Compare the2023 Volkswagen ArteonVS 2023 Subaru Legacy

The Volkswagen Arteon has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Legacy doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Arteon has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Legacy doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Arteon SEL Premium has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Legacy only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Arteon has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Legacy’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Arteon has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Legacy and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Arteon’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Legacy has a metal gas tank.

Both the Arteon and the Legacy have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The Arteon comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Legacy’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Arteon’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Legacy’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Arteon for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Legacy.

The Volkswagen Arteon’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Legacy’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

The Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 118 more horsepower (300 vs. 182) and 119 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 176) than the Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 40 more horsepower (300 vs. 260) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 277) than the Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

For better stopping power the Arteon’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Legacy:

The Arteon stops much shorter than the Legacy:

For better traction, the Arteon has larger tires than the Legacy (245/45R18 vs. 225/55R17).

The Arteon’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Legacy Base/Premium’s standard 55 series tires. The Arteon SEL/SEL Premium’s tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Arteon has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Legacy Base/Premium. The Arteon SEL/SEL Premium’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Arteon has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Legacy’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Arteon has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Legacy doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Arteon’s wheelbase is 3.6 inches longer than on the Legacy (111.9 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion handles at .90 G’s, while the Legacy Sport pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Legacy Sport (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Arteon’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Legacy doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

The Arteon has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Legacy has no towing capacity.

The Arteon uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Legacy uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Arteon’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Legacy’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Arteon’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Arteon’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Legacy’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Arteon’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Arteon has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Legacy.

The Arteon SEL Premium has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Legacy.

The Arteon has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Both the Arteon and the Legacy offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Arteon has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Legacy doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Arteon has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Legacy and isn’t available on the Legacy Base.

The Arteon SEL Premium’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Legacy doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Arteon is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Legacy doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.