Compare the2024 Volkswagen JettaVS 2024 Subaru Legacy

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Jetta has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Legacy doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Jetta has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Jetta has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Legacy and its not available on the Base and the Legacy’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Jetta’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 Jetta and the Legacy have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 Volkswagen Jetta is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Jetta	Legacy
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	41.6%	43%

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 Volkswagen Jetta is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Jetta	Legacy
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Abdominal Force	188 lbs.	216 lbs.
Hip Force	317 lbs.	335 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	56 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	581 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	627 lbs.	681 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 Volkswagen Jetta is safer than the Legacy:

	Jetta	Legacy
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.06 in	1.14 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	379 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	178 lbs.
Shoulder Force	379 lbs.	402 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1049 lbs.	1227 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Jetta comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Legacy’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

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

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Jetta for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Jetta third among compact cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Legacy isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 176) than the Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Jetta
FWD	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/42 hwy
	Auto	S 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/41 hwy
		SE/SEL 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/40 hwy
Legacy
AWD	Auto	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 Volkswagen Jetta higher (7 out of 10) than the Subaru Legacy (3 to 7). This means the Jetta produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Legacy every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Jetta stops shorter than the Legacy:

	Jetta	Legacy
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Jetta 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.

The Jetta Sport handles at .87 G’s, while the Legacy Sport pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Jetta S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Jetta’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Legacy’s (35.8 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

Chassis

The Volkswagen Jetta may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 750 pounds less than the Subaru Legacy.

The Jetta is 4.6 inches shorter than the Legacy, making the Jetta easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Jetta Sport is quieter than the Legacy Sport (75 vs. 76 dB).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Jetta and the Legacy have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Jetta 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 Jetta’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 Legacy’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Jetta SE/R-Line/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Legacy can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Jetta’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Jetta SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Legacy doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Jetta’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.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Jetta is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $273 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Jetta than the Legacy, including $21 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

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

The Volkswagen Jetta outsold the Subaru Legacy by 69% during 2022.