My wife's 2015 KIA Optima threw a rod in Green River Wyoming. Sidenote: Green River is a very bad place to break down in a Korean vehicle We have test driven Camrys, Accords, and Legacies. The Legacy seems like a lot of bang for the buck. I own a 2015 Legacy and it has been problem free for 150K miles. The AWD on the Subaru line is very nice in northern Utah winters. My question would be are the newer Legacies as reliable as the ones 10 years ago. YouTube says yes but some first hand experience with Forum members would be very much appreciated. FYI I am aware that Subaru is dropping the Legacy after 2025.

Not exactly Legacy, but I drove Outbacks ('21, '22, and '23 models) for a 15-month span. I'll say, I really liked them. Going in, I was not a fan of the CVT, but after spending that time with them I can't offer a specific criticism of them. They weren't "rubber band-y" like some others I've driven.

The first two I drove were normally aspirated; the third was an XT with the turbo. It's my opinion that the XT was much more responsive and more fun to drive, with only a very minor fuel economy penalty.

If I had not been able to get the 4Runner I have now (admittedly, a very different vehicle), I probably would have bought an Outback.

A couple of things I really liked about those cars were the driver's seat and the integration of the touch screen into the dash. The seat has an extendable thigh support, which was a tremendous thing for long drives. Only two makes have I driven with that feature (Subaru and Infiniti), and I think it's great. I'm not a huge fan of the giant touchscreen, but I really hate the ones that look like they've been clumsily grafted onto the dash. Subaru at least has it integrated so that it looks like it was expected to be there, rather than being an afterthought.

I put about 16k miles on those three in total, at an average 28-30 mpg. I didn't get to experience much snow with them, but the snows I did get were handled easily, even with factory tires. Wet-weather driving was great, given the AWD setup.

I don't really like the additional plastic cladding on '23 and newer models, but if the body is a dark color it doesn't show up quite so much.

Minor thing: you can't turn off the daytime running lights at all, without putting it in park and setting the brake. I dislike DRLs in general, but my specific grouch about it came from an evening touring one of the drive-through Christmas light displays -- you're supposed to turn all but your park lights off, and the DRLs were nearly as bright as headlights in that slow-speed scenario. The "gatekeepers" at that event were a little perturbed (as was I) that I couldn't turn those off.

That's my limited review for you... not exactly the model you have in mind, and not exactly long-term, but I hope it's useful information for you.

Good info vthoky. Thanks. The Outback and Legacy share the same frame if I recall. The running lights are less than optimal but not a deal breaker for me. I wish we had the cash for the turbo but that's a bit out of our price range.

If you get one from the Pennsylvania area it will probably be white.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...0601935/m/8370099515

I’m on my 3rd Subaru, and love it. However, the Legacy never crossed my radar. I left sedan a long time ago, and other than the boring styling, it was too low to get in and out of for me.

Earlier this year, I finally drove one for the first time earlier this year, driving it from the Houston area to Charlotte, NC.

My son’s-law ‘18 Legacy has over 180k miles, and the only thing I know that went wrong were the rear wheel bearings and infotainment.

I found it comfortable, handled good, had plenty of acceleration, and the fuel economy was great.

As you may know, the Legacy is out at Subaru, but I would have liked to have seen the new incarnations over the years if they hadn’t ended the model.

Still, for an everyday car, it is still too low for me, but I will gladly point them to potential buyers since I was so impressed with it and my 3 Subarus.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:

Still, for an everyday car, it is still too low for me, but I will gladly point them to potential buyers since I was so impressed with it and my 3 Subarus.

I'm about to retire and my current Legacy is getting harder to get in and out of. My wife is about my age but only 5' tall. I don't think she will have a problem. Thanks for the input ftttu.

I haven't had a Legacy since my 2005 Wagon, but I did own a 2022 Outback. The Limited is one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned in regards to the ride and the seats, but there's 0% of the fun that past Subarus have had. The powertrain with the turbo was fine, but it was paired badly with the CVT and did not like quick changes to the throttle (like in stop/go traffic).

The nail in the coffin and why I got rid of it was the Tesla screen in the dash. Mine would crash often and sometimes require starting the car multiple times to get it back. While the screen is out, all of you Eyesight features are deactivated and your climate control is stuck on whatever you left it (including the heated seats).

Hopefully a software upgrade and made that less of an issue, but I won't buy a car that has the climate controls in the touch screen because of that car.

Owned quite a few rigs on my circle around the planet. Never a subie. Thought about it once or twice but Never wanted one either. Always better choices out there imho, ymmv. Good luck

We’re on our 4th Subaru. We have or had: 2013 Outback, 2015 Forester, 2021 Outback (totaled by drunk driver), and a 2023 Outback.

They are, without a doubt, the most boring vehicles I’ve ever owned or driven and I love that about them.

I looked pretty hard at the newer Legacy. It’s really nice, and they gave it the Outback’s massive infotainment center at some point.

Good luck in your search.

We have a 2020 Outback XT which is our 1st Subie and I love it - My wife just bought a 2025 Crostrek with that same big Infotainment setup and she loves her Subie as well - Nice non excitable cars - I'm not a total fan of touch screens for 90% of the cars control but it is programable as they see fit.

We are 1st time Subaru owners, having a ‘24 Outback we bought new last April. I came from a Honda CR-V and both my wife and I like it Outback a lot. The only issue I have with it is that I have to pull my seat forward quite a bit when the grandkids are in their car seats behind us. Not a lot of leg room it seems.

I’ve owned several Subarus, and was happy with them. We currently own a 2019 Crosstrek. But I will say a hard NO to any Subie with the big touchscreen. They do fail, and Subaru is dropping them in 2026.

If you do end up buying one, be sure to get an extended warranty that covers the touchscreen.

quote:

Originally posted by 2Adefender:
I’ve owned several Subarus, and was happy with them. We currently own a 2019 Crosstrek. But I will say a hard NO to any Subie with the big touchscreen. They do fail, and Subaru is dropping them in 2026.

If you do end up buying one, be sure to get an extended warranty that covers the touchscreen.

Yep, and from the looks of things they're going with a Toyota style dash:



That'll put it back on the list later one when I'm looking for something to replace my Mazda CX-30. Just wish they did that for my old one.

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
They are, without a doubt, the most boring vehicles I’ve ever owned or driven and I love that about them.

I figure that "boringness" helped me escape a ticket once... who pays attention to a white station wagon going a little too fast? Nobody.

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:
Yep, and from the looks of things they're going with a Toyota style dash:

(pic)

Oh, no! The non-integrated, grafted-on bigscreen. Ugh. That's disappointing.

The next gen Outback, which comes out at several months from now as a ‘26 SUV, will have a way better infotainment. It is the kind that sits more on top rather than squarely in the dash. Also, they returned some buttons, I’m sure due to outcry.

I love my ‘24 Forester Wilderness, but I’m liking what I’m seeing about the next gen as a ‘26 later this year. However, since it is based on the next gen Forester, which started in ‘25, it has the big infotainment as the outgoing Outback. I’m hoping Subaru grows a pair and goes with the new Outback screen and buttons in their entire lineup.

quote:

Oh, no! The non-integrated, grafted-on bigscreen. Ugh. That's disappointing.

It's ugly, but it works. The most important part is the climate controls aren't integrated and uses buttons and dials.

Wife won't have an issue with "boring" car and neither will I. I have a Boxster S and a CBR 1000. Either helps when I need some "non-boringness" . Yeah, the big screen and lack of mechanical switches is a big deal IMHO (a deal breaker for me) and not so much for her. The 2023-2024 Legacy has definitely had some significant sound dampening since 2015. We both like that. Test driving it she really liked it with the AWD and upcoming winter adventures. Pretty sure that will be her choice even with my extreme displeasure over the "big screen" infotainment system.

Thanks for the input everyone, this is one of the reasons I have stuck with this forum over the years.

quote:

Originally posted by DanH:
The most important part is the climate controls aren't integrated and uses buttons and dials.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m way happy about that.

My son just bought a 2025 premium legacy. I tried talking him into the limited but he wanted the cheapest model. He bought it for under 30k. And gets around 32 mpg on the highway. has to commute 80 miles a day. He really likes it. we looked at used ones but they were only selling for3-5k less with 30-50k miles. Besides the awd I feel better knowing he is in one of the safer cars on the road.

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
The next gen Outback, which comes out at several months from now as a ‘26 SUV, will have a way better infotainment. It is the kind that sits more on top rather than squarely in the dash. Also, they returned some buttons, I’m sure due to outcry.

I love my ‘24 Forester Wilderness, but I’m liking what I’m seeing about the next gen as a ‘26 later this year. However, since it is based on the next gen Forester, which started in ‘25, it has the big infotainment as the outgoing Outback. I’m hoping Subaru grows a pair and goes with the new Outback screen and buttons in their entire lineup.

IMO, the new Outback looks awful & appears to have grown to near Forester height.