The Subaru Legacy is preparing to sing its final swan song as the venerable four-door prepares to exit the market in 2025. The Legacy is the latest casualty in a growing pool of axed sedan models as poor sales and a surge in SUV sales (in the Legacy’s case the Outback wagon was cannibalizing its sales) force automakers to rethink their sales strategies and put more of their resources into utility vehicle sales.Â
But the Legacy is still out to prove that even in its dying days, the four-door still has plenty to bring to the table and that customers will feel the significance of its absence when it eventually leaves showrooms for good.
Not much has changed on the Legacy but that’s ok
Subaru is making little changes to the Legacy for 2025 with many of the core essentials still carrying over intact. The updates that do appear are focused exclusively on the Limited version with that model getting a heated steering wheel, sunroof, and driver attention monitoring system. Some will say that Subaru’s decision to not have the model go out with a bang with a special trim level or even a special edition model to draw in long-time loyalists might seem like a missed opportunity but in this case, the Legacy’s personality still makes it a suitable send off.
Unlike the Outback, the Legacy channels a more mainstream appearance with our tester preferring to let its average-looking front end and meaningful dimensions do the bulk of the talking. Touring models like our example get 18-inch alloy wheels and more splashes of chrome trim to inject more upscale charm into the model. The rear end is still our least favorite thing about the styling with the look back there making the rest of the car feel disjointed. This disjointed look is glaring when you look at rivals like the Honda Accord which have a more unified feel to the overall visual presentation front to rear. Â
Comfortable Legacy interior is starting to show its age
Subaru’s minimal updates mean the interior carries over unchanged for the 2025 model year. The cabin still has a dowdy look but the interior is still very spacious for passengers and material quality continues to be a cut above the grain in the Legacy. Cloth upholstery is standard but buyers that go for higher trims like our Touring and the one rung lower Limited get leather upholstery. The seats in our example had plenty of comfort and support and our tester even had a manually adjustable thigh support for improved long-distance comfort. The backseat is spacious too and the trunk is outright cavernous with the large space easily swallowing plenty of bulky luggage and other items. This abundance of space has always been a strong selling point and taller passengers will love the commendable amounts of leg room.
Sadly, the infotainment system continues to be a recurring weakness for the Legacy (and other Subaru models across the board) with our tester getting the larger 11.6-inch infotainment system (a 7.0-inch dual-screen system is standard on lower models.) The bigger system looks crisp and the large screen takes up considerable real estate in the center dashboard. However, the visual trickery can only do so much to hide the weak software which is slow and we observed noticeable amounts of lag when moving around various menus. The menu layout itself is not as good as rivals and some functions are buried in windows. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard with the latter item being a welcome alternative to the onboard factory navigation system. Â
Turbocharged performance
Performance for the 2025 Legacy comes from two engines and will depend on trim level with the bulk of Legacy models being powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 182 hp. However, two models (Sport and Touring XT models get a turbocharged version of the 2.5 that makes 260 hp. Both engines are mated to a CVT transmission and both of them also come bundled with standard all-wheel drive.
The turbo motor is the one to go for if you’re looking for more power but buyers thinking that they would get the same intensity commonly seen in models like the WRX will be a bit disappointed here. The engine in our XT does have a commendable low-end punch but the problem is that the engine lacks urgency and it prefers to do everything on its own time with the boost and high-end power not arriving as quickly as other turbo sedan entries. The CVT can also be befuddled in abrupt driving situations and there were times when we caught the computer fumbling around for a simulated gear before finding the right one. Handling is crisp for a vehicle of its size but there are far more entertaining entries in the segment that give more corner-carving abilities to their owners than the Subie does.
Fuel economy is a tale of two personalities with the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter getting an EPA-rated 27/35/30 mpg in city/freeway/combined driving. As expected the turbocharged XT puts its chips in on performance and this approach causes it to fall behind in raw fuel economy with our tester getting 24/32/27 mpg in the same categories. These figures do allow the Subaru to be in the middle of the pack when it comes to fuel economy but it’s a far cry from the Toyota Camry though to be fair, that model went all-in on hybrid power for its most recent revamp so we’ll give the Subie a break when it comes to that particular comparison.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the 2025 Subaru Legacy starts at $25,210 for the “Base” model with the volume-focused Limited and Premium models starting at $27,510 and $34,250 respectively. Touring XT models like our example are the cream of the crop in the Legacy family with models like our tester starting at $38,510. A small pinch of options caused our tester to have a final as-tested price of just over $39,000.
But while the Touring XT will continue to be the luxury-focused member of the family, Subaru is hoping customers will focus on the volume Premium and Limited models with the latter hoping to lure in more buyers with some of its new pieces of standard equipment. While the Legacy’s departure in 2025 will be bittersweet, the departure of the Legacy will also allow Subaru to focus more of its resources into new models including a push into the hybrid vehicle market. Â
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.