2024 Subaru Legacy: Value-Packed But Not Outstanding

The 2024 Subaru Legacy does not come with any considerable changes. The Legacy Sport trim now gets an updated Harman-Kardon stereo system as standard. The Legacy thrives in a competitive market against the likes of the Honda Accord, Kia K5, and Toyota Camry. The 2024 Subaru Legacy starts at $26,015, which is, in my opinion, very reasonable. Let’s have a look at the pricing of other trims and how worth it is to buy one. 

Subdued Exterior 

Despite checking out the Legacy’s Sport trim, I would say that the overall styling is quite subtle. The Legacy was just refreshed last year for the 2023 model year, and during that refresh, Subaru kind of made things look a little bit more aggressive. The main thing they did up in the front was make the front grille quite a bit larger. The orange-red accent on the front grille above the Subaru logo is exclusive to the Sport trim. When it comes to headlights, you get a premium LED arrangement standard on all trim levels. So, there’s a projector LED with a with a high and low beam, while the turn signal is going to be incandescent. Down below, you'll also find LED fog lamps. 

The rear profile continues with the signature Legacy look, with a little bit of sporty flare here for the Sport model. We have a quite large decklid spoiler. I was surprised to see how big the spoiler was on a midsize sedan. It was finished in the same gray color as the external mirrors. Talking about tail lights, we do have an LED brake light portion, an incandescent reverse light, and an incandescent turn signal, so one out of three elements is LED. Dropping down, we have special Sport branding, and because we have the Sport trim, we do have dual integrated exhaust outlets. 

In terms of our wheel options, just like the rest of the exterior, there's nothing too bold or aggressive; you're just going to have the choice between some 17- and 18-inch alloy options. The Sport trim gets the 18-inch alloys with a dark gray finish, and you'll also see that that same dark gray finish will be reflected up on the mirrors. The mirrors get heating and blindspot monitoring.  

Functional Interior 

Getting inside is easy with the Subaru smart entry system. It will be included in the Limited trim level and above. Talk about your seating material and color choices; there are many depending on the trim. The Sport trim gets a cloth and leather combination seat. So, there’s lined cloth that's going to run down the bolsters, and the leather is seen on the center section. You do have some stitching details on the sides. 

The Sport trim gets 10-way power-adjustable seats with two-way lumbar support. The memory seats are only found on the touring trim. However, you do have aluminum pedals. Talking about materials and quality, the armrest gets a leatherette material with double stitching. The Sport trim gets you faux carbon fiber on the door trims. The upper dash is crafted with soft touch leatherette, and through the center section, there’s more faux carbon fiber along with stitching details.

The front seats are quite comfortable, and there are no complaints with them. The Legacy has a very traditional-looking gauge cluster, which is analog except for our 4.2-inch multi-function display. The two-tier center console storage space is a boon. Sadly, there’s no standard wireless charging. The Legacy shares many of the same components as the Outback SUV, and in a good way. You get the traditional gear shifter, and there are paddle shifters as well for manual shifting.

The 11.6-inch large vertical display is a novelty in this segment 

You'll find a lot of functionality with the large central infotainment display. It also accommodates the climate control settings for dual-zone climate control. You also have three-stage heated seats on the base model, but if you want seat ventilation, you are going to need to choose the top Touring trim.

The 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system is now standard 

The base trim gets a four-speaker sound system and the Premium trim gets a 6-speaker setup. For 2024, Subaru offers a premium 12-speaker sound system as standard on the Sport trim. So, it definitely elevates your music experience. Besides, the infotainment system also supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, the in-build navigation is supported on the top trim levels.
 

Rear Seat Comfort Is Above The Class

The rear seats offer 39.5 inches of legroom and about 37 inches of headroom. We do have vents on most models of the Legacy, and additionally, we're going to have USB ports. If you choose the Limited or Touring trim level, you will also get heated rear seats, which is increasingly becoming a rare feature to be offered on any midsize sedan.

Same cargo capacity as the Toyota Camry

So, one of the Legacy's strongest elements is actually its cargo capacity. It offers 15.1 cubic feet of space, which is decent enough for a midsize sedan. However, it’s still less by 1 cu-ft as compared to the Honda Accord.

Subaru Legacy’s Base Engine Is No Fun!

The 2024 Subaru Legacy comes with two engine options: naturally-aspirated and turbocharged. The standard 2.5-liter flat-four engine makes 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque. However, the Sport trim gets a 2.4-liter turbocharged flat-four engine making 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Both the engines are mated to a CVT, and all trims get AWD as standard. 

The base engine delivers underwhelming performance 

Talking about performance, the base 2.5-liter engine enables a 0–60 time of 8.1 seconds. However, things change when there’s a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine under the hood. With a 0–60 time of 6.0 seconds or 5.7 seconds for the Sport trim, the performance is very good. 

Good fuel economy but falls behind the competition 

The 2024 Subaru Legacy delivers an EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 30 mpg combined. The more powerful turbocharged variants deliver 23 mpg city, 31 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined. 

Subaru Makes Good Handling Cars Excluding The Legacy

The base 2.5L engine is adequate for casual drivers. However, it will not give you an adrenaline rush. If you are a serious enthusiast, then the 2.4-liter turbo makes more sense. It can pick up speed surprisingly quickly. The transmission is a continuously variable transmission, and it does have a shift simulation for a more natural feel. 

The 2024 Subaru Legacy really shines with its ride quality. It is more on the comfort side rather than being sporty. It is much better than the previous generation. However, it still cannot compete with the likes of the Honda Accord in terms of dynamics. The steering feels natural, but the braking does not, as there is some nosedive while braking.

Should It Be Your Next Car? 

To be honest, the Subaru Legacy is a mixed bag for me. Subaru announced that it will end the production of the Legacy after the 2025 model year, and dropping sales is a clear indicator of that. It offers a spacious interior, good build quality, and AWD as standard. 

However, the competition offers better warranty coverage and styling (Kia K5), better handling (Honda Accord), and better fuel economy (Toyota Camry). So, there’s nothing wrong with the Legacy, but there are some shortcomings that rivals don’t have.