2020 Subaru Legacy vs 2020 Toyota Camry

The 2020 Subaru Legacy presented a conundrum with its styling. It was a handsome car, but it struggled to stand out amidst competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Legacy featured sharp angles and details, yet it felt smaller and less bold compared to its rivals. The front end, in particular, appeared compact, almost resembling a Subaru Impreza. Despite its pragmatic design, Subaru seemed to be aiming for mainstream appeal with the Legacy, but it fell short of making a strong visual statement.

Inside, the Legacy boasted a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen, but many features were buried within the digital interface, complicating simple tasks like adjusting climate controls. The base trim came well-equipped with features like remote keyless entry, Bluetooth connectivity, and Subaru EyeSight. The Premium trim, which was recommended by CarGurus, added amenities like 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and heated seats. Higher trims like the Sport, Limited, and Touring XT offered additional features, including a more powerful turbocharged engine in the XT versions.

The 2020 Toyota Camry, on the other hand, had a reputation for quality, reliability, and value. Its styling was more expressive than ever, with a bold front fascia and taut lines that gave it a sporty appearance. The Camry offered 14 exterior color options, including a black roof, making it a fashionable choice. Inside, the Camry used high-quality materials and a driver-focused dashboard design, making even the lower trims feel upscale. The TRD model featured red trim accents and bright red seatbelts, adding a sporty touch.

While the Camry wasn't a luxury car, it aimed to provide a near-luxury experience, especially with the 3.5-liter V6 engine. This engine, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, delivered smooth and powerful performance. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, available with both FWD and AWD, offered a balanced mix of power and efficiency. The AWD system, similar to that in the RAV4, provided added traction without significantly compromising fuel economy. The Camry's interior space was slightly reduced compared to its competitors, but it remained a comfortable and practical choice.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy offered two engine options. The base, Premium, Sport, and Limited trims were powered by a 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine, producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). The CVT featured a manual mode and paddle shifters, allowing drivers to simulate gear changes for a sportier driving experience. The Legacy's powertrain was responsive, making it well-suited for city and suburban driving. However, it struggled to deliver strong highway performance, requiring significant effort to reach higher speeds.

For those seeking more power, the Limited XT and Touring XT trims featured a 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer 4-cylinder engine, generating 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. This engine also used a CVT with a manual mode and paddle shifters. The turbocharged engine provided a more exhilarating driving experience, complementing the Legacy's precise cornering and refined ride quality. The Legacy's auto stop-start system, designed to conserve fuel, was somewhat jarring, but it contributed to impressive fuel economy figures of 27 mpg city, 35 highway, and 30 combined for the base engine. The turbocharged engine's fuel economy was slightly lower at 24 city, 32 highway, and 27 combined.

The 2020 Toyota Camry offered three powertrain options. The standout was the 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 301 horsepower and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine delivered smooth and powerful performance, making the Camry feel like a budget luxury car. However, in the TRD model, the V6's quiet qualities didn't match the sporty intent of the package. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, available with both FWD and AWD, produced 203 horsepower (206 in XSE trim) and was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The lighter weight of the four-cylinder models improved steering feel and made the XSE trim particularly enjoyable to drive.

The Camry's AWD system, similar to that in the RAV4, could send up to half of the engine's torque to the rear wheels when needed, enhancing traction in slippery conditions. The front-drive Camry achieved an EPA combined fuel economy rating of 31 mpg in XLE and XSE trims, dropping to 28 mpg with AWD. The V6 models managed 26 mpg combined, except for the TRD, which was rated at 25 mpg.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy offered solid trunk space for its class at 15.1 cubic feet, although it couldn't compete with crossovers like the Subaru Forester. The backseat was surprisingly spacious, providing ample head- and legroom even for taller passengers. The rear seats featured in-door cupholders, a fold-down center armrest with additional cupholders, and rear USB ports in higher trims. The front seats were supportive, and the door pockets were deep enough for water bottles and other items. However, the center stack's small tray made it challenging to plug in USB cables.

The 2020 Toyota Camry was designed for ease of use, with most controls falling easily to hand. The center console featured a shifter, cupholders, a cell phone tray, and a storage bin. Despite the styling changes, front legroom and hip room had increased from the previous generation. However, the rear seat legroom had decreased slightly, and the overall passenger volume and trunk size were smaller compared to competitors like the Honda Accord. The Camry's trunk offered 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space, equivalent to that of the smaller Honda Civic. The addition of AWD did not compromise the trunk or passenger space, thanks to modifications in the floor structure and fuel tank.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy featured a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen with the Starlink infotainment system. While the screen was large and the icons were easy to read, the system's functionality was hindered by the need to navigate multiple menus for simple tasks like adjusting climate controls or heated seats. The portrait orientation of the screen also scrunched Apple CarPlay into a third of the display, making it less user-friendly. Although the system was responsive and free of lag, the overall user experience was frustrating. The base trim had a dual-screen setup with similar issues, leaving no escape from the Legacy's complicated infotainment system.

The 2020 Toyota Camry, on the other hand, added Android Auto compatibility to its existing Apple CarPlay support. The standard infotainment system, while functional and quick to respond, felt dated with low-resolution graphics and inferior navigation software. The system featured hard buttons for major functions, making it easy to use. The standard 7-inch screen could be upgraded to an 8-inch version, and most models included USB-A charging ports. An optional Qi wireless charging pad was available, although USB-C ports were not. The Camry also offered a three-month trial of WiFi Connect and a one-year trial of Remote Connect for higher trims, enhancing its connectivity features.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy came standard with Subaru's EyeSight suite of driver-assistance features, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. EyeSight used a head-up light system to signal alerts, making it intuitive for drivers. The system also included an alert for when the car in front started moving, helping to prevent traffic backups. Other standard safety features included front- and side-impact airbags, traction control, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

The 2020 Toyota Camry included Toyota's Safety Sense suite, featuring a pre-collision system with emergency braking and pedestrian detection, dynamic radar adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning with steering assist, and automatic high beams. A one-year trial of Safety Connect was also included, offering emergency assistance and stolen vehicle locator services. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was optional. The Camry came with 10 airbags, stability control, and a backup camera. Higher trims offered Bird's Eye View, providing a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings. The Camry received a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, there was a recall for leaking engine coolant affecting some 2.5-liter four-cylinder models.