Compare the2023 Subaru Legacy VS 2021 Mercedes C-Class Sedan

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 parking sensors, 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 Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	Legacy	C-Class Sedan
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	62 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	421/449 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	246
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	43%	60%
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	219 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	311/161 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 Mercedes C-Class Sedan:

	Legacy	C-Class Sedan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	165
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1.1 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	581 lbs.	838 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	395
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	51 G’s

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 Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 81 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The C-Class Sedan is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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.

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 43 points higher than the C-Class Sedan.

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.

The Legacy Sport/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.

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy gets better mileage than the C-Class Sedan:

			MPG
Legacy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/35 hwy
C-Class Sedan
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/35 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, .1 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”).

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.

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.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Legacy with a number “1” insurance rate while the C-Class Sedan is rated higher at a number “3” rate.

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.

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Legacy as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Legacy outsold the Mercedes C-Class by 946 units during 2020.