Subaru’s 11.6-inch touchscreen may get all the eyeballs, but the 2020 Legacy’s value is worth a second look.
Starting from $23,645 is a value among sedans—and all cars. Its base price buys all-wheel drive, dual 7.0-inch touchscreens for infotainment and vehicle functions including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, LED headlights, cloth upholstery, active safety features (that we cover above), two USB ports, 17-inch wheels, Bluetooth connectivity, and automatic climate control.
That’s good base equipment and it’s a good value. Add one more for the generously sized infotainment screen—that only gets bigger—and the Legacy’s an 8 for features.
Like the outgoing version, the Legacy is offered in base, Premium, Limited, Sport, and Touring XT configurations. An uprated turbo-4 is available for Legacy Limited sedans for $4,450 more, and the more powerful engine is standard on Touring versions. All-wheel drive is standard equipment across the board.
The Legacy Touring XT fights for near-luxury attention at $36,795, including destination. Those cars dial in softer nappa leathers inside, 18-inch alloy wheels outside, the 11.6-inch touchscreen with navigation, a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled front seats, sound-deadening front windows, a forward-facing camera, a driver-attention monitor, and four USB ports.
The sweet spot for most shoppers will be the Legacy Premium, which costs $25,895, including destination. Those versions get the same 11.6-inch touchscreen, 17-inch wheels, cloth upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and four USB ports. Keyless ignition, navigation, blind-spot monitors, and a moonroof are all on the options list for the Legacy Premium.
Subaru infotainment
The biggest change for the 2020 Legacy is its tablet-style touchscreen planted in the middle of the car, which is standard on Legacy Limited and higher trims.
Its vertical orientation may remind some of Tesla’s touchscreen, but Subaru’s operates differently. Not every control is channeled through the touchscreen—there are still a few hard buttons for tuning, temperature controls, and volume. The screen is divided into a few regions, with the top bar displaying a customizable set of vehicle, navigation, or climate information. The bottom row is dedicated to climate controls, and the middle real estate is navigation, radio, or entertainment.
Some climate controls, such as controls for the heated and cooled seats, are routed through the touchscreen, which may be initially difficult for some to find.
The touchscreen operates fairly well with deliberate presses and swipes, although there is a little lagginess in some functions. Using the built-in smartphone software is OK, although not ideal. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still presented in a horizontal layout that doesn’t use all of the screen. Redundant information is displayed below and the screen within a screen can sometimes be hard to see, especially when using navigation apps such as Waze or Google Maps.
Subaru has bundled in a few apps with its system, such as a bird-watching app (!) and vehicle information.
Review continues below