Compare the2024 Subaru LegacyVS 2024 Acura TLX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
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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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 TLX 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 TLX 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 TLX 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 TLX.

Both the Legacy and the TLX 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 Acura TLX:

	Legacy	TLX
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	258/267 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	358
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	186 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	66 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	416/473 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 Acura TLX:

	Legacy	TLX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	128
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	104	464

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 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The TLX has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Legacy’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the TLX’s camshafts. If the TLX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

The TLX’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The Legacy has a 6000 RPM redline.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

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 Acura With 18 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Acura.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Legacy Sport/XT 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura TLX turbo 4 cyl.:

	Legacy	TLX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.5 MPH	91.5 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 TLX doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Legacy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	27 city/35 hwy
		2.4 turbo flat-4	23 city/31 hwy
TLX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The TLX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the TLX (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

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 TLX doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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 TLX are solid, not vented.

The Legacy stops shorter than the TLX:

	Legacy	TLX
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	131 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	148 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 TLX; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Legacy Limited handles at .85 G’s, while the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 3.4 feet tighter than the TLX’s (36.8 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Legacy may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 450 pounds less than the Acura TLX.

The Legacy is 3.5 inches shorter than the TLX, making the Legacy easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 TLX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Legacy Sport is quieter than the TLX Type S (69 vs. 71 dB).

Passenger Space

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

The Legacy has 12.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the TLX (105.5 vs. 93.4).

The Legacy has 2.2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more rear headroom, 4.6 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the TLX.

Cargo Capacity

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the TLX (15.1 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Legacy is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the TLX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

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 TLX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 TLX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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 TLX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Legacy and the TLX 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 TLX.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $1050 less than the TLX 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 50.69% to 55.92% of its original price after five years, while the TLX only retains 45.75% to 49.71%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Legacy will be $16508 to $23744 less than for the Acura TLX.

Recommendations

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

The Subaru Legacy outsold the Acura TLX by 52% during 2023.

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