2020 Subaru Legacy vs 2019 Kia Optima

The 2019 Kia Optima, while not as groundbreaking as its 2011–2015 predecessor, still managed to capture attention with its appealing design. The car featured Kia’s trademark tiger-nose grille, sassy fender-vent trim, and an available black panoramic glass roof. With a variety of trim levels, buyers had plenty of options to find the right look at the right price. However, the availability of interior colors was limited, making it challenging to find the perfect combination. Prices ranged from $22,900 for the base LX to $35,790 for the SX Turbo with the luxurious Limited Package. The plug-in hybrid model was the most expensive, topping $42,000 with all options included. The SX Turbo trim, with its blacked-out exterior, machined-face 18-inch aluminum wheels, red brake calipers, and extra-cost white pearl paint, looked like a stealthy sports sedan. Inside, black leather with red inserts, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and upgraded instrumentation added to its racy appearance.

In contrast, the 2020 Subaru Legacy struggled to stand out despite its handsome design. The car had plenty of sharp angles and details, but it lacked the boldness of competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Legacy’s front end appeared smaller, often leading to confusion with the compact Subaru Impreza. Inside, the Legacy featured a massive new 11.6-inch touchscreen, but many features were buried within the digital screen, complicating simple controls like climate and radio. The Legacy offered six trims: base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Limited XT, and Touring XT. The Premium trim, which was recommended by CarGurus, included features like 17-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a power moonroof. The Sport trim added racier exterior details, while the Limited trim included adaptive LED headlights and heated rear seats. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims featured a more powerful turbocharged engine and additional luxury features.

The 2019 Kia Optima offered five different engines, including hybrid powertrains. The base LX and sporty S trims had a 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, while the mid-grade EX Turbo featured a fuel-efficient turbocharged 1.6-liter 4-cylinder with 178 hp. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models were also available, with the former returning 41 mpg in combined driving and the latter offering up to 28 miles of pure electric range. The SX Turbo trim, tested by CarGurus, had a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 245 hp and 260 pound-feet of torque. The 6-speed automatic transmission powered the front wheels, with four driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Smart. The car averaged 23.5 mpg on the testing loop, just short of the EPA’s estimate of 24 mpg in combined driving. The SX Turbo trim featured a unique rack-mounted electrically assisted steering system, providing better feel at the wheel. However, the steering lacked crispness on mountain roads, and the brakes heated up and faded under heavy use. The sport-tuned suspension provided a firm and communicative ride, but excess body motion reduced confidence on twisty roads.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy’s base, Premium, Sport, and Limited trims were equipped with a 2.5-liter boxer 4-cylinder engine, making 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. Power was routed to standard AWD through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with a manual mode and paddle shifters. The Legacy jumped off the line, making it great for city driving, but struggled to get up to highway speed. The Limited XT and Touring XT trims featured 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 Kia Optima provided comfort, simplicity, and plenty of storage for daily driving. Controls were logically laid out, clearly marked, and easy to use. The car featured a spacious 15.9-cubic-foot trunk and numerous storage cubbies. The front seats offered various power adjustments, heating, and ventilation. The standard leather was stiff, but the Limited Package upgraded to buttery Nappa leather, heated backseat cushions, and rear side-window shades. Backseat legroom was impressive, with good thigh support and a comfortable backrest angle. Rear air-conditioning vents and quick-charging USB ports were also provided. The Smart Trunk feature automatically popped the trunk lid when standing behind the car with the key fob, which was helpful when carrying items but could be inconvenient if the lid opened unnecessarily.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy had solid trunk space for its class at 15.1 cubic feet, slightly better than the 2019 model. However, it couldn’t compete with crossovers in terms of cargo space. The Legacy’s backseat head- and legroom were surprising, accommodating a 6'3" driver with room for another person of the same size behind. The backseat featured in-door cupholders, a fold-down center armrest with additional cupholders, and rear USB ports. The front seats were supportive, with deep door pockets for storage. However, the tray in the center stack was small, making it difficult to plug in a USB cable.

The 2019 Kia Optima came with a generous standard infotainment system, including an 8-inch touchscreen display with UVO technology, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Siri Eyes Free, voice recognition, a USB port, and a reversing camera. The Optima S and EX Turbo added satellite radio and UVO eServices, which ran on the smartphone’s data plan. The SX Turbo trim included a navigation system, HD Radio, and a Harman Kardon premium audio system. The infotainment system was easy to use, with a unique font choice and voice-recognition technology that offered some flexibility with commands.

The 2020 Subaru Legacy featured a massive 11.6-inch touchscreen with the Starlink infotainment system. However, many basic controls, like adjusting heated seats and climate settings, required navigating through multiple steps. The icons were large and easy to read, and the system didn’t have lag-time or bugs. The portrait orientation of the screen scrunched Apple CarPlay into a third of the display, which was frustrating for users loyal to their phones. The system was found in every trim 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 Kia Optima included important driver-assistance and collision-avoidance systems as standard, making it a great value for a family-size car. Standard features included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Rear parking-assist sensors and a driver-monitoring system were also standard. Upgrades included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and a surround-view camera system. The Optima received top-notch crash-test ratings, with the IIHS giving it top ratings across the board except for child safety seat LATCH anchor accessibility. The federal government gave the Optima 5-star ratings in every test assessment except for a 4-star rating for front passenger protection in a frontal-impact collision.

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 for alerts, which was intuitive. The system also included an alert for when the car in front started moving forward, helping to avoid causing a backup. Other standard safety features included a full array of front- and side-impact airbags, traction control, a reversing camera, and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).