Specs at a Glance
2018 Subaru Legacy
Fuel Capacity
18.5 gal.
MPG **
25/34
2018 Ford Fusion
Fuel Capacity
16.5 gal.
MPG **
21/32
2018 Subaru Legacy vs 2018 Ford Fusion
Proudly Serving Harrisonburg, VA
While most midsize sedans are too preoccupied to mimic the segment leaders in order to get the upper hand in an ever-competitive sector, others such as the Subaru Legacy and Ford Fusion are content with carving distinctive identities. After all, not every sedan has a horizontally opposed engine and standard all-wheel drive like the Legacy. And not every sedan is as attentive to exterior aesthetics and styling like the Fusion. The 2018 model year finds the Subaru Legacy in the middle of its sixth production cycle—with updated styling, a larger standard display screen, and retuned driving dynamics. The much younger Ford Fusion, now at the tail end of its second generation of production, had received a major facelift in 2017, so it’s understandable that it has no updates for 2018. Still, the 2018 Subaru Legacy is the better pick as a midsize sedan, and here’s why:
Drivetrain
The 2018 Subaru Legacy and the 2018 Ford Fusion are unique in that they each offer the opportunity of getting an all-wheel drive. As opposed to the traditional front-wheel-drive layout, which involves engine power being sent to the front wheels, all-wheel drive involves power transported to all wheels. That way, when there’s slippage on one wheel when driving on surfaces compromised by rain, ice, or snow, the other wheels can compensate for the lack of traction. As a result, all-wheel drive is ideal for all-weather driving, and it is always offered on larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks. On the Fusion, you can switch between the front-wheel drivetrain and the all-wheel-drive system. However, all-wheel drive is standard on the Legacy, so you don’t need to pay extra to make the upgrade. Consequently, you’d get more bang for your buck with the Subaru. Plus, you’d get something that is absent on the Ford vehicle: active vector torqueing, which applies power to the inner front wheel for better handling, more controlled steering, and sharper cornering and turning.
Fuel Economy
With its standard 2.5-liter Subaru Boxer® 4-cylinder engine tied to a continuously variable transmission, the 2018 Legacy—even with the all-wheel-drive consuming more power than the traditional front-wheel drive—provides terrific gas mileage, which is measured at 25/34 mpg. On the 2018 Fusion, you can go with a 1.5-liter inline 4-cylinder engine (which is considerably smaller than the Subaru engine), a 6-speed manual transmission, and the front-wheel drivetrain (which does not consume as much energy as the all-wheel-drive system) to maximize fuel efficiency. However, it falls 2 mpg short of the Legacy’s city fuel-efficiency peak.
Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) considers the 2018 Subaru Legacy an exceptionally safe vehicle. And the organization demonstrated such a sentiment by marking it as a TOP SAFETY PICK+ car. That’s because the Legacy scored the top-level IIHS rating in front crash prevention ability, headlight effectiveness, and all of the organization’s crashworthiness test categories (“Superior,” “Good,” and “Good,” respectively). Also worthy of note is the ease of use of the Legacy’s LATCH system, which is the mounting system used to secure child seats in the back. The Subaru vehicle also got the top-level rating (“Good+”) in that area. By comparison, the IIHS considers the 2018 Ford Fusion a TOP SAFETY PICK vehicle, which is a notch below the Legacy’s rating. Although the Fusion got the top-level ratings in the crashworthiness and front crash prevention tests, it received the bottom-level “Poor” rating in headlight effectiveness. This is especially important, since headlights are crucial in preventing nighttime crashes, which account for about half of all vehicle-related fatalities, according to the IIHS. Also worth noting is that the Fusion received an unimpressive “Marginal” rating for ease of use of its LATCH system.
Come check out the 2018 Subaru Legacy, rather than the 2018 Ford Fusion, come see us at our dealership in Harrisonburg, Virginia. With outstanding aggregated reviews on Google and CarGurus, we have proven time and time again that we are great with our customers. Plus, we have an ever-robust collection of vehicles to choose from. Set up an appointment today to go on a test drive and meet with one of our sales specialists.
** EPA-estimated fuel economy. Actual mileage may vary.
** EPA-estimated city/hwy mpg for the model indicated. See fueleconomy.gov for fuel economy of other engine/transmission combinations. Actual mileage will vary. On plug-in hybrid models and electric models, fuel economy is stated in MPGe. MPGe is the EPA equivalent measure of gasoline fuel efficiency for electric mode operation.
