Compare the2023 Subaru LegacyVS 2023 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe

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 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Both the Legacy and the 4 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Legacy the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 4 Series Gran Coupe has not been tested, yet.

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

There are over 80 percent more Subaru dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

The Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (260 vs. 255) than the 430i Gran Coupe’s standard 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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy gets better mileage than the 4 Series Gran Coupe:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 4 Series Gran Coupe requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (18.5 vs. 15.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 Series Gran Coupe; 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 4 Series Gran Coupe don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the 4 Series Gran Coupe’s (36.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Subaru Legacy may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the 4 Series Gran Coupe is rated a Compact.

The Legacy has 14.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 4 Series Gran Coupe (105.5 vs. 91).

The Legacy has .8 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 4.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the 4 Series Gran Coupe.

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 4 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist 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 4 Series Gran Coupe 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 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $3875 to $6555 less than the 4 Series Gran Coupe over a five-year period.

The Legacy will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Legacy will retain 49.53% to 51.53% of its original price after five years, while the 4 Series Gran Coupe only retains 46.46% to 47.21%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Legacy will be $24289 to $26141 less than for the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.

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