Compare the2023 Subaru LegacyVS 2023 Honda Civic

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
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 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 Civic 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 Civic doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Legacy and the Civic 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, 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 Honda Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	325
Neck Injury Risk	26%	30%
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	189/372 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	444
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	189 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	275/164 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 Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	195
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	216 lbs.	286 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	220	268
Spine Acceleration	62 G’s	79 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	260
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	681 lbs.	805 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 Subaru Legacy is safer than the Civic Sedan:

	Legacy	Civic
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	71	205
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.14 in	1.26 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.42 in	1.85 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1026 lbs.	1138 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.34 in	1.89 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.61 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Legacy has a standard 620-amp battery. The Civic’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

Engine

The Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 24 more horsepower (182 vs. 158) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (176 vs. 138) than the Civic Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Legacy 2.5i’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (182 vs. 180) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 80 more horsepower (260 vs. 180) and 100 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 177) than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Civic Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Legacy	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	8.1 sec	9.2 sec
Quarter Mile	16.2 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.5 MPH	86.5 MPH

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy Sport/XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Legacy	Civic
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.5 MPH	89.9 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 Civic doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic (18.5 vs. 12.4 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 Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.2 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 Civic are solid, not vented.

The Legacy stops shorter than the Civic:

	Legacy	Civic
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Legacy has larger tires than the Civic (225/55R17 vs. 215/50R17).

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Civic.

The Legacy’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the Civic’s (59.1% to 40.9%). This gives the Legacy more stable handling and braking.

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the Civic Touring Sedan pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Legacy Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Civic Sport Sedan (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

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 Civic doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

	Legacy	Civic
At idle	40 dB	40 dB
Full-Throttle	76 dB	84 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	72 dB

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the Civic is rated a Mid-size.

The Legacy has 6.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Civic (105.5 vs. 99).

The Legacy has .1 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 5.9 inches more rear hip room and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Civic.

Cargo Capacity

The Legacy has a larger trunk than the Civic Sedan (15.1 vs. 14.8 cubic feet).

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 Civic’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 Civic Sport Sedan’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Legacy. The Civic doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Legacy Limited/Touring, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Civic doesn’t offer a memory system.

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 Civic’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 Civic doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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 Civic’s passenger power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Legacy’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Civic Sport’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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 Civic doesn’t offer cornering lights.

When the Legacy Limited/Touring is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Civic’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Civic offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Legacy and the Civic 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 Civic.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Legacy Touring XT keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Civic doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Civic doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the Legacy and the Civic offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Civic doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $735 less than the Civic over a five-year period.

Recommendations

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