2020 Subaru Legacy vs 2019 Hyundai Elantra

2019 Hyundai Elantra
2019 Hyundai Elantra
$17,200MSRP
Overview
Overview
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2020 Subaru Legacy
2020 Subaru Legacy
$22,745MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now
2019 Hyundai Elantra
$17,200MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now
2020 Subaru Legacy
$22,745MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now

CarGurus highlights

Winning Vehicle Image

According to CarGurus experts, the overall rating for the 2019 Hyundai Elantra is 8.2 out of 10, while the 2020 Subaru Legacy scores 7.8 out of 10. Based on these ratings, the 2019 Hyundai Elantra is the recommended choice, offering a better balance of features, performance, and value.

Overview

MSRP

$17,200

MSRP

$22,745

Average price

$13,568

Average price

$20,417

Listings

815

Listings

242
Ratings & Reviews
User Reviews
User Reviews

Expert reviews

8.2 out of 10

Expert reviews

7.8 out of 10
Pros
  • Standard all-wheel drive
  • Standard advanced safety features
  • Excellent value for money
Cons
  • Unintuitive technology
  • Underwhelming base engine

2019 Hyundai Elantra Reviews Summary

Customer satisfaction is dependent on multiple factors. For example, let's say you go out to a new restaurant. Even if the service is great, or the bill is inexpensive, or the restaurant has a lovely ambiance, you probably won't go back if the food doesn't taste good. The updated and upgraded 2019 Hyundai Elantra is like that—unless you buy the turbocharged Sport trim.

2020 Subaru Legacy Reviews Summary

It’s something we’ve said almost exhaustively on this site: Crossovers are king, and the age of sedans owning the road has waned. But you can’t fault us for reporting what’s happening out there, and if you bought your first car more than a decade ago, this may still be news to you. Their combination of cargo space, passenger space, and added ride height—with a seemingly minimal penalty when it comes to fuel economy—contributed largely to the proliferation of SUVs over the past 10 years.

But what of the humble sedan? And what is an automaker to do when one of its best-selling segments becomes passé?

If that automaker is Subaru, the play is to lean into the niche. For the 4-door, 5-passenger Legacy, that means a focus on practicality, efficiency, and safety. The Legacy has long been a pragmatic choice thanks to its standard all-wheel-drive (AWD), fuel-efficient engines, and easy-to-use interiors.

The 2020 Legacy can still boast AWD and strong mileage, but Subaru has made some major changes inside its midsize sedan in an attempt to go more mainstream and grab a larger slice of the shriveling sedan market. Some of the technology Subaru added has been great, but one major change to the dash of the new Legacy makes us ask what Subaru is thinking.

Popular Features & Specs

Engine

2.0L 147 hp I4

Engine

2.5L 182 hp H4

Drive Train

FWD

Drive Train

AWD

Seating Capacity

5

Seating Capacity

5

Horsepower

147 hp @ 6200 rpm

Horsepower

182 hp @ 5800 rpm

MPG City

26

MPG City

27

MPG Highway

36

MPG Highway

35
2019 Hyundai Elantra
2019 Hyundai Elantra
$17,200MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now
2020 Subaru Legacy
2020 Subaru Legacy
$22,745MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now
2019 Hyundai Elantra
$17,200MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now
2020 Subaru Legacy
$22,745MSRP
Overview
Overview
OverviewShop Now

CarGurus highlights

Winning Vehicle Image

According to CarGurus experts, the overall rating for the 2019 Hyundai Elantra is 8.2 out of 10, while the 2020 Subaru Legacy scores 7.8 out of 10. Based on these ratings, the 2019 Hyundai Elantra is the recommended choice, offering a better balance of features, performance, and value.

Overview
MSRP
$17,200
$22,745
Average price
$13,568
$20,417
Listings
Ratings & Reviews
User reviews
4.2
4.0
Expert reviews

8.2 out of 10

Read full review

7.8 out of 10

Read full review
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Standard all-wheel drive
  • Standard advanced safety features
  • Excellent value for money
Cons
  • Unintuitive technology
  • Underwhelming base engine
Summary
Customer satisfaction is dependent on multiple factors. For example, let's say you go out to a new restaurant. Even if the service is great, or the bill is inexpensive, or the restaurant has a lovely ambiance, you probably won't go back if the food doesn't taste good. The updated and upgraded 2019 Hyundai Elantra is like that—unless you buy the turbocharged Sport trim.

It’s something we’ve said almost exhaustively on this site: Crossovers are king, and the age of sedans owning the road has waned. But you can’t fault us for reporting what’s happening out there, and if you bought your first car more than a decade ago, this may still be news to you. Their combination of cargo space, passenger space, and added ride height—with a seemingly minimal penalty when it comes to fuel economy—contributed largely to the proliferation of SUVs over the past 10 years.

But what of the humble sedan? And what is an automaker to do when one of its best-selling segments becomes passé?

If that automaker is Subaru, the play is to lean into the niche. For the 4-door, 5-passenger Legacy, that means a focus on practicality, efficiency, and safety. The Legacy has long been a pragmatic choice thanks to its standard all-wheel-drive (AWD), fuel-efficient engines, and easy-to-use interiors.

The 2020 Legacy can still boast AWD and strong mileage, but Subaru has made some major changes inside its midsize sedan in an attempt to go more mainstream and grab a larger slice of the shriveling sedan market. Some of the technology Subaru added has been great, but one major change to the dash of the new Legacy makes us ask what Subaru is thinking.

Video
Popular Features & Specs
Engine
2.0L 147 hp I4
2.5L 182 hp H4
Drive Train
FWD
AWD
Seating Capacity
5
5
Horsepower
147 hp @ 6200 rpm
182 hp @ 5800 rpm
MPG City
26
27
MPG Highway
36
35
Look and feel
2019 Hyundai Elantra
7/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
7/10

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra underwent a significant redesign, featuring new styling elements forward of the windshield and front doors, along with redesigned wheels, a new trunk lid, taillights, and rear bumper. The design was described as kaleidoscopic, with a focus on geometric patterns that may not have been as appealing as the previous year's model. Inside, subtle changes improved the interior, including new air vents, a carbon-texture finish on some plastic housings, updated gauges, and revised controls on the center dashboard. The interior quality was high, with a robust and solid shifter, although some materials felt inexpensive, which was expected in a compact car.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy, while handsome, struggled to stand out with its pragmatic sensibility. The front-end design felt smaller and less bold compared to competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Inside, the Legacy featured a massive new 11.6-inch touchscreen, but many features were buried within the digital screen, complicating simple controls like climate and radio adjustments. The Legacy offered six trims, with the Premium trim providing a good balance of features, including 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a power moonroof. The Sport trim added racier exterior details, while the Limited trim included adaptive LED headlights and perforated leather upholstery. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims featured a more powerful turbocharged engine and additional luxury features.

Performance
2019 Hyundai Elantra
5/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
7/10

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra was equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 147 horsepower, paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission powering the front wheels. It offered Normal, Sport, and Smart driving modes, with Sport mode adding weight to the steering. The Elantra achieved an EPA rating of 32 mpg in combined driving, with real-world testing showing 29.3 mpg on a modified loop and 32.4 mpg after a week of driving. Handling was decent, with no significant praise or criticism for the steering and brakes. The ride quality was busy due to the inexpensive torsion-beam rear-axle suspension.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy's base, Premium, Sport, and Limited trims featured a 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, routed to standard AWD through a CVT with a manual mode and paddle shifters. The Legacy excelled in city driving but required effort to reach highway speeds, making a lot of noise in the process. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims offered a 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer 4-cylinder engine with 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The Legacy's chassis provided precise cornering and refined ride quality, but the auto stop-start system was jarring. The base engine achieved 27 mpg city, 35 highway, and 30 combined, while the turbocharged engine managed 24 city, 32 highway, and 27 combined.

Form and function
2019 Hyundai Elantra
8/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
8/10

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra offered good front-seat comfort with height adjustment for both front seats, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and dual-zone automatic climate control in most trims. The backseat was less impressive, with hard plastic front seatbacks and no air conditioning vents or USB ports. Interior storage was decent, with a good-size center-console storage bin, a sizable glove box, and a tray for smartphones. The trunk provided 14.4 cubic feet of space, with a hands-free Smart Trunk feature in most trims.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy had solid trunk space for its class at 15.1 cubic feet. The backseat offered impressive head- and legroom, with in-door cupholders, a fold-down center armrest with cupholders, and rear USB ports in the test model. The front seats were supportive, with deep door pockets for storage. However, the tray in the center stack was small, making it difficult to plug in a USB cable.

Technology
2019 Hyundai Elantra
10/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
6/10

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra, except for the base SE, came with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite radio. The Limited trim featured an Infinity premium sound system, and the Ultimate Package added an 8-inch display, navigation, and SiriusXM Data Services. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with a good balance of knobs and buttons. The Value Edition and Limited trims included a free 3-year trial subscription to Blue Link services, offering a range of safety and convenience functions.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy featured an 11.6-inch touchscreen with the Starlink infotainment system, but many basic controls required multiple steps. The system had large, easy-to-read icons and no lag-time, but the portrait orientation scrunched Apple CarPlay into a third of the screen. The base trim had a dual-screen setup with similar issues. Test-driving the tech was recommended to see if it was as frustrating as described.

Safety
2019 Hyundai Elantra
9/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
10/10

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra included important driver-assistance and collision-avoidance systems starting with the SEL trim, such as forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Limited trim added adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, automatic high-beam headlights, and a Safe Exit system. The Elantra received top marks from the IIHS, except for an Acceptable rating for LATCH child-seat anchors, and a 4-star overall rating from the NHTSA.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy came standard with Subaru’s EyeSight suite, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. EyeSight used a head-up light system for alerts and included a feature to alert drivers when the car in front started moving. Other standard safety features included front- and side-impact airbags, traction control, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Cost Effectiveness
2019 Hyundai Elantra
10/10
2020 Subaru Legacy
9/10
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