different from a automatic transmission like my GLX passat where i had to top off the fluid to make up for evaporation losses and that was nothing (2 litres after 150000 miles). I do hope Subaru offers the legacy as a hybrid with Toyota's E-CVT transmission at some point in the future or as a full EV
subaru used to have bulletproof reliability easy to work on etc- my 04 outback was my favorite vehicle-- the cvt the ipad interface turn me off- the kia k5 has awd better warranty etc wish they made that in a wagon
Thanks for the review...too bad it seems like it's not too fun, most likely because you recently drove a WRX haha! I was hoping for the drag race and thrash competition with the WRX GT!!!
If Subaru offered the Legacy in a manual transmission it would probably outsell the WRX because it's looks way better without all the excessive plastic cladding on the WRX. I like the understated simplicity and versatility of the AWD Legend and to me ot looks way nicer than the WRX. The Legacy is a very underrated sedan and with Subaru's class leading symetrical AWD this car is a bargain!
Have you owned a car with it? It's nice to never have to take a key out of your pocket or worry about you or your passengers possibly locking the key inside the car🥴
@@Realistick yep! I have a 2017 Outback Limited and while I love my car so much, I will say that its only flaw is the push button start. It takes 9 hours to jumpstart the car if the battery dies, and there are many times when the car would not detect the key fob even though it has brand new batteries in it. The car also auto unlocks all the doors everytime someone opens and closes just one rear door, and unfortunately, I cannot disable this feature. Furthermore, if you get in the car and lock the doors right away, it will also automatically unlock all the doors as well for no reason at all. This is not only exclusive to my Outback, as my mom's Kia Sorento SX Limited and my Dad's Kia Telluride does the same things
@@blackedout5.0fan39 I see, sounds annoying. My old Mitsubishi and my Toyota have never had any issues, even when the mitsu needed a new car battery or fob battery. It auto unlocks if you lock it while the key is in it to prevent it from locking your keys inside! I’ll have to mess around more with the different brands to see if there are any quirks with them still.
Isn't a hit because the buying public doesn't want sedans. It isn't flashy. The OEM tires are rubbish. But there isn't another true AWD sedan that can run with it or provide a more satisfying driver experience, once you throw the OEM tires away and put serious rubber on it. All day comfortable, quiet, nimble, and gets reasonable fuel mileage. Mine is at 42k and doesn't use a single of oil in between changes. The CVT makes it launch softly, and doesn't have a short 1st "gear", but 20 and up it'll run with many far more expensive cars.
Sounds like you need to drive other cars in the same class and compare power, amenities, ride and handling before spewing an opinion. I have owned many vehicles in my life time and before buying the Legacy Sport, I test drove Honda, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Dodge in the same or close to same class of vehicle and none compared to the Legacy. Not in power, ride quality, handling or features you get for the price you pay for the Legacy, compared to the other fore mentioned brands. The Legacy is by far the best bang for the buck vehicle in its class, even though its fuel economy is lacking. I have average about 30 MPG combined, with about 60% of the mileage on the highway in the month or so I have owned the car. There are a lot of hills where I live and stop and go, so puling about 30 MPG combined is pretty impressive, especially seeing it is only rated at about 26 MPG. You can't keep comparing the Legacy Sport to a WRX, as they are built for two totally different purposes. I test drove a 2024 WRX Limited and the killer for daily driving, at least around here was the overly stiff suspension. The suspension is fine for what it is and it's designed purpose, but not for daily driving especially on bumpy roads. The Dodge Hornet RT was the next best vehicle I drove, it had more get up and go than the Legacy but the styling and interior killed for me, plus the additional $10k sticker price. There aren't too many peppy, AWD, compact sedan options out there and the Legacy Sport in my opinion devours the competitors offerings in this class. Unless you want to spend substantially more and step up into the premium category.
I had a 2024 Legacy Limited as a loaner from the dealer. Hit a pothole on the highway and got a flat. I feel like had I hit it with my Outback it would have been no big deal.
I think I've beat the current mazda3 into the ground with videos! If you're personally deciding between the two, I'd go Legacy if you need to regularly use your backseat or your first priority is comfort. Otherwise, Mazda3 turbo!
That CVT and the ridiculous infotainment system were the deal breakers for me. The CVT really wastes the effort of the turbo, especially from a full stop. The infotainment system includes too many of the climate controls which should be physical buttons.
I like the Legacy, but when it comes down to it, the Outback is a much better choice. The Outback has more room, is more comfortable and has 8.7” of ground clearance. Hopefully by the time our current Outback wears out, then it’ll be offered with a hybrid system and one can choose some other interior colors than gloomy, drab, boring, outdated, grey or black interior colors that have been shoved down everyone’s throats for 34 years. 🖕🏽🤮. We had to look hard to find our Outback with Ivory interior.
Fair points, though the Legacy is still a highly comfortable car, it handles a little better and costs over $4k less than the Outback. It's not as popular as the outback for good reason but it's one helluva value imo!
Would sell better if they didn't relegate having a wagon to needing to buy a lifted version. It's still too soft too, a base model accord handles better. I'd be more willing to accept the dynamic shortcomings, if it was a wagon.
Do you think a really fat guy and his fat wife could fit comfortably in the Legacy Sport without our sweaty arms touching each other? Asking or a friend…
The design of this car is absolutely awful. Big gaping front grille combined with a boring side profile and equally boring rear. It’s the ugliest in the segment by far and also has the worst infotainment.