2020 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2021 Subaru Legacy

Half a decade ago, Honda redesigned the Civic, which was its rival to the Subaru Impreza and Toyota Corolla, among others. For 2020, Honda tweaked the styling a bit, adding body-color crossbars to the huge fake air intakes, a new grille, and smoked headlights. New wheel designs also debuted. The test car, in top-of-the-line Sport Touring trim with Platinum White Pearl paint, garnered admiration from onlookers who mistook it for a Type R. Inside, the Sport Touring trim featured stitched leather on the steering wheel, soft surfaces, and quality materials, though hard plastic was still present. The six-speed manual gearbox, previously reserved for Sport trim, was now available with Sport Touring trim, bringing the price to $28,980, including the destination charge.

The 2021 Subaru Legacy, available in six trim levels, carried over much of the body and mechanics of the Subaru Outback wagon into sedan form. For 2021, Subaru gave the Legacy standard low-beam and high-beam steering-responsive LED headlights and high-beam assist. The Legacy's looks were not particularly stylish but held true to Subaru branding, with high-gloss stainless steel side-window and shoulder-line moldings adding a bit of flash. Seventeen-inch steel wheels were standard, with options to upgrade to 17-inch alloy or 18-inch wheels. The Legacy also featured power-folding outside mirrors, a power moonroof, and an All-Weather Package. The interior had a blend of high-quality materials and piano black plastic, though some fit-and-finish issues were noted.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback, equipped with a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder powertrain, made 174 horsepower with LX, EX, and EX-L trim, and 180 horsepower with Sport and Sport Touring trim. Torque measured 162 pound-feet with the CVT and 177 lb-ft with the 6-speed manual transmission. The engine was quiet, refined, and well-mannered, though the transmission’s clutch travel and gearbox throws were long. The Civic Hatchback Sport and Sport Touring offered a softer, more compliant ride, wider seats, and a quieter cabin compared to the Civic Si. The EPA rated the test car at 32 mpg in combined driving, and it achieved 32.7 mpg on the testing loop.

The 2021 Subaru Legacy Base, Premium, Sport, and Limited were powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that achieved 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. The upgraded turbocharged 2.4-liter engine in the Limited XT and Touring XT grades achieved 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Both engines were paired with a CVT. AWD was standard on the Legacy, providing stability over rough terrain. The 2.5-liter engine got an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined, while the turbo achieved 24 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback offered 25.2 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Honda HR-V Touring. The Civic Hatchback's interior featured a brilliant center console storage area with a sliding armrest, tray, and cupholders. The Sport Touring’s heated leather front seats provided ample thigh support, though the passenger seat lacked a height adjuster. Rear seat comfort and legroom were good, but the lack of air-conditioning vents and dark tinted rear glass made it less comfortable for passengers.

The 2021 Subaru Legacy featured a sound-insulation windshield, improved seat positioning, and a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat on all trims except the Base model. The five-seater offered plenty of back seat room for adults, with additional legroom from the 2020 redesign. Heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel were available. The Legacy had 15.1 cubic feet of trunk space, which was less than some competitors but provided a wide opening for easy access.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a stylish dashboard with digital instrumentation and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in all but LX trim. The Sport Touring trim included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, a navigation system, a quick-charging USB port, and a 12-speaker premium sound system. Automatic climate control and Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock were also standard.

The 2021 Subaru Legacy base model had dual 7-inch infotainment and climate/vehicle system control displays. Higher trims featured an 11.6-inch infotainment screen with on-screen buttons for various controls. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with a 12-volt power outlet, two USB ports, and a 4.2-inch meter display. Upmarket trims added more USB ports, Subaru Starlink Connected Services, navigation, a Harman Kardon premium audio system, and an auto-dimming rearview compass mirror with Homelink.

The 2020 Honda Civic Hatchback included the Honda Sensing suite of advanced driving-assistance and collision-avoidance safety features as standard. This included forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. However, the Civic lacked a blind-spot monitoring system and rear cross-traffic alert. The 2020 Civic Hatchback did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to Poor performance in the headlight category but received top marks for crash-test performance.

The 2021 Subaru Legacy earned top scores in every category from the IIHS and was named a Top Safety Pick. The NHTSA gave the Legacy a five-star overall rating. The Legacy came standard with Subaru EyeSight technology, which included adaptive cruise control with lane centering, pre-collision automatic emergency braking, and vehicle lane departure and sway warning. Additional safety features included reverse automatic braking and blind-spot monitoring. The EyeSight system was relatively easy to use but could be annoying with its frequent alerts.