2023 Subaru Legacy Performance

With the base 182-hp 2.5-liter engine, the Subaru Legacy's 0-60 sprint takes around 8-8.5 seconds, so it's just adequate in town but lacks power in some scenarios, especially at highway speeds. The 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter engine cuts that 0-60 time down dramatically to just over six seconds and provides plenty of shove and strong low-end torque. All trims are fitted with all-season tires, which limit top speed to 130 mph. The Legacy also does well on slippery surfaces thanks to its standard AWD system, but with a ground clearance of less than six inches, it cannot venture off-road like the Forester and Outback can. It appears as if the Legacy is not eligible for trailering duty at all, as Subaru does not provide a tow-capacity figure.

The only available engine in the Subaru Legacy Base, Premium, and Limited trims is a naturally aspirated 2.5L boxer four-cylinder with 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. The Sport and Touring XT trims are fitted with a turbocharged 2.4L boxer four-cylinder with 260 hp and 277 lb-ft and it's our recommended engine thanks to its strong power delivery. No manual transmission is available; all Legacys have a CVT automatic and standard all-wheel drive with torque vectoring. The CVT does its job, but isn't our favorite transmission option.

Considering it has standard AWD, the Subaru Legacy's gas mileage is competitive, with the base 2.5L trims returning EPA estimates of 27/35/30 mpg on the city/highway/combined cycles, while the 2.4L turbo models' corresponding figures are 23/31/26 mpg. These results place the 2.5L Subaru Legacy's mpg figure on the combined cycle only 2 mpg behind that of the FWD Accord 1.5T CVT, while the 2.4 turbo's combined 26 mpg matches the FWD Camry V6's figure.

With a fuel capacity of 18.5 gallons, the 2.5L has a range of around 555 miles on the combined cycle, and the 2.4 turbo around 480 miles.