About a close as you'll get to a modern STI Wagon, except in one crucial area...
Quite why Subaru decided to rebadge its WRX estate as the Levorg remains a mystery. It’s the amalgamation of the words ‘legacy’, ‘revolution’ and ‘touring’, apparently, which I’m sure looked fantastic on the marketing team’s whiteboard, but in practice, it still appears a little clumsy. More importantly, it wasn't recognisable either, leading to Subaru ditching it and returning to the good old WRX wagon for the new generation.
So it's easy to pay little attention to the Levorg, which is a shame because you shouldn’t. Granted, it’s an exceptionally dreary car with an equally dreary name, butis a little different. To maintain what’s left of its performance-focused image, Subaru set about creating an STI-tuned version of the Levorg and sold it exclusively in its home market.
Sure, the Levorg doesn’t get the EJ20 or EJ25 WRX STI motors found in the JDM and international models respectively. But it develops a very punchy 296hp – just 4hp shy of the UK-spec WRX STI – from a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder boxer engine. The company also threw in an STI exhaust that’ll hopefully bring out that signature Subaru grumble and the suspension has been stiffened up thanks to a set of Bilstein dampers.
There is a problem, however. The sort of noisy, droning problem that can only be attributed to a transmission of the continuously variable variety. Yes, the Levorg STI comes with a CVT. Another baffling decision on the surface, though it does hammer home the fact that the STI badging is doing a fair bit of heavy lifting here. It is all-wheel drive, mind, although the absence of any trick differentials means you won’t be able to play with the torque distribution while pootling about.
That being said, there are a couple of ways where the Levorg STI Sport appeals. Firstly, Subaru clearly wanted it to serve as a more laid-back version of the WRX, fitting it with a unique burgundy leather interior and a bunch of driver assistance features. Add the extra practicality with the wagon format and you’ve got a niche family car that’s almost as fast as a WRX STI.
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