2010 Subaru Legacy

2010 Subaru Legacy

2010 Subaru Outback

2010 Subaru Outback

It's a good thing the 2010 Subaru Legacy and Outback have secured top marks in crash testing at the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) because they have enough to overcome in the form of their controversial looks.

The 2010 Subaru Outback wears the new face and body shape better than its Legacy counterpart, but both cars take the Subaru profile and front end to places few Subie fans appreciate. Nonetheless, the car has been a success in other respects, earning best-in-class fuel economy and now an IIHS Top Safety Pick.

IIHS testing includes front, side and rear impact tests and in order to get the Top Safety Pick, a car must ace all of these with the highest rating of 'good' and also offer standard electronic stability control.

Getting a Top Safety Pick while coming in about the same weight or in some cases lighter than previous generation models is no easy feat, and it's something Subaru is proud of.

"To have this endorsement by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety for every Subaru vehicle in our line-up is a tribute to our engineers and reinforces to consumers that we focus not only on manufacturing fun-to-drive vehicles, but also vehicles that are durable and dependable," said Tom Doll, executive vice president and COO of Subaru of America.

It's that light weight that's partially responsible for the Subaru's 31 mpg highway fuel efficiency rating as well, which the car gets when the 2.5-liter 170-horsepower boxer four is combined with the Lineartronic continuously variable transmission (CVT), a new option for 2010.

Check out our release stories to learn more about the 2010 Legacy and its Outback cousin, or for a more detailed look, check out TheCarConnection's first drive review.

[Subaru]