Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2021 Lexus ES Series

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Legacy are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ES Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Legacy has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The ES Series doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Both the Legacy and the ES Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Lexus ES Series:

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

There are almost 3 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Legacy has a standard 620-amp battery. The ES Series’ 603-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The Legacy has more powerful engines than the ES Series:

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

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 ES Series doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy 2.5i CVT gets better fuel mileage than the ES 250 AWD 4 cyl. (27 city/35 hwy vs. 25 city/34 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Legacy’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the ES Series Hybrid.

The Legacy has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Legacy has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Series’ standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons).

For better stopping power the Legacy’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES Series:

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

The Legacy stops much shorter than the ES Series:

For better traction, the Legacy has larger tires than the ES Series (225/55R17 vs. 215/55R17).

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Legacy Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the ES Series’ (36.8 feet vs. 38 feet). The Legacy’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the ES Series w/18-19” wheels’ (36.8 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Subaru Legacy may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Lexus ES Series.

The Legacy is 5.3 inches shorter than the ES Series, making the Legacy easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 ES Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Legacy has 5.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ES Series (105.5 vs. 99.9).

The Legacy has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear hip room and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES Series.

The front step up height for the Legacy is 1.3 inches lower than the ES Series (13.5” vs. 14.8”). The Legacy’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the ES Series’ (14” vs. 15”).

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the ES Series (15.1 vs. 13.9 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Legacy’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The ES Series’ useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

The Legacy’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES Series doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The engine in the Legacy is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ES Series. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

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 ES Series doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Both the Legacy and the ES Series offer available heated front seats. The Legacy Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the ES Series.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $1175 to $6600 less than the ES Series 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 ES Series only retains 45.88% to 46.4%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Legacy is less expensive to operate than the ES Series because typical repairs cost much less on the Legacy than the ES Series, including $36 less for a water pump, $261 less for a muffler, $22 less for front brake pads, $96 less for a starter, $217 less for fuel injection, $44 less for a fuel pump, $128 less for front struts, $907 less for a timing belt/chain and $942 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Legacy will be $14002 to $17294 less than for the Lexus ES Series.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Legacy and the Lexus ES Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.