Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2022 Honda Accord

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
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

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 Honda Accord doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 Accord doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

Both the Legacy and the Accord 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Legacy is safer than the Honda Accord:

	Legacy	Accord
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	261
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	74 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	231/338 lbs.

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

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 Honda Accord:

	Legacy	Accord
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	140
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Hip Force	335 lbs.	431 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	220	386
Spine Acceleration	62 G’s	62 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	242
Hip Force	681 lbs.	756 lbs.

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

Reliability

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

Engine

The Legacy XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (260 vs. 192) and 85 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 192) than the Accord’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Legacy	Accord
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.5 MPH	89.3 MPH

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 Accord doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy gets better mileage than the Accord:

			MPG
Legacy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/35 hwy
		2.4 turbo flat-4	24 city/32 hwy
Accord
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/32 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Legacy’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Honda only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Accord 1.5T.

The Legacy has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Accord (18.5 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Legacy	Accord	Accord Sport/Touring
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.5 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.1 inches	11.1 inches

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 Accord are solid, not vented.

The Legacy stops shorter than the Accord:

	Legacy	Accord
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Legacy’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Accord’s (59.8% to 40.2%). This gives the Legacy more stable handling and braking.

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

The Legacy Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Accord (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Accord LX/EX-L’s (36.8 feet vs. 38.2 feet). The Legacy’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Accord 2.0T’s (36.8 feet vs. 39.6 feet).

Chassis

The Legacy is 5.5 inches shorter than the Accord, making the Legacy easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

	Legacy	Accord
At idle	40 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	76 dB	78 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	70 dB

Passenger Space

The Legacy has .5 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Accord.

The front step up height for the Legacy is 3 inches lower than the Accord (13.5” vs. 16.5”). The Legacy’s rear step up height is 1 inches lower than the Accord’s (14” vs. 15”).

Cargo Capacity

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 Accord’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

The Legacy’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Accord LX’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Legacy is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Accord. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

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 Accord’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 Accord doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its HondaLink Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Legacy’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Accord’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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 Accord doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Legacy’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Accord offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

On extremely cold winter days, the Legacy’s optional (except Base/Premium/Sport) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Accord doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $930 less than the Accord over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Legacy is less expensive to operate than the Accord because typical repairs cost much less on the Legacy than the Accord, including $198 less for a muffler, $85 less for a starter, $268 less for fuel injection, $152 less for a fuel pump and $602 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 $2018 to $2720 less than for the Honda Accord.

Recommendations

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