Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2022 Kia Stinger

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Legacy have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Stinger doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Stinger doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Legacy. But it costs extra on the Stinger.

Both the Legacy and the Stinger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Legacy is safer than the Kia Stinger:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Legacy its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 62 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Stinger is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

The Legacy’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Stinger runs out after 100,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Legacy’s reliability 13 points higher than the Stinger.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 7 places higher in reliability than Kia.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Legacy lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Stinger doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy XT CVT turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the Stinger GT-Line AWD (24 city/32 hwy vs. 21 city/29 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Stinger requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Stinger (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Legacy has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Stinger doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Legacy’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Stinger GT-Line are solid, not vented.

The front grille of the Legacy 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Stinger doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Legacy Sport is quieter than the Stinger GT2:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the Stinger is rated a Mid-size.

The Legacy has 11.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Stinger (105.5 vs. 93.8).

The Legacy has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3.1 inches more rear legroom and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Stinger.

The front step up height for the Legacy is 2 inches lower than the Stinger (13.5” vs. 15.5”). The Legacy’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the Stinger’s (14” vs. 15”).

The Legacy Limited/Touring’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Stinger’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Legacy’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Legacy Base). The Stinger doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $1975 to $9770 less than the Stinger over a five-year period.

The Legacy will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Legacy will retain 53.49% to 55.52% of its original price after five years, while the Stinger only retains 39.25% to 40.44%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Legacy will be $18209 to $33004 less than for the Kia Stinger.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Legacy and the Kia Stinger, based on reliability, safety and performance.