2019 Honda Civic vs 2020 Subaru Legacy

The 2019 Civic, while not as stylish as the 2019 Mazda3, still brought its own upscale flair. It featured a new gloss-black upper grille, a revised lower bumper, and larger 18-inch wheels. The sedan's silhouette was graceful, with a long hood balancing a sizable cabin and short tail, complemented by wraparound LED lights. The Touring trim added chrome door handles and LED headlights that resembled tiny crystals. The new Sport trim offered a center-mounted exhaust and exterior flash similar to the performance-oriented Si trim but at a lower cost.

The Civic Hatchback, with its tall and aggressive rear end, and the Coupe model, which offered a more balanced alternative, were also available. The interior maintained a high-tech yet simplified theme with a central LCD screen for the tachometer and speedometer, minimal buttons, and clean lines. Despite a starting price under $20,000, the Civic's fit and finish felt high quality, with switchgear, buttons, and fabrics built to last.

The 2020 Legacy, while handsome, struggled to stand out compared to the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Its front end looked smaller, almost like a compact Subaru Impreza. However, the Legacy aimed for pragmatic sensibility, featuring a massive new 11.6-inch touchscreen. Unfortunately, many features were buried within this digital screen, complicating simple controls like climate and radio. The base trim came well-equipped with remote keyless entry, Bluetooth connectivity, dual 7-inch touchscreens, and Subaru EyeSight, a comprehensive suite of driver assistance features.

The Premium trim added 17-inch alloy wheels, power side mirrors, four USB ports, and the 11.6-inch touchscreen. It also included a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a power moonroof. The Sport trim upgraded to 18-inch alloys and added racier exterior details. The Limited trim featured adaptive LED headlights, an 8-way power front passenger seat, and heated rear seats. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims included a more powerful turbocharged engine and additional features like dual tailpipes and a heated steering wheel.

The 2019 Civic offered a range of engines. The LX and Sport sedans and coupes came with a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. The EX and above trims featured a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 with 174 hp and 162 lb-ft. The hatchback exclusively used the turbo engine, making 180 hp in the Hatchback Sport. The Si and Type R models offered even more power, with the Si boosting the 1.5-liter engine to 205 hp and 192 lb-ft, and the Type R producing 306 hp and 295 lb-ft from a heavily boosted 2.0-liter engine. The Civic's engines were smooth and refined, with the turbo engine offering better mid-range acceleration. The manual transmissions were praised for their near-perfect feel, while the CVT was impressive for its smooth operation.

The 2020 Legacy's base, Premium, Sport, and Limited trims featured a 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, paired with a CVT and standard AWD. The Legacy's powertrain was responsive, making it great for city driving, but it struggled to reach highway speeds without making a lot of noise. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims offered a 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer 4-cylinder engine with 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. The Legacy's chassis was surprisingly good, with precise cornering and refined ride quality. However, the auto stop-start system was jarring, and turning it off required navigating through the infotainment system. The base engine achieved fuel economy of 27 mpg city, 35 highway, and 30 combined, while the turbocharged engine dropped to 24 city, 32 highway, and 27 combined.

The 2019 Civic's interior featured a touchscreen with a volume knob and five shortcut buttons, making it easier to use than previous models. The three-spoke steering wheel controlled the central display in the instrument panel, and the analog gauges for fuel and coolant flanked the central screen. The rear seat offered surprising roominess, with optional heated outboard seats. Cargo space was significant, with the sedan offering 15.1 cubic feet (14.7 in the Touring trim), the coupe offering 11.9 to 12.1 cubic feet, and the hatchback offering up to 25.7 cubic feet and 46.2 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The center console provided ample storage, and visibility was good in all directions.

The 2020 Legacy had solid trunk space for its class at 15.1 cubic feet, slightly better than the 2019 model. The backseat offered impressive head- and legroom, with enough space for a 6'3" driver and another person of the same height behind them. The backseat also featured in-door cupholders, a fold-down center armrest with two more cupholders, and rear USB ports. The front seats were supportive, with deep pockets in the doors for storage. However, the tray in the center stack was small, making it difficult to plug in a USB cable.

The 2019 Civic's Android-based infotainment system felt dated compared to newer Honda models. However, it redeemed itself with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The 450-watt, 10-speaker stereo on the Touring trim no longer rattled the back window, and Honda's Garmin-based navigation was quick and accurate. Honda LaneWatch, available on certain trims, provided a live feed of the right-side blind spot, enhancing safety.

The 2020 Legacy's 11.6-inch Starlink infotainment system required multiple steps for simple adjustments like heated seats and climate controls. While the icons were large and easy to read, the portrait orientation scrunched Apple CarPlay into a third of the screen. The system was found in all trims except the base, which had a dual-screen setup with similar issues. Test-driving the tech was recommended to see if it was as frustrating for other users.

The 2019 Civic came standard with Honda Sensing on all trims except the Si and Type R. This suite included forward-collision alert with emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control. The IIHS rated various 2016–2018 Civic models with its top Good rating in all six crash tests and Superior for crash-prevention features. The NHTSA awarded the 2019 Civic five stars in all categories, except for four stars for the coupe's passenger-side frontal crash rating.

The 2020 Legacy came standard with Subaru’s EyeSight suite, including forward-collision warning, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. EyeSight used a head-up light system for alerts and included a feature that alerted drivers when the car in front started moving. Other standard safety features included front- and side-impact airbags, traction control, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).