Subaru’s 2022 WRX, 2023 Legacy and 2023 Outback have each secured a Top Safety Pick Plus award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The WRX sports sedan is upgraded from last year’s Top Safety Pick designation thanks to headlight improvements, while the Legacy sedan and Outback SUV once again meet all the criteria for IIHS’ highest accolade. Additionally, all three vehicles see enhanced versions of Subaru’s EyeSight driver-assist suite.
To be named a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in a series of IIHS crash tests including driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. In addition to acing the crash tests, a vehicle must offer one set of acceptable- or good-rated headlights to qualify and come with a front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash tests. The only distinction between a Top Safety Pick and a Top Safety Pick Plus is that the latter must have good or acceptable headlights across all trims.
2022 Subaru WRX | Cars.com photo by Christian Lantry
The WRX was redesigned for 2022 with headlight improvements on lower trims, upgrading its safety status: The sedan gets good ratings for its curve-adaptive LED projector headlights offered on Limited and GT trims and acceptable ratings for the LED headlights on the Base and Premium. The previous model’s lower trims used halogen headlights that scored a poor rating.
The Subaru Outback and Legacy were both updated for 2023, and each retains its Top Safety Pick Plus status. It’s worth noting that the Outback was the only mid-size car to earn good ratings in a new IIHS side crash test that uses a heavier barrier traveling at a faster speed to mimic a collision with a mid-size SUV or pickup truck.
2023 Subaru Outback | Cars.com photo by Christian Lantry
All three vehicles earn superior ratings for their front crash prevention systems; forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection is included in the EyeSight suite. For 2023, the Outback and Legacy’s top Touring trims add a third wide-angle, forward-facing camera to the dual-camera setup in lower trims, which offers an expanded field of view to recognize pedestrians and bicyclists sooner, according to Subaru. The 2022 WRX also sees enhanced EyeSight features like updated lane departure prevention and automatic emergency steering assist, plus adaptive cruise control with lane-centering steering.
The trio joins Subaru’s other Top Safety Pick Plus designees: the 2023 Ascent, 2023 BRZ and 2022 Forester. Meanwhile, the 2023 Crosstrek earned a Top Safety Pick award.
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Keyword: Subaru Safety Trifecta: 3 Models Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus Awards