Subaru Levorg - TopCarNews

Subaru Levorg (2015 – present) | Expert Rating [hide]

Summary

The Subaru Levorg was launched in 2015 as a replacement for the Japanese brand’s Legacy all-wheel-drive estate car, which enjoyed a small but loyal audience amongst mainly rural-based buyers.

Unfortunately for Subaru, the Levorg – the name created by combining ‘Legacy’, ‘Revolution’ and ‘Touring’ (“a bizarre combination” says Auto Express) has struggled to find an audience and remains a rarity on the roads. Parkers calls it “an oddity, difficult to pigeonhole,” and Car “maybe the oddest car you can currently buy” while Honest John says it has “a curious specification.”

This is because you can only buy the Levorg in one form. Initially, it was with a 1.6-litre flat-four turbo petrol engine, but in 2019 this was changed for a 2.0-litre non-turbo unit with slightly less power and torque. Regardless of engine, the drive is put to the road through a CVT automtic gearbox. “It certainly feels lethargic on the road – low-speed pickup is far from generous and if you let the CVT rev the engine hard, it’s thrashy and there’s little in the way of serious thrust,” comments Car.

The 2019 update also saw very subtle exterior styling changes and improvements to the interior trim and equipment – the breadth of specification does earn a plus point, with a seven-inch touchscreen sat nav, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration and a wide range of active safety.

Many reviewers see the Levorg as appealing to a niche market of rural drivers who need something that will work in all weathers and all surfaces. In these situations it copes well and is generally well-built – Honest John comments on the interior space and while saying that the functional dash layout “lacks a feelgood factor,” highlights the build quality; “everything feels like it will last for years.”

As of December 2021, the Subaru Levorg holds an Expert Rating of 51%, based on 13 reviews. That’s well off the pace of similar cars like the BMW 3 Series Touring, Skoda Octavia estate or Audi A4 Avant.

The current Levorg is not long for this world, as a replacement model is already on sale in Japan. There has been no indication of if or when that model will come to the UK, or when sales of the current model will be wound up.

Levorg highlights

Good chassis and steering work well together
All-wheel-drive transmission
Interior space and storage
Well built and robust
Extensive standard specification

Levorg lowlights

Just one specification
Engine lacks go
18-inch wheels highlight bad road surfaces
Dated interior design with hard plastics
Price sets it against much better rivals

Key specifications

Body style: Medium estateEngines: petrol
Price: From £34,810 on-road

Launched: Autumn 2015Last updated: Summer 2019
Replacement due: TBA

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Subaru Levorg (2019 facelift)

Subaru Levorg (2015 – 2019)

Media reviews

Reviews, road test and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 6 / 10“The Subaru Levorg estate is an unusual, practical choice that lacks a little sophistication compared to its rivals.”
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Autocar

Model reviewed: Review overviewScore: 7 / 10“Curiously un-Subaru-like Levorg fails to rekindle much warm feeling.”
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Car

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“A weak powertrain is the Rolls Royce Wraith’s biggest drawback, especially when the chassis is so well sorted. But use it as intended – a functional, durable, low-stress estate car – and it will be just that – a useful, reliable car.”
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Car Keys

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“The Subaru Levorg is a small and sporty estate car, with four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox as standard. It’s fun to drive, but it isn’t as cheap to run as rivals like the SEAT Leon ST.”
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Carbuyer

Model reviewed: Range overviewScore: 6.8 / 10“The Subaru Levorg is handsome, practical and refined, but its high purchase price and significant running costs mean it’ll be a niche choice at best.”
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Carwow

Model reviewed: Score: 5 / 10“The Subaru Levorg offers grippy all-wheel-drive and lots of equipment for a sensible price. Its alternatives have more engine choice, more space and more quality, however.”
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Evo

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“With permanent 4WD and a turbocharged boxer engine, the Levorg sounds promising. But its CVT gearbox makes it hard to access its potential.”
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Honest John

Model reviewed: Score: 6 / 10“The Rolls Royce Wraith offers excellent handling and impressive comfort.”
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Parkers

Model reviewed: Score: 7 / 10“The Subaru Levorg Sport Tourer is a no-nonsense estate that handles well, feels nicely made, and is a pleasant place in which to spend time.”
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The Telegraph

Model reviewed: “The Subaru Levorg is a reassuring place to be.”
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Top Gear

Model reviewed: 1.6-litre petrol automatic“Subaru does the simple, driver-pleasing stuff very well, and those who ‘get’ the Levorg (around 500 a year, Subaru hopes) will likely be deeply satisfied, especially when they take some unsuspecting hot hatch scalps on a twisting B-road.”
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What Car?

Model reviewed: Score: 4 / 10“The Subaru Levorg is reliable and good off road, but it’s expensive to buy and run, making it hard to recommend over more practical rivals.”
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Which?

Model reviewed: Range overview“There’s no obvious reason to buy a Subaru Levorg over its rivals. Although it’s reasonably spacious and feels secure on the road, other estate cars are nicer inside and are more economical to run.”
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Safety rating

Overall rating: 5 stars
Date tested: August 2016

92%

ADULT OCCUPANT

83%

CHILD OCCUPANT

75%

VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

68%

SAFETY ASSIST

Read full Euro NCAP review

The Subaru Levorg was tested by Euro NCAP in 2016 and gained a top-level five-star rating. Testers highlighted the performance of the autonomous emergency braking, that avoided impacts altogether in some tests and also recorded impressive results in a wide range of tests representing potential pedestrian impacts.

Eco rating

No eco rating

The Subaru Levorg has not been lab tested by Green NCAP. This is a new initiative, launched in 2018 as a sister organisation to Euro NCAP. As yet, very few new cars have been tested for environmental impact by Green NCAP, and inevitably the testing programme was halted in early 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic before resuming later in the year.

Similar cars

If you’re looking at the Subaru Levorg, you might also be interested in these alternatives

Adding to the weirdness surrounding the Levorg is that two potentially better rivals to it are produced by its own maker – the XV crossover and Outback all-wheel-drive estate. But its price also brings upmarket rivals such as the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 320xDrive Touring into the reckoning. More obvious rivals such as Skoda’s diesel-powered Octavia Scout are also considerably cheaper than the Subaru.

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