2022 Nissan Altima vs. 2022 Subaru Legacy

Back in the sixties, two great powers entered the space race, trying to be the first to land people safely on the moon. Brave astronauts and brave cosmonauts bet on being the first to be in space. It’s not unlike what happened in the years after the first man landed on the moon in 1969. Two of the most innovative automakers, Nissan and Subaru, competed to take the lead in creating the most technologically advanced models in the world. incredibly affordable price. That’s probably why they continue to produce industry-leading midsize sedans at a time when so many other automakers have cowered. When comparing Art 2022 Nissan Altima vs. 2022 Subaru Legacywe see a couple of mid-size sedans that can offer a lot of performance and space.

Subaru first started building the Legacy in 1989, while Nissan launched the Altima four years later in 1993. Today, the 2022 Nissan Altima is in its sixth generation, hitting the road in 2019, while the Subaru Legacy is in its seventh generation. a year later in 2020. Let’s take a closer look at these exceptional cars and find out why both models dominate the midsize sedan market.

A variety of powertrains to launch these two midsize sedans

Undoubtedly, the most important feature of a car is its transmission. This engine and transmission combination powers your sedan by determining key factors such as acceleration and fuel economy. Interestingly, Nissan and Subaru have decided to offer drivers a choice of engines on their mid-size sedans. This is important because each vehicle’s base engine provides the best fuel economy, while the available engine is more for performance.

The base engine at st 2022 Nissan Altima it’s a 2.5-liter I-4 gas engine. It uses a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design with 16 valves feeding the engine’s four cylinders. It also has direct fuel injection that produces 188 hp. at 6,000 rpm and 180 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. If you opt for the available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive, engine power drops slightly to 182 hp. at 6,000 rpm and 178 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm.

Subaru offers the same size for its base engine on the 2022 Legacy. It’s a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder Boxer engine. It also has a DOHC design with 16 valves for the four cylinders. This direct injection engine is slightly less powerful than the 2022 Altima, producing 182 hp. at 5,800 rpm and 176 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. All 2022 Subaru Legacy models come standard with symmetrical all-wheel drive, so you don’t have to choose it for your vehicle.

Interestingly, Nissan and Subaru took a similar approach with the optional engine, adding a turbocharger to a smaller engine than the one that comes standard on the sedan. The 2022 Altima SR has a 2.0-liter I-4 gas engine with Variable Turbo Compression. It also has a DOHC configuration with the ability to deliver 236 hp. at 5,600 rpm and 267 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. If you choose to use higher octane gas, the output increases to 248 hp. at 5,600 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque. This 2022 Nissan Altima model comes with front-wheel drive only.

The 2022 Subaru Legacy Limited XT and Touring XT models have a 2.4-liter turbocharged I-4 gas engine. Just like the other engines, this one has a DOHC configuration that allows it to produce 260 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 277 lb-ft of torque at 2,000-4,000 rpm.
Nissan and Subaru chose the same type of transmission on their mid-size sedans. The Nissan Altima pairs its four-cylinder engines with an Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), while the 2022 Subaru Legacy has a Lineartronic CVT. This replaces standard gear speeds with a transmission that constantly adjusts engine performance to match driving conditions.

Desire for speed

Perhaps the standard all-wheel drive on the 2022 Subaru Legacy is holding it back, because the 2022 Nissan Altima will give you better acceleration in all directions. If you spec the Altima with the base 2.5-liter I-4, you can expect to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds. The 2022 Legacy, with its 2.5-liter Boxer I-4, will take 8.0 seconds to reach the same speed. Likewise, the 2022 Altima SR VC-Turbo has the best acceleration of all four engines. It uses a turbocharger from its 2.0-liter VC-Turbo I-4 to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds. If you choose any of the 2022 Subaru Legacy models with the turbocharged 2.4-liter I-4, you’ll need 6.1 seconds to accelerate your vehicle to 60 mph. Although none of the models are ready to compete on the race track, this gives you a better idea of ​​their capabilities.

Save the last gas for me

Fuel economy has become a major concern, and both midsize sedans are great at saving you money at the gas station. However, you should expect better fuel economy from the 2022 Nissan Altima than the 2022. Subaru Legacy. If you choose the front-wheel-drive Altima with the base 2.5-liter I-4 engine, you can expect the best fuel economy of the two models: 28 mpg city, 39 mpg highway and 32 MPG combined. If you opt for available all-wheel drive, the Altima and Legacy are pretty comparable, with 30 mpg combined.

As expected, the 2022 Altima and Legacy performance models trade up for a little fuel economy. As a result, the Altima SR VC-Turbo will give you 25 mpg in the city, 34 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. For the 2022 Subaru Legacy Limited XT and Touring XT, fuel economy drops to 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined. Perhaps this has something to do with the standard four-wheel drive.

There is enough space for everyone

One of the keys to the success of midsize sedans is design. You want to create a model with enough room for passengers and cargo, but you also want to make sure that the vehicle is not so large that it becomes difficult to drive. Both Nissan and Subaru have excelled at this seemingly contradictory task. The Altima and Legacy are spacious enough to seat five passengers comfortably, offer a decent amount of luggage space in the trunk, and are still small enough to be able to maneuver well in traffic.

The 2022 Nissan Altima is slightly larger than the 2022 Subaru Legacy. The Altima’s wheelbase is 111.2 inches, while the Legacy’s is 108.3 inches. However, they provide a comparable amount of passenger space. The Altima’s interior passenger compartment is 100.6 cubic feet, while the Legacy has a slightly larger 105.5 cubic feet, most of which is headroom. For example, the Altima has 39.1 inches of headroom in the front seat and 36.9 inches in the rear, while the Legacy has slightly more room, 39.4 inches in the front and 37.2 inches in the rear. However, when it comes to front-row legroom, the Altima tops out at 43.8 inches compared to the Legacy’s 42.8 inches. The Nissan Altima also has slightly more trunk space, which may be due to the longer wheelbase. You get 15.4 cu.ft. of Altima trunk space compared to 15.1 cu. on a Subaru Legacy.

Take me to the moon

Not yet 2022 Nissan Altima neither will the 2022 Subaru Legacy take you to the moon and return you safely to Earth, both will provide you with what you’re probably looking for in a midsize sedan. Overall, the Altima will give you better acceleration and fuel economy than the Legacy when comparing similar trims and engine options. Of course, with the Subaru Legacy you get standard all-wheel drive, which can help with traction, especially in bad weather. In terms of passenger and cargo space, the two models are fairly comparable, providing a spacious interior for 5 passengers and a trunk that will have plenty of room for your luggage if you decide to take either model on a long trip. Both models are exceptional mid-size sedans, so their pros and cons will ultimately be up to the customer to decide which one best suits their needs.