2011 Subaru Legacy

All-wheel drive comes standard on the 2011 Subaru Legacy at an affordable price, and it's a top family-car choice of several reliable experts. However, other critics complain that the Legacy has lost its athletic handling edge, and it finishes as a runner-up to the top-rated 2011 Hyundai Sonata (Base MSRP: $19,395 to $27,245). After a full redesign in 2010, the Legacy remains largely unchanged for 2011 – the 2.5 GT model now comes in only one Limited trim level with standard satellite radio and sunroof, and the optional Harman Kardon audio system now comes with satellite radio. For a full analysis of this car, see our page on the 2010 Subaru Legacy.

Base engine delivers best fuel economy

Fuel economy is unchanged from 2010. The most fuel-efficient 2011 Subaru Legacy pairs the base 2.5-liter non-turbo engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for an EPA-estimated 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway/26 mpg combined. With the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the same engine gets 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway/22 mpg combined. The Legacy 2.5GT uses a turbocharged version of the four-cylinder engine and offers only the manual transmission, delivering 18 mpg city/25 mpg highway/21 mpg combined. An available 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine drops fuel economy to 20 mpg combined, using a five-speed automatic transmission.