Compare the2023 Hyundai SonataVS 2023 Subaru Legacy

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Sonata Limited has a standard Around View Monitor 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.

The Sonata has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Legacy’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sonata has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Legacy and its not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Sonata’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 Sonata and the Legacy have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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 and rearview cameras.

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

	Sonata	Legacy
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33%	43%
Neck Stress	98 lbs.	147 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/21 lbs.	161/137 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 Hyundai Sonata is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Sonata	Legacy
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	539 lbs.	581 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	577 lbs.	681 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Sonata comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Legacy’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Sonata 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Legacy. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Legacy ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Sonata’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Legacy’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sonata for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

There are over 30 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sonata’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Sonata has a standard 760-amp battery. The Legacy’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Sonata’s reliability 14 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 Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Subaru.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 78 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Sonata has more powerful engines than the Legacy:

	Horsepower	Torque
Sonata SEL Plus/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder	180 HP	195 lbs.-ft.
Sonata 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	191 HP	181 lbs.-ft.
Sonata N Line 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	290 HP	311 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 Car and Driver the Sonata SEL Plus/Limited 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Sonata	Legacy
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	20 sec	22 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.8 sec	8.6 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4.3 sec	4.5 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.1 sec	5.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	135 MPH	130 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sonata
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy
		SE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/38 hwy
		SEL 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
Legacy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/35 hwy
		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 Hyundai Sonata higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Subaru Legacy (3 to 7). This means the Sonata produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Legacy every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Sonata N Line’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Legacy doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Sonata N Line’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Legacy:

	Sonata N Line	Legacy
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.8 inches

The Sonata stops much shorter than the Legacy:

	Sonata	Legacy
70 to 0 MPH	152 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	110 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sonata SEL Plus/N Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (245/40R19 vs. 225/55R17).

The Sonata SEL Plus/N Line’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 Sonata SEL Plus/N Line has standard 19-inch wheels. The Legacy’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Sonata has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Legacy doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sonata’s wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Legacy (111.8 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sonata is 1.8 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Legacy.

The Sonata N Line handles at .88 G’s, while the Legacy Touring XT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sonata N Line executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (25.8 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sonata’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Legacy’s (35.9 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Sonata may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the Subaru Legacy.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Sonata Limited is quieter than the Legacy Sport (37 vs. 40 dB).

Passenger Space

The Sonata has .6 inches more front headroom, 3.3 inches more front legroom and 1.2 inches more rear headroom than the Legacy.

Cargo Capacity

The Sonata has a larger trunk than the Legacy (16 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sonata SEL/SEL Plus/Limited/N Line’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Legacy doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The Sonata 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 Sonata Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Legacy doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Sonata Limited has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 Sonata and the Legacy have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sonata 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 Sonata’s standard 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. The Sonata Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Sonata’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Sonata Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Legacy doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Sonata is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $300 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Sonata than the Legacy, including $58 less for a water pump, $14 less for front brake pads, $157 less for a starter, $95 less for a fuel pump and $176 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its December 2019 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Sonata Limited three places higher than the Subaru Legacy Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sonata second among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Legacy isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Sonata outsold the Subaru Legacy by over two to one during 2022.