What is the best Subaru Legacy/Outback for fuel economy?

The strongest year was 2003 at 21 mpg combined, against 19 mpg in 2003. That is a 2 mpg spread across the nameplate's history.

How much does a Subaru Legacy/Outback cost to fuel each year?

At 11,500 miles a year the 2004 model uses between 548 and 605 gallons, or $1,917 to $2,118 at $3.50 a gallon.

What does the Subaru Legacy/Outback emit?

EPA reports 423.1904761904762 to 467.7368421052632 grams of tailpipe CO2 per mile for the 2004 model year, or about 4.9 to 5.4 tons over a year of driving.

Subaru Legacy/Outback MPG by year — every rating on record

The Subaru Legacy/Outback has a combined EPA fuel economy rating for 2 model years, from 2003 to 2004. Across those years its best rated version returned 21 mpg (2003) and its thirstiest returned 19 mpg (2003). The EPA record holds 8 configurations for this nameplate, most recently a Compact Cars.

21best combined mpg (2003)

19worst combined mpg (2003)

21latest year best (2004)

8configurations on record

Year-by-year EPA ratings

Model year	Configurations	Best combined	Worst combined	Class rank that year	Drivetrains	Fuel	EPA class
2003	4	21 mpg	19 mpg	#43 of 64 (33th pct)	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Compact Cars
2004	4	21 mpg	19 mpg	#46 of 65 (30th pct)	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Compact Cars

Where it has stood in its class

Ranked against every other nameplate the EPA filed under the same class that year. The Subaru Legacy/Outback placed highest in 2003 at #43 of 64, and lowest in 2004 at #46 of 65. It spent 0 of its 2 ranked years in the top half of its class.

Every configuration on record

All 8 configurations EPA lists for this nameplate, newest first.

Year	Configuration	Engine detail	City	Highway	Combined	Gallons/yr	Barrels/yr	EPA fuel cost/yr	CO2 g/mi	GHG
2004	3.0L 6-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	3.0L 6-cyl	17	23	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
2004	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	19	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
2004	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	19	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
2004	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic (S4) Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	18	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
2003	3.0L 6-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	3.0L 6-cyl	17	23	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
2003	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	19	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
2003	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	18	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
2003	2.5L 4-cyl 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive Automatic (S4) Regular	2.5L 4-cyl	18	25	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a

What Legacy/Outback fuel costs over a year

At the EPA's 11,500 miles a year, the 2004 Subaru Legacy/Outback burns 548 to 605 gallons depending on configuration. Below is what that costs at three pump prices, and how much more the thirstiest configuration costs than the most efficient one.

Pump price	Most efficient	Thirstiest	Spread
$3.00/gal	$1,643	$1,816	$173
$3.50/gal	$1,917	$2,118	$202
$4.00/gal	$2,190	$2,421	$231

EPA’s own estimate for the 2004 model year is $2,950 to $4,100 a year in fuel, or $3,500 more than the average new vehicle over five years.

How it compares with other Compact Cars

Across the 498 nameplates EPA classifies as Compact Cars, the median best combined rating is 26 mpg. At 21 mpg the Subaru Legacy/Outback is 5 mpg below the median, which is worth about $369 a year at $3.50 a gallon.

All Compact Cars rankings — every nameplate in the class, best to worst.

Other Subaru nameplates

Every Subaru model compared → — all nameplates ranked by best combined rating, with what each one costs a year.