[Gibson]

Hooooo! It’s ON!”
I have the Outback, wife, Legacy. Both Limited, some software diff, but basically the same. Both 2020.

The Outback is a better ride. The Legacy is good, don’t get me wrong,but the Outback is noticeably smoother. Am I wrong? What gives?

 

[Monsieurmaggot]

Suspension? That's all I can think of.

 

[John Larson]

Suspension? That's all I can think of.

Weight & tires has a lot to due with the ride. I bought the Outback over the Forester due to a smoother ride.

 

[Hokieman]

Yeah we thought we wanted a Forester until we drove the OB. Our daughter has a Legacy though and that's probably why we drive a Subaru now.

 

[SilverOnyx]

Hooooo! It’s ON!”
I have the Outback, wife, Legacy. Both Limited, some software diff, but basically the same. Both 2020.

The Outback is a better ride. The Legacy is good, don’t get me wrong,but the Outback is noticeably smoother. Am I wrong? What gives?

I don't have actual numbers but presumably the Outback has a longer travel suspension which may soak up large bumps better, and I think the tires have taller sidewalls for more of a pillow effect.

The Legacy should be more nimble though - is it?

 

[ecornell]

I only buy wagons. So if subaru finally stopped making legacy wagons, then I will only go with the outback. Major flaw with the sedans. They are missing a rear wiper. Sedans need the rear wiper more than the hatchbacks. It is a safely hazard for them not having a rear wiper blade back there. I think Saab was the only car, that I know of that had a rear wiper blade on their sedans.

 

[ghp]

Hooooo! It’s ON!”
I have the Outback, wife, Legacy. Both Limited, some software diff, but basically the same. Both 2020.

The Outback is a better ride. The Legacy is good, don’t get me wrong,but the Outback is noticeably smoother. Am I wrong? What gives?

I found the the complete opposite - The Legacy is tuned for softer ride. Drove a limited Legacy and a Touring OB back to back and the Legacy was rode better and was quieter

 

[Oldsnwbrdr]

I have the Legacy Touring XT. If I had it to do over again I would probably have got the Outback Limited XT (If my lease payment was about the same). I could use the extra hauling capacity.

 

[ghp]

Suspension? That's all I can think of.

Except for the lift the suspensions are virtually indentical

 

[ghp]

If you read all the reviews from the different car rags they praise the Legacy for a near luxury car ride

 

[Gibson]

I don't have actual numbers but presumably the Outback has a longer travel suspension which may soak up large bumps better, and I think the tires have taller sidewalls for more of a pillow effect.

The Legacy should be more nimble though - is it?

It is easier to park, and while the OB seems smoother, quieter, it IS mine, so..
They appear identical inside, she’s got Nav and a moveable hole in the roof, I don’t. OB just seems smoother.

 

[ang1sgt]

For my old bones I'll take the Outback every time ! My knees are going so being up a couple of inches over a sedan does make a difference. While I love my Son in laws Impreza Sport, it is very hard for me to get in and out of. I have driven and helped deliver darn near every configuration of Subaru over the past 3 years so I do know what works for me!

 

[DugsSin]

Tire pressures all set to spec?
We also enjoy the the OB being higher than our Legacy for the ole in & out.

 

[Monsieurmaggot]

When I was shopping around, I couldn't beleive the Legacy and Outback are the exact same length. The weight difference between the two is only 145lbs/67Kg. I found the Outback to be a bit stiffer on rough roads. The Legacy's ride was nicer than the Accord and Camry as well. It was a toss up for us between the OB and the Legacy but the dealer was much more willing to deal on the Legacy as folks now shy away from sedans. With the kids grown up, we barely use the back seat anymore so storage was no longer a requirement.

 

[ghp]

When I was shopping around, I couldn't beleive the Legacy and Outback are the exact same length. The weight difference between the two is only 145lbs/67Kg. I found the Outback to be a bit stiffer on rough roads. The Legacy's ride was nicer than the Accord and Camry as well. It was a toss up for us between the OB and the Legacy but the dealer was much more willing to deal on the Legacy as folks now shy away from sedans. With the kids grown up, we barely use the back seat anymore so storage was no longer a requirement.

Same here . No kids and with the interior room (- the hatch portion) the same and what some people miss- Excellent visibility.it was a no brainer for me. A limited for 26.5 is hard to beat

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

what are the tire sizes on the legacy vs outback? for 4th gen it is 50 series vs 60 series. sidewall ability to absorb bumps makes a huge difference. I have a 2010 outback 3.6R and a 2014 Legacy with 17" wheels.

my observations both cars have the latest suspension for the model and 20mm rear bars

the legacy is better in the twisties it remains flat, corners very well
the outback is better in the smoothness due it being higher up and more side wall on said tire it does not corner as well.

 

[geneworld]

I only buy wagons. So if subaru finally stopped making legacy wagons, then I will only go with the outback. Major flaw with the sedans. They are missing a rear wiper. Sedans need the rear wiper more than the hatchbacks. It is a safely hazard for them not having a rear wiper blade back there. I think Saab was the only car, that I know of that had a rear wiper blade on their sedans.

The Evo 9's had them, lol that is the only other one that rings a bell.

 

[Monsieurmaggot]

The aerodynamics on the rear window are better on the sedan which is why a wiper isn't required.

Even when I don't clean the snow off my roof completely, whatever gets pushed down against the rear window gets blown away at highway speeds. I found that it works best not to turn on the rear defogger when the snow is drier. Once the defogger melts the snow, the aerodynamic cleaning is reduced as the snow starts sticking.

 

[bbmach]

Besides the obvious travel strut differences, I am sure the valving and spring rates are different as well. If nothing else, the center of gravity is much higher for the Outback, necessitating different settings. It would be cool to speak to a Subaru chassis engineer to see what the goal was for both cars, and how they achieved their goals.

 

[gearhead4x4]

Hooooo! It’s ON!”
I have the Outback, wife, Legacy. Both Limited, some software diff, but basically the same. Both 2020.

The Outback is a better ride. The Legacy is good, don’t get me wrong,but the Outback is noticeably smoother. Am I wrong? What gives?

No surprise. The Outback has a taller profile tire sidewall. More sidewall means more rubber to smooth out bumps. The downside is a sacrifice in handling. Another advantage of the taller sidewall, is more protection for the expensive alloy wheels. The Outback also has taller springs - more space to absorb bumps.
The increased ride height also means you can clear road debris much more easily.
My only reason to choose a Legacy over an Outback is the cheesy black plastic cladding all over the Outback ... on the bumpers, the side sills and even the roof rack. If all of that was replaced by body colored plastic it would be much more attractive. If there was a way to put Legacy bumper covers on my Outback I would do it, but the parts are not interchangeable.