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:

    Hill start assist OFF indicator light (STI)
    While the Hill start assist system is deactivated, the Hill start assist OFF indicator light illuminates continuously to inform the driver that the Hill start assist system is not operational. ...

    4-door models
    1. Lower the head restraints. 2. Unlock the seatback by pulling the release strap and then fold the seatback down. To return the seatback to its original position, raise the seatback until it lock ...

    Automatic transmission
    The automatic transmission is electronically controlled and provides 4 forward speeds and 1 reverse speed. Also, it has a manual mode and a SPORT mode. Do not shift from the “P” or “N” position i ...