By EWAN KENNEDY in Tokyo
All-new Subaru Levorg is arguably the best looking car ever penned by the Japanese maker famed for high-performance machines.
The good news is that Subaru Levorg wagon has an excellent combination of high-performance, style and practicality. The bad news is that you will have to wait until the middle of 2016 before you can buy one.
Levorg has been on sale in Japan since June 2014. Originally intended as a Japanese only speciality model it received such good reports by visitors to the country as well as online that the decision was made to go global.
Subaru Australia invited a small group of Australian motoring journalists to Japan for technical presentations from Subaru and STI engineers, as well as test drives on a closed road course in the mountains around Isu City. More about the driving impressions in a moment.
But, first the name, Levorg; the Subaru that Australians call Liberty is sold everywhere else as Legacy. Levorg is a somewhat mixed up amalgam of Legacy and Evolution. Can’t say the name rolls of our tongues easily, but will let you make your own decision. (In Australia Legacy is, of course, the organisation looking after the needs of families of Australian military personnel, hence the change of name for us.)
On the subject of mixed up, there’s a fair bit of Subaru WRX STi in the equation as well. The hottest Rex donates many of the out-of-sight components from the B-pillar forwards, including the hot boxer turbo engine. No bad thing as Australian drivers first fell in love with WRX over 20 years ago and it still sells its wheels off.
Though it’s possible to refer to the Subaru Levorg as a WRX station wagon it is actually aimed at quite a different market, that of high-performance wagons sold by the German marques. Levorg combines sophistication, dynamic ability and style, rather than being a road going hotrod.
Styling is excellent, indeed we feel it is one of the best shaped Subarus we have ever seen. The Japanese company is very engineering oriented and hasn’t always produced the most stylish of machines. The Levorg certainly falls into a different category in that way, in fact we even feel it outclasses the European wagons in this respect. High praise, indeed.
Inside, the sophisticated look continues, with sports seats that provide good support while still making ingress and egress easy. Levorg uses the latest generation Subaru infotainment system.
Subaru’s Eyesight safety system is standard in Levorg. The new wagons will be sold in two models in Australia, details are still being finalised.
Power comes from Subaru’s well-respected 2.0-litre boxer, direct-injection, turbocharged engine, in this instance developing 201 kW of power at 5600 rpm and 350 Nm of torque between 2400 and 5200 revs. Note that these specifications may be slightly different as final details of the Australian imports of Levorg are still to be finalised.
A continuously variable transmission with manual overrides takes torque to all four wheels by way of Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system.
Interestingly, our driving impressions were gained on the closed road that will be used for some cycling events at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. A winding hilly route of five kilometres it had bumps, dips, cracks, broken edges and everything you would expect in normal driving on a country road.
Handling proved very competent with excellent grip, precise turn and good feedback through the steering wheel. Comfort remained good for the dynamic nature of the suspension. We expect Levorg will make an excellent grand tourer (GT) in the true meaning of the phrase; that is able to cover big distances in comfort while providing the driver with plenty of pleasure. Stay tuned for our reports on Australian driving when we report on the local launch in June or July next year.
Engine performance is excellent with a minimum of turbo lag and plenty of torque on tap once that turbocharger is spinning fast.
Interior space is good with reasonable legroom in the back seat, there’s certainly enough space for children who haven’t yet reached the hulking-teen stage. The wagon’s load area is well shaped and easy to load.
Though Australian Subaru Levorgs are still many months off it might be worth a call to your favourite Subaru dealer soon as we anticipate a rush on it which could lead to delivery delays.
