Safety

The 2010 Legacy is one of 27 cars to be named a 2010 Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To earn this award, a car must earn the top score of Good in crash tests and have stability control. This year, IIHS added a roof-strength test to its stable of crash tests. The additional test, which simulates a rollover crash, tightened criteria and greatly reduced the number of cars that qualified for the award.

In addition to stability control, the Legacy has standard antilock brakes and traction control. It also has six airbags, including side-impact airbags for the front seats and side curtain airbags for both rows.

While my kids were happy with all of the legroom in the backseat, one aspect of the second row was frustrating to me. The Latch connectors aren't easy to access; they're buried under a fabric flap that makes it a bit tricky to get at them. Once you do, a rear-facing infant-safety seat should fit in the second row without any problems. My kids' booster seats fit easily into the backseat because there weren't any bolsters to get in the way.

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: There's lots of room in the backseat for rear-facing infant-safety seats.

In School: There's enough real estate for everyone to be happy.

Teens: This is a good-looking first car with great safety ratings.

    See also:

    Checking the oil level
    Non-turbo models 1) Yellow handle Turbo models except STI Check the oil level monthly. 1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and stop the engine. 2. Pull out the level gauge, wipe it clean, and ...

    Engine oil
    NOTE ● When the engine low oil level warning light illuminates, have your vehicle inspected by your SUBARU dealer as soon as possible. ● The engine oil consumption rate is not stabil ...

    Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and OFF indicators
    The front passenger’s frontal airbag ON and OFF indicators show you the status of the front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag. The indicators are located next to the clock in the center portion o ...