Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2021 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/05/01

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 C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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 C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan.

The Legacy’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the C-Class Sedan.

Both the Legacy and the C-Class Sedan 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, 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 Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	Legacy	C-Class Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	76
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	335 lbs.	452 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	220	459
Spine Acceleration	62 G’s	67 G’s
Hip Force	581 lbs.	949 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	248
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	681 lbs.	769 lbs.

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 C-Class Sedan is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Legacy 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the C-Class Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the C-Class Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 65 percent more Subaru dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 27th in initial quality. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 30th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 12 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The Legacy XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (260 vs. 255) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 273) than the C-Class Sedan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The C-Class Sedan requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the C-Class Sedan (18.5 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Subaru Legacy as a “Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (SULEV). The Mercedes C-Class Sedan is only certified to “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV) standards.

Transmission

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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

The Legacy has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the C-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the C-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is .7 inches wider in the front and 2.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the C-Class Sedan.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the C-Class Sedan is rated a Compact.

The Legacy has 15.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the C-Class Sedan (105.5 vs. 90).

The Legacy has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 4.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the C-Class Sedan.

The front step up height for the Legacy is 3 inches lower than the C-Class Sedan (13.5” vs. 16.5”). The Legacy’s rear step up height is 2.8 inches lower than the C-Class Sedan’s (14” vs. 16.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the C-Class Sedan (15.1 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Legacy easier. The Legacy’s trunk lift-over height is 26.8 inches, while the C-Class Sedan’s liftover is 28 inches.

Ergonomics

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 C-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Both the Legacy and the C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $2305 to $3665 less than the C-Class Sedan 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 C-Class Sedan only retains 41.77% to 42.27%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Legacy is less expensive to operate than the C-Class Sedan because it costs $100 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Legacy than the C-Class Sedan, including $311 less for a water pump, $702 less for a muffler, $26 less for front brake pads, $99 less for a starter, $132 less for fuel injection, $438 less for a fuel pump, $93 less for front struts and $576 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 $16731 to $23894 less than for the Mercedes C-Class Sedan.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Legacy and the Mercedes C-Class Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.