Compare the2025 Subaru LegacyVS 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Legacy have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Legacy are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Legacy has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Legacy. But it costs extra on the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Both the Legacy and the 2 Series Gran Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Legacy 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 2 Series Gran Coupe ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 83 percent more Subaru dealers than there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Legacy’s reliability 12 points higher than the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. BMW is ranked 8th.

The Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 19 more horsepower (260 vs. 241) than the 228 Gran Coupe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Legacy lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy 2.5i gets better fuel mileage than the M235 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (27 city/35 hwy vs. 24 city/33 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Legacy Sport/XT for maximum performance). The M235 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Legacy has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (18.5 vs. 12.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Legacy has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer a CVT.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Legacy’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the 2 Series Gran Coupe (108.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

For better maneuverability, the Legacy’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the 2 Series Gran Coupe’s (36.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The front grille of the Legacy 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the 2 Series Gran Coupe is rated a Compact.

The Legacy has 14.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (105.5 vs. 91).

The Legacy has 1.4 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 5.1 inches more rear legroom and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the 2 Series Gran Coupe (15.1 vs. 12 cubic feet).

The engine in the Legacy is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the 2 Series Gran Coupe. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than BMW. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 20% lower rating, BMW is ranked 10th.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Legacy’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Legacy Base). The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Legacy has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Legacy has standard extendable sun visors. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Legacy and the 2 Series Gran Coupe offer available heated front seats. The Legacy Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the 2 Series Gran Coupe.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Legacy Touring keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 2 Series Gran Coupe doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Legacy, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Legacy outsold the BMW 2 Series by 25% during 2024.