Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2021 Volkswagen Arteon

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 Volkswagen Arteon doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 Arteon doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

The Legacy’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Arteon doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Legacy and the Arteon 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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 Arteon has not been fully tested, yet.

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

The Legacy’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Arteon’s (unlimited vs. 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 11 points higher than the Arteon.

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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Legacy XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 258) than the Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Volkswagen Arteon:

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 Arteon 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 Arteon 4Motion (24 city/32 hwy vs. 20 city/31 hwy).

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

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 Arteon 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 on the Arteon are solid, not vented.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Arteon.

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Arteon’s (36.8 feet vs. 39 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 Arteon doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Legacy has 9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Arteon (105.5 vs. 96.5).

The Legacy has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Arteon.

The engine in the Legacy is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Arteon. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because 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 Arteon doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Car-Net can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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