What is the future of the motoring world? It’s a question we often talk about at Tartan Tarmac breakfast or curry events and it’s something we all have our theories on. Will electric cars become the norm? Will all cars be driverless? Can technologies such as Free Valve give the internal combustion engine a stay of execution?
While most of the big auto manufacturers have organised themselves into groups so as to take on these challenges, Subaru has managed to remain independent and stuck to a simple formula: make safe and solid cars that are built to last, and sometimes sprinkle some sporting magic on them.
Although the days of the rally rep are mostly gone, Subaru in the UK are still very much known as the manufacturer who brought you the massively fast and usually obtrusively loud “Scooby” aka the Impreza STi. That image probably doesn’t do them any favours outside of the performance car fraternity, although it will always be a hero in the eyes of TT, their new cars are still following a similar strategy.
Before even driving the Levorg you can tell it’s not a car that you going to see many of on the road and it’s not going to be stealing sales from any German manufacturers. It doesn’t have amazing finance offers and lease deals and you know that residuals aren’t going to be great. For many this will be massively off-putting, but for those people in the know it really doesn’t matter. When Subaru aren’t making rally cars that are tuned to the max they make cars that are designed to live the toughest life imaginable and last for decades.
Looking at the Levorg with its bonnet scoop to help get cool air over the top mounted intercooler, it has some nice touches including the modern lights and crisp lines going from them and around the front grill. The rear isn’t quite so modern looking but the dual exhausts at least make it look purposeful.
The interior is slightly lacking on the style front and the tech feels a little bit older than you might expect, but the cabin really has a feel that everything is built to last. Proper buttons and switches mean there are no concerns that if something happens with the infotainment system then you won’t be able to heat the seats or demist the windows.
Before talking about what the Levorg is like to drive, it’s worth mentioning the engine choices. There aren’t any. Subaru only sell this car with a 1.6l turbo petrol unit. In the wake of ‘dieselgate’ this might not be the worst thing in the world but I’m sure there are still plenty people in the UK who want a diesel engine due to the potential MPG benefits. I averaged 34MPG which is probably lower than you’d get with a Golf GTi.
Getting out onto the road and there are two things that you notice right away: the ride is firm and there is a lot of road noise. I wasn’t expecting the ride to be quite as firm as it is, but even though you feel every bump in the road, the car deals with it well and shrugs them off.
The engine actually feels faster than the stats suggest it will be with 168BHP and 184lb ft of torque, but enjoyment is somewhat restricted by Subaru’s use of a CVT. As any other car I’ve driven with one of these gearboxes, it really saps a lot of enjoyment from the car.
Ignoring the gearbox, the Levorg makes for a very quick cross country wagon. I never got a decent run in the car without family in tow and maybe this is a good thing because this seems to be exactly what the car is about. If I lived in the country and wasn’t into sports cars or SUVs then this would be the ideal car; indestructible, 4WD and quick.
I think this gets to the crux of what Subaru is doing while being one of the last true independent manufacturers, it’s building cars for people who want to buy a car and run it forever. This isn’t a huge segment of the market but let’s hope it’s big enough to keep Subaru in the UK and maybe give us another proper rally rep one day….
PRICE: £27,495
ENGINE: 1600cc Horizontal-opposed, 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, turbocharged, petrol engine
POWER: 168 bhp
TORQUE: 184 lb ft
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 130 mph, 0-62 mph 8.9 secs
CONSUMPTION: 39.8 mpg (combined)
CO2: 164 g/km
TT Rating: 
