2020 Subaru Legacy vs 2019 Kia Forte

The 2019 Kia Forte presented a fresh design that might have seemed like a mere facelift at first glance, but it was indeed an all-new generation. It retained its familiar jellybean shape and a front-end design that was both plucky and slightly menacing. The side profile featured a subtle swoop, while the rear was marred by a taillight band that appeared cheap. Despite this, the Forte's overall design was more mature than its predecessors. Inside, the Forte's cabin was influenced by the sporty Kia Stinger, featuring a sport steering wheel and a floating touchscreen. The layout was simple yet packed with high-tech elements, reminiscent of an Audi A3, thanks to the design influence of Peter Schreyer, a former Audi designer. The Forte offered various trims, each adding more features, with the range-topping EX trim providing luxury touches like leatherette upholstery and a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy, while handsome, struggled to stand out with its pragmatic design. It had sharp angles and details but lacked the boldness of competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Legacy's front end appeared small, almost compact, which was a departure from the larger, bolder designs of its rivals. Inside, the Legacy featured a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen, but many functions were buried within the digital interface, complicating simple tasks like adjusting climate controls. The Legacy offered six trims, with the Premium trim being a standout for its features like a power moonroof and heated seats. The Sport trim added racier details, while the Limited and XT trims introduced more luxury and power, with the Touring XT offering a turbocharged engine and Nappa leather upholstery.

The 2019 Kia Forte was equipped with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine across all trims, delivering 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. It offered a choice between a 6-speed manual and a continuously variable transmission (CVT), with the latter being standard on most trims. Kia's CVT, branded as iVT, managed power well, providing immediate throttle response and making the Forte quick off the line. The Forte's handling was impressive, with precise steering and minimal body roll, offering a refined ride even over rough roads. The Drive Mode Selector allowed drivers to choose between Normal, Sport, and Smart modes, optimizing comfort, efficiency, or sporty performance. Fuel economy was commendable, with the CVT-equipped Forte achieving 30 mpg city, 40 highway, and 34 combined.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy featured a 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine in its base, Premium, Sport, and Limited trims, producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. Power was routed to standard all-wheel drive through a CVT with a manual mode and paddle shifters. The Legacy was quick off the line, making it suitable for city driving, but it required effort to reach highway speeds, accompanied by significant noise. For more power, the Limited XT and Touring XT trims offered a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine with 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The Legacy's chassis provided precise cornering and a refined ride, but the auto stop-start system was jarring. Fuel economy for the base engine was 27 mpg city, 35 highway, and 30 combined, while the turbocharged engine achieved 24 city, 32 highway, and 27 combined.

The 2019 Kia Forte's interior dimensions grew with its new generation, offering more space for occupants. The front seat provided ample legroom, though headroom was tight for those over 6 feet tall. The backseat offered adequate headroom and legroom, making it comfortable for longer drives. The Forte's trunk space was impressive at 15.3 cubic feet, one of the largest in its class. The EX trim featured a smart trunk system that opened hands-free, adding convenience for those with their hands full.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy, while not matching crossovers in cargo space, offered a solid 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space. The backseat was surprisingly spacious, accommodating taller passengers comfortably. The front seats were supportive, with deep door pockets for storage. However, the center stack's tray was small, making it difficult to access USB ports. Despite these minor issues, the Legacy provided a comfortable and spacious interior for both front and rear passengers.

The 2019 Kia Forte came standard with an 8-inch UVO touchscreen, offering an intuitive layout with vivid visuals and logical menus. Physical buttons and conventional tuning and volume dials were retained, enhancing user experience. Kia's UVO e-services provided additional features like enhanced roadside assistance and vehicle diagnostics, accessible through the touchscreen or a smartphone app.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy featured a massive 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment system, but its interface was cumbersome, requiring multiple steps for simple tasks like adjusting climate controls. While the icons were large and easy to read, the portrait orientation of the screen limited the display of Apple CarPlay. Despite these drawbacks, the system was responsive and free of lag. However, the lack of hard buttons for essential functions was a significant oversight, making the system frustrating to use.

The 2019 Kia Forte offered standard forward-collision avoidance, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and driver-attention warning. It also included a reversing camera, traction control, and front- and side-impact airbags. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. The lane-keeping assist was particularly effective, providing active steering inputs to keep the car centered in its lane.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy came standard with Subaru’s EyeSight suite, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. EyeSight's alerts were intuitive, using a head-up light system on the dash. An additional feature alerted drivers when the car in front moved forward, preventing potential traffic backups. Standard safety features also included a full array of airbags, traction control, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system.