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 IS 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 IS doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Legacy. But it costs extra on the IS.
The Legacy’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The IS doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Legacy and the IS 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 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 Subaru Legacy is safer than the Lexus IS:
|
Legacy |
IS |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
158 |
220 |
Neck Injury Risk |
26% |
35% |
Neck Stress |
281 lbs. |
429 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
57 lbs. |
60 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
230/249 lbs. |
599/675 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
241 |
282 |
Neck Stress |
147 lbs. |
152 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
51 lbs. |
81 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
161/137 lbs. |
399/459 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 Lexus IS:
|
Legacy |
IS |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
50 |
142 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1 inches |
Hip Force |
335 lbs. |
406 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
14 inches |
15 inches |
HIC |
104 |
293 |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 55 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The IS has not been fully tested, yet.