Video: 2015 Subaru Legacy Review

And while the engines underneath the hood might sound the same, they actually get much better fuel economy for 2015. If you're shopping for a midsize sedan, chances are a styling is not at the top of your priority list. However, the redesigned Legacy, it's not bad looking, even if it's a bit generic. Now there's a couple sedans in this class, like the Mazda 6, Ford Fusion, where styling, you know, is pretty daring and you can even see here the grill is kind of similar to Fusions, hexagon look, but most of this class Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, They're not stunners either. So I think the Legacy gets a pass. Most Legacy buyers and going to opt for a four cylinder engine, not the six cylinder you see here. And while power for that four cylinder remains almost identical to 2014, the engine itself has been revised. Why? To get better fuel economy. The 2014, 4 cylinder had 27 miles per gallon combined. 2015 has 30 miles per gallon combined. That puts it a little bit above the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry and a little bit behind Mazda's Mazda 6, and Nissan's new Altima. There is a more powerful six cylinder boxer engine, but it's only available in the top trim level. And while there is more power, you don't really feel it that much around town. It certainly doesn't feel as powerful as the Honda Accord's optional V6 or the new Chrysler 200's, which also has All Wheel Drive in that top trim level. No matter which engine you go with, the Legacy comes with standard All Wheel Drive. One common complaint with All Wheel Drive cars and Subaru's in particular is just how loud they are on the road. And the 2015 Legacy's definitely improved on that. In terms of road noise and engine noise, the Legacy's much quieter inside. There is still a bit of wind noise though, especially on the driver's side window. I don't know if that's because Subaru's glass is so thin or maybe it's cause they moved the mirror from here to here on the door. I'm not quite sure, but you definitely hear it. Another knock against the old Legacy was this interior. Some people, even some cars.com editors felt it wasn't up to snuff versus the competition. So the 2015 had to step it up in terms of the interior. And for the most part, it has. We're in the top limited trim here that comes with leather seats and some other nice features, but all Legacy's have added padding to the doors, center armrests, so they're more comfortable for the driver and passengers. There's also improved materials on the dash and especially the trim pieces are much improved. All cars seem to be getting bigger these days, and the midsize sedan is no exception and the Legacy is right there with them. But the 2015, hasn't grown significantly from the 2014, that car is rather large too. As you can see here, the driver's seat's exactly where I had it when driving I'm five, 10, and I have tons of leg room here, knee room, hip room, et cetera. Now Subaru says the interior is grown, but I don't know about that. What they've done though, is redesigned things like the doors, so they're almost scooped out, so it feels like you have more space than you did before. One thing Subaru has never gotten right in any car I've tested or even owned is a multimedia system. And now with this new system in the 2015 Legacy, they've gone from definitely the bottom of the class to near the top. Now most of it is a complete touchscreen with capacitive touch shortcuts, which we generally don't like, but they keep physical knobs or things like volume and tuning the radio, which we definitely want to have. Another high-tech option a lot of new cars come with these days is active safety and Subaru's is called EyeSight and it's been around for a few years in other Subaru's including the old Legacy. And the new version is improved for sure, like the rest of the car. The main thing that's changed is these cameras that are mounted on the windshield or right below the windshield are smaller, much smaller. So they don't intrude as much. They don't distract you as much when driving, you have much more visibility out the front, those allow for collision prevention. So if the car stops in front of you, suddenly it helps this car slow down, so you don't run into it. But the one feature I found the most interesting I've never seen before is let's say you're at a stoplight and I don't know, you're daydreaming checking Facebook, which you shouldn't do on your phone. And the light turns green and the cars in front of you start moving. This will tell you, Hey, dummy, the car in front of you is moved time to go. The new Legacy does a lot of things really well. So does a Honda Accord or a Ford Fusion. So why would a shopper opt for this over all those other cars? Well, if you live in the Midwest, Northeast, Rocky Mountains, wake up one February morning, see a fresh sheet of snow out there, this All Wheel Drive system will get you to work or school just fine. And the fact that it's priced competitively and it gets similar mileage to all those other cars with Front Wheel Drive, you can even buy one in LA and Miami without any reservations. (engine roaring)