2025 Subaru Legacy vs 2025 Hyundai Sonata
The 2025 Subaru Legacy and the 2025 Hyundai Sonata both offer buyers looking for a practical vehicle to meet their family's everyday needs, including work and school commutes, as well as weekend travel.
Buying a sensible and affordable sedan need not mean boring, and both these mid-size sedans are solid options with some flair that cater to different buying priorities.
Let's take a look at what each of these sedans has on offer to meet differing individual needs and preferences.
2025 Subaru Legacy
The Subaru Legacy has been around since 1989. Since then, however, American car buyers have found their new best friend in the SUV, no matter the size or shape. With this in mind, Subaru will be discontinuing the Legacy, its last standing sedan product in its lineup after 2025, to focus its attention on meeting the ever-growing demand for SUVs.
The trim lineup for 2025 comprises Base, Premium, Limited, Sport, and XT.
2025 Hyundai Sonata
For the 2025 Hyundai Sonata, there are very few changes.
Hyundai has brought back the base SE trim into the fold and added the formerly available optional Convenience package onto the SEL to be sold as the SEL Convenience.
The Hyundai Sonata is available in six trims for the 2025 model year that now includes SE, SEL, SEL Convenience, SEL Hybrid, Hybrid Limited, and the N Line.
Exterior Differences
The Legacy's exterior sees a traditional four-door sedan body style typical of the breed that offers buyers elegant styling along with a long list of standard exterior features.
Key exterior features across all Legacy trims include:
- LED Steering Responsive Headlights
- LED Daytime Running Lights
- Alloy wheels
- Two-speed windshield wipers with variable-intermittent mode and mist feature.
The 2025 Subaru Legacy is available in a choice of up to six exterior paint colors, depending on trim level.
The South Korean Sonata sports an ultramodern design with a distinct fastback silhouette that showcases Hyundai's Sensuous Sportiness design language.
The front view shows a full-width LED light bar below the hood line with LED headlights that are cleverly tucked away above the sporty air intakes.
Adding to the Sonata's sporty looks are the wide and angular shark-like black mesh front grille and sharp fender lines. At the rear, LED tail lights, plus rear spoiler and twin-tipped exhausts are standard fare.
Further key exterior design features include:
- LED Daytime Running Lights
- Automatic light control
- Solar control glass
- Acoustic film windshield and front door glass
- Hands-free smart trunk release
Dimensions
The Subaru is 191.1 inches long, 72.4 inches wide, and 59.1 inches tall, built on a wheelbase measuring 108.3 inches. The Base trim weighs in at 3,492 pounds, while the top-tier Touring XT adds some weight at 3,787 pounds with its generous equipment levels.
The latest Hyundai Sonata measures 193.3 inches long and is 73.2 inches wide without mirrors, and is 56.9 inches high, riding on a 111.8-inch wheelbase.
Depending on trim level, the 2025 Hyundai Sonata's curb weight varies from 3,305 pounds to 3,687 pounds.
Interior Comparison
The five-seater Legacy offers shoppers a cabin featuring well-chosen quality materials along with a high-quality build.
The uncluttered cabin offers traditional analog instrument gauges, an LCD color screen for displaying vehicle functions, an electronic parking brake, plus auto-on/off wiper-linked headlights.
Further standout interior specifications are:
- 3-spoke steering wheel with integrated controls
- Manually adjustable tilt/telescoping steering column
- Transmission paddle shifters
- Trunk underfloor storage tray
- 60/40-split flat-folding rear seatbacks
The five-seater 2025 Hyundai Sonata has an ultra-modern cabin with a digital driver's instrument cluster seamlessly paired with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. The gear selector is conveniently located on the steering column, freeing up additional storage space in the center console.
The standard driver's digital cluster is a 4.2-inch display, with a larger 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster display available on the SEL Convenience trim.
Interior convenience features include LED interior lights, Hyundai's digital Key 2, and a panoramic sunroof.
Further noteworthy interior features include:
- 8-way power driver seat with power lumbar
- Adjustable passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters
Cargo Space
The Subaru Legacy offers up to 15.1 cubic feet of cargo volume in its trunk.
The Hyundai has 16 cubic feet of trunk space. The foldable rear seats are split 60/40 to accommodate larger items.
Infotainment and Connectivity
The Legacy is equipped with a SUBARU STARLINK® Dual 7.0-inch multimedia system that comprises a high-resolution LCD touchscreen with multi-touch gesture displays and an AM/FM stereo HD Radio® with four speakers.
Staying connected is courtesy of Apple CarPlay®, and Android Auto™ integration, SiriusXM® and SiriusXM Travel Link®, Bluetooth®, hands-free phone and text messaging connectivity, plus a 3.5mm auxiliary jack.
The Hyundai features a large single-glass screen stretching across its dashboard, containing a 12.3-inch display for the driver as mentioned above, and another touchscreen for the infotainment system controls.
Wireless Apple CarPlay plus Android Auto are standard, while a premium Bose stereo system with 12 speakers is optional.
Powertrain Differences
The Subaru is powered by a 2.5-liter "Boxer" four-cylinder engine producing 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque. A more powerful 260-horsepower turbocharged 2.4-liter "Boxer" four-cylinder with 277 pound-feet of torque is fitted in upper Sport and Touring XT trims.
A Lineartronic continuously variable automatic transmission with adaptive control is standard, featuring an eight-speed manual mode that sends drive to all four corners via Subaru's legendary symmetrical all-wheel drive system.
The Hyundai offers two engine options: a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated engine producing 191 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 181 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, and a turbocharged 290 horsepower version with 311 pound-feet of torque, exclusive to the Sonata N Line trim.
FWD is standard while Hyundai's HTRAC All-Wheel Drive is available on the SEL trim.
The base 2.5-liter engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. An N 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission is fitted to the turbocharged engine.
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