Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2021 Nissan Maxima

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 Nissan Maxima doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Legacy has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Maxima doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Legacy and the Maxima 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 Nissan Maxima:

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Legacy its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 102 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Maxima is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 5 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Legacy XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 261) than the Maxima’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

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 Maxima doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Legacy’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Maxima doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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

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

The Legacy stops shorter than the Maxima:

The Legacy’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Maxima’s (60.8% to 39.2%). This gives the Legacy more stable handling and braking.

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the Maxima Platinum pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Maxima’s (36.8 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

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 Maxima doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Legacy has 7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Maxima (105.5 vs. 98.5).

The Legacy has 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 5.3 inches more rear legroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Maxima.

The front step up height for the Legacy is 1.6 inches lower than the Maxima (13.5” vs. 15.1”). The Legacy’s rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Maxima’s (14” vs. 15.5”).

The Legacy has a larger trunk than the Maxima (15.1 vs. 14.3 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 Maxima’s liftover is 28.8 inches.

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

The Legacy’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Maxima’s parking brake has to released manually.

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 Maxima’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 Maxima doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Legacy’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Maxima’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Legacy has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Maxima doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Legacy (except Base) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Maxima doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $4155 to $9385 less than the Maxima 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 Maxima only retains 37.88% to 39.3%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Legacy is less expensive to operate than the Maxima because typical repairs cost much less on the Legacy than the Maxima, including $45 less for a water pump, $415 less for a muffler, $4 less for front brake pads, $207 less for fuel injection, $33 less for a fuel pump, $272 less for a timing belt/chain and $421 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 $22186 to $22492 less than for the Nissan Maxima.

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