2008 Subaru Legacy

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2008 Subaru Legacy 4-door sedan
2007 Subaru Legacy shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2005-09 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited 4-door AWD

The Subaru Legacy was redesigned for the 2005 model year.

The frontal offset crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Legacy for the 2005-07 model years (the Legacy wagon was discontinued after 2007). However, the ratings do not apply to Outback models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the roof rail, grab handle, and sun visor during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were low.

Intrusion into the footwell was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0415
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 2
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 8
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 4
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0415
Head
HIC-15 201
Peak gs at hard contact 25
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.34
Chest maximum compression (mm) 35
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 1.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.63
Maximum tibia index - right 0.63
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 3.4
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 143
Right 53

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006-09 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Special Edition 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Subaru Legacy was redesigned for the 2005 model year. Beginning with 2006 models, changes were made to the side structure, front seats, and front seat-mounted torso airbags to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes.

The side impact crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Legacy for the 2006-07 model years (the Legacy wagon was discontinued after 2007). However, the ratings do not apply to Outback models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0529
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -14.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0529
Head HIC-15 234
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.8
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 55
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 46
Average deflection (mm) 39
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.83
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.83
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.0
Combined force (kN) 4.1
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 212
A-P moment (Nm) 52

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0529
Head HIC-15 299
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 31
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33
Average deflection (mm) 30
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.02
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.49
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.3
Combined force (kN) 2.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 81
A-P moment (Nm) -27

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 45
Distance below top of head (mm) 24
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.2
Head contact time (ms) 67
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 37
Max neck tension (N) 308

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.