Compare the2025 Nissan AltimaVS 2025 Subaru Legacy

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Nissan Altima has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Legacy doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Altima SL has a standard Intelligent Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Legacy only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Altima 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Legacy’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Altima has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Legacy and its not available on the Base.

Compared to metal, the Altima’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 Altima and the Legacy 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 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 Nissan Altima is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Altima	Legacy
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	230/249 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	239	241
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches

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, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Subaru Legacy:

	Altima	Legacy
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	220
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	581 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Altima for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

There are over 68 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Altima’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima second among midsize cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Legacy isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

Engine

The Altima’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (188 vs. 182) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (180 vs. 176) than the Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Altima AWD is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Altima	Legacy
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	22 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	8.6 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.6 sec	5.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	88 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Altima
	FWD	S/SV 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
Legacy
	AWD	2.4 turbo flat-4	23 city/31 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Altima uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Legacy Sport/XT requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the Legacy:

	Altima	Legacy
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima SR/SL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (235/40R19 vs. 225/55R17).

The Altima SR/SL’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Altima SR/SL has standard 19-inch wheels. The Legacy’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Altima has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Legacy doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Altima 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Altima’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Legacy (111.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Legacy Touring XT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Altima executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Altima S’ turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Legacy’s (36 feet vs. 36.8 feet).

Chassis

The Nissan Altima may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Subaru Legacy.

Passenger Space

The Altima has 1 inch more front legroom and .1 inches more front shoulder room than the Legacy.

Cargo Capacity

The Altima has a larger trunk than the Legacy (15.4 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. The driver of the Legacy can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Altima has a standard Push Button Start that allows you to start the engine without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Entry and Start costs extra on the Legacy and isn’t available on the Legacy Base.

The Altima’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

Model Availability

The Altima is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Legacy doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $236 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Altima than the Legacy, including $105 less for a water pump, $118 less for a starter, $24 less for a fuel pump and $93 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its December 2019 issue and they ranked the Nissan Altima SR AWD higher than the Subaru Legacy Sport.

The Nissan Altima outsold the Subaru Legacy by over five to one during 2023.