Top Safety Pick + Top Safety Pick criteria

2015 Subaru Legacy

midsize car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention

2015 Subaru Legacy 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Superior

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights
  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Optional lane departure warning

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.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2015-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i 4-door 4wd

The Subaru Legacy was redesigned for the 2015 model year. The driver-side small overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Legacy, known as the Outback, also redesigned for 2015.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

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

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1433
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 9
Footrest (cm) 7
Left toepan (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 5
Upper dash (cm) 6
Lower instrument panel (cm) 6

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1433
Head
HIC-15 120
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 4
Maximum Nij 0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm) 25
Femur (kN)
Left 1.7
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 4
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.53
Right 0.36
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.5
Right 0.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 65
Right 43

How the driver-side small overlap front test is conducted

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2015-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium 4-door 4wd

The Subaru Legacy was redesigned for the 2015 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Subaru as part of frontal crash test verification.

The moderate overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Legacy, known as the Outback, also redesigned for 2015.

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

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1404
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 2
Left (cm) 3
Center (cm) 4
Right (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3
Rearward (cm) -6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1404
Head
HIC-15 117
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 20
Maximum Nij 0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm) 32
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.4
Femur force - right (kN) 0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.48
Maximum tibia index - right 0.55
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.7
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 67
Right 57

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2015-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium 4-door 4wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Subaru Legacy was redesigned for the 2015 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Subaru as part of side crash test verification.

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
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1406
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -19.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1406
Head HIC-15 242
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 44
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 37
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.85
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.38
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.4
Combined force (kN) 2.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.2
L-M moment (Nm) 114
A-P moment (Nm) 21

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1406
Head HIC-15 262
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.3
Compression (kN) 0.8
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 27
Lateral force (kN) 0.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34
Average deflection (mm) 29
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.84
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.41
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.2
Combined force (kN) 1.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 142
A-P moment (Nm) 40

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2015-19 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i 4-door 4wd

Rating applies to both the Subaru Legacy (tested) and the structurally similar Subaru Outback.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,455 lbs
Peak force 18,533 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 5.36

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 17
Distance below top of head (mm) -7
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.5
Head contact time (ms) 50
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 0
Max neck tension (N) 140

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

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional EyeSight

Package name

  • Optional EyeSight

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2015-18 models

Superior
Superior
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

How front crash prevention is evaluated