Compare the2023 Toyota CamryVS 2023 Subaru Legacy

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Toyota Camry has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Legacy doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Legacy doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Legacy only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Compared to metal, the Camry’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Legacy has a metal gas tank.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Camry	Legacy
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	140	158
Neck Injury Risk	20%	26%
Neck Stress	262 lbs.	281 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	57 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	43%
Neck Stress	136 lbs.	147 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	51 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 Toyota Camry is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Camry	Legacy
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	216 lbs.
Hip Force	296 lbs.	335 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	62 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	622 lbs.	681 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Camry is safer than the Legacy:

	Camry	Legacy
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.1 in	1.14 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	9 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	185	269
Neck Tension	45 lbs.	67 lbs.
Neck Compression	112 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.79 in	1.34 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	1.18 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1049 lbs.	1227 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Legacy is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Camry’s reliability 12 points higher than the Legacy.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Subaru is ranked 7th.

Engine

The Camry has more powerful engines than the Legacy:

	Horsepower	Torque
Camry AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	202 HP	182 lbs.-ft.
Camry 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	203 HP	184 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	205 HP	185 lbs.-ft.
Camry XSE 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	206 HP	186 lbs.-ft.
Camry 3.5 DOHC V6	301 HP	267 lbs.-ft.
Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 HP	176 lbs.-ft.
Legacy Sport/XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder	260 HP	277 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Camry 4 cyl. is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Camry	Legacy
Zero to 30 MPH	3.2 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8 sec	8.9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.2 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	86 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Camry
	FWD	LE/SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/39 hwy
		Camry XLE 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/33 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/38 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
Legacy
	AWD	2.4 turbo flat-4	23 city/31 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Camry higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Subaru Legacy (3 to 7). This means the Camry produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Legacy every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Camry TRD	Legacy
Front Rotors	12.9 inches	12.4 inches

The Camry stops much shorter than the Legacy:

	Camry	Legacy
70 to 0 MPH	156 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Camry SE/XLE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (235/45R18 vs. 225/55R17).

The Camry XSE/TRD’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Camry XSE/TRD has standard 19-inch wheels. The Legacy’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Camry’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Legacy (111.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Camry TRD handles at .94 G’s, while the Legacy Sport pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Camry XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (26.7 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Camry SE is quieter than the Legacy Sport (72 vs. 76 dB).

Servicing Ease

The Camry uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Legacy uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Legacy doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Camry and the Legacy have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Camry is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Legacy prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Camry’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 Legacy’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Camry the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Legacy can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Camry’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Model Availability

The Camry is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Legacy doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Camry is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $327 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Camry than the Legacy, including $7 less for front struts.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Camry	Legacy
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its December 2019 issue and they ranked the Toyota Camry LE two places higher than the Subaru Legacy Sport.

The Toyota Camry outsold the Subaru Legacy by over 13 to one during 2022.