Compare the2023 Subaru LegacyVS 2023 Mercedes CLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Legacy are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes CLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 CLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 CLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Legacy. But it costs extra on the CLA.

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 CLA.

Both the Legacy and the CLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

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 CLA has not been tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Legacy 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the CLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the CLA 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.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Legacy has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Legacy XT). The CLA’s 115-amp alternator 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 Legacy’s reliability 20 points higher than the CLA.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 17 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 39 more horsepower (260 vs. 221) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 258) than the CLA’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 CLA doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

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

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

The Legacy has 5 gallons more fuel capacity than the CLA (18.5 vs. 13.5 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 CLA doesn’t offer a CVT.

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 CLA are solid, not vented.

The Legacy stops shorter than the CLA:

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 CLA; 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 CLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

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 CLA doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Legacy has 16.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CLA (105.5 vs. 89).

The Legacy has .9 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 5.6 inches more rear legroom and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the CLA.

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the CLA (15.1 vs. 11.6 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 CLA’s liftover is 30.1 inches.

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

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 CLA 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.

Consumer Reports rated the Legacy’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the CLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Legacy has standard extendable sun visors. The CLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Legacy and the CLA 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 CLA.

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $5830 to $7530 less than the CLA 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 CLA only retains 41.76% to 41.79%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Legacy will be $15403 to $24206 less than for the Mercedes CLA.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Legacy, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes CLA isn't recommended.

The Subaru Legacy outsold the Mercedes CLA by almost three to one during 2022.