Subaru Levorg Review 2024
Written by Andrew Brady
Quick overview
Pros
- It’s different
- Comprehensive standard passive and active safety equipment
- Did we mention it’s different?
Cons
- Different is admirable, downright weird and compromised as a result is less so
- Performance, economy and emissions are all seriously lacklustre for the class
- It’s significantly bettered by every rival, and even its cheaper Subaru Outback relation
Overall verdict on the Subaru Levorg
"The Levorg’s sole redeeming feature is Subaru’s admirable commitment to active and passive safety, the oddball estate comes with a huge suite of standard safety equipment – the likes of which you’ll likely pay handsomely to option on its ‘rivals’. Without that, it’d be impossible to recommend, and even with it, it’s very difficult to do so. The Levorg didn’t impress a great deal when it was launched in 2015, and Subaru’s changes in 2019 have actually made it worse. We’d avoid it and buy a Subaru Outback, or anything else, instead."
Subaru reckons its brand values are centred around robustness, practicality and fun to drive characteristics, but only two of those are apparent as we'll discover in our Subaru Levorg review.
Always a niche manufacturer, in the UK at least, the Levorg is only offered as a single, well-specified estate car, with a sole 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine driving through Subaru’s much vaunted permanent symmetrical all-wheel drive.
The Levorg replaced the Legacy Sport Tourer in the UK back in 2015, Subaru actually referencing that car’s predecessor when launching the Levorg, saying its customers preferred its more compact dimensions, but still wanted useful practicality. That explains the Levorg’s relative compactness, which despite some clever engineering does impact on its capaciousness – its boot space bettered by many rivals.
When it first arrived back in 2015 it was powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged flat-four boxer engine, but Subaru made some revisions to the Levorg in 2019, with a slightly re-profiled bumper, more comprehensive equipment levels and some new alloy wheels.
Inexplicably, while doing so, it also removed the 170PS 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and replaced it with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, which does without a turbocharger and produces less power. Subaru, somewhat desperately, quotes 149.5PS, that half evidently important, for the 2.0-litre engine.
More significantly, torque output also down by a hefty 52Nm over that 1.6-litre turbo’s 250Nm. Subaru here seems to have wilfully bucked the current industry convention of ‘downsizing’ by adding smaller capacity, more efficient, and powerful turbocharged engines
While not everybody wants to drive their Subaru like a Colin McRae and Richard Burns rallying era gold wheeled, turbocharged Impreza, but a modicum of performance would be useful.
Indeed, while the original 1.6-litre turbocharged wasn’t particularly brisk before, at least had some low rev torque, the 2.0-litre having less, and what little it has is higher up the rev range. It feels even more slovenly as a result.
The poor performance is exacerbated by the standard fitment of a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) automatic gearbox, CVT transmissions impacting negatively on not just the driving experience and performance, but also economy, while they’re not much cop when it comes to refinement, either.
Subaru has always been about niche appeal, but we struggle to see quite who’d want that particular, and peculiar mix of engine and transmission, in a modestly sized estate car from a brand that’s little recognised outside rural enclaves and those who enjoyed rallying’s heyday.
Particularly at the circa £35,000 price point it operates in. It might make more sense if it were turbocharged as is in its Japanese home market, though even then it’d be a tricky car to recommend over newer, more spacious and far more fuel efficient rivals. If Subaru has one ace up its sleeve it’s safety, the Levorg’s standard kit list being extensive, in both passive and active safety aids, but it’s not so far ahead of rivals here to recommend it.
It’s wilfully, actually painfully, distinct from the mainstream norm. Subaru’s pragmatic stance on safety and being wedded to Subaru’s core engineering attributes of flat-four engines and four-wheel drive, as well as its CVT gearbox, does limit its appeal significantly, to the point we’re genuinely at a loss to understand why Subaru bothers to put any on a boat to bring them to the UK, except, perhaps, to use as an anchor.
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Is the Subaru Levorg right for you?
What’s the best Subaru Levorg model/engine to choose?
What other cars are similar to the Subaru Levorg?
Comfort and design: Subaru Levorg interior
"Subaru’s pragmatic approach with its cars is fairly evident in the Levorg’s interior design, which, being kind, is functional in its look, and, not, rather uninspired and boring. Not everybody wants design flair, but compared to its countless rivals, you’re never going to get in it and be delighted. It might not be the most inspiring cockpit to sit in then, but at least it’s comfortable. "
The front seats come as standard with eight-way electrical adjustment and lumbar support, and being ‘sports seats’ they hold you in snugly, too. They’re also heated as standard.
The steering column adjusts for both rake and reach, and the pedals are well spaced, with a large footrest to the left, all of which means you’ll not struggle to find a comfortable driving position. You’re sat quite high, though, the driving position feeling more small SUV than estate car, but that does mean the view out is pretty good. Rear seat passengers have the ability to recline their seat backs, too.
There’s also standard dual-zone climate control, meaning both the driver and passenger can choose their preferred temperature.
Quality and finish
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the Subaru Levorg
Space and practicality: Subaru Levorg boot space
Handling and ride quality: What is the Subaru Levorg like to drive?
"It’s almost impossible to mention Subaru and not reference its phenomenal success in the World Rally Championship, but the company isn’t alone (think Lancia) in not capitalising on that for long-term success."
At its core, Subaru is obsessive about engineering, and specifically its Symmetrical Four-wheel drive system and its Boxer (flat) engines.
That four-wheel drive does give all Subarus fine traction and grip, while the unusual cylinder layout - Porsche being the only other firm of note to use ‘flat’ engines - does bring advantages to the car’s weight distribution, and, more correctly, the car’s centre of gravity. What does that all mean to the average consumer? Not a lot if we’re being brutally honest, but if you appreciate engineering – as a Subaru customer is likely to do so – then it’s sort of significant.
What you might feel on the road is a drive that’s a bit more agile, keener to turn in and with a bit less body roll as a result of that lower engine.
Subaru’s all tend to drive well for this very reason, and the Levorg does at least demonstrate that. There’s a slight trade-off for Subaru’s commitment to providing engaging handling, insomuch as the ride can be a little busy over rougher surfaces, though it’s not so bad as to be unsettling.
Overall though, despite it exhibiting some familiar Subaru traits, there’s just not enough of them to really recommend the Subaru Levorg over any of its rivals.
The steering is relatively mute in its feel, if accurate in its response, which, if you’re used to the nicely feeling steering of Subaru’s before it, you’ll find disappointing. Huge four-wheel drive traction, grip and surefootedness will appeal to Subaru’s traditional, mostly rural, audience, but the Levorg’s not unique in this respect, with plenty of four-wheel drive rivals out there, and while its resistance to body roll is commendable, it’s also likely to be pretty low on the order of qualities buyers are looking for in a practical four-wheel drive estate car.
What engines and gearboxes are available in the Subaru Levorg?
Refinement and noise levels
Safety equipment: How safe is the Subaru Levorg?
MPG and fuel costs: What does a Subaru Levorg cost to run?
"The 2.0-litre boxer engine consumes an official WLTP tested figure of 32.6mpg with CO2 being quoted as 196g/km."
Neither are particularly great, indeed, in the class it competes in you’d be hoping for WLTP combined figures in the region of at least 40mpg, if not as high as, and possibly exceeding, 50mpg.
How reliable is the Subaru Levorg?
Insurance groups and costs
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on a Subaru Levorg?
How much should you be paying for a used Subaru Levorg?
"Not a huge amount of choice out there in the used classifieds, but if you’re after a secondhand Levorg you’ll need a starting budget of around £12,000. At this price point they’ll all be 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, but that’s a good thing."
Around £15,000 will buy you a sub-20,000 mile example, which will barely feel run-in such is the Subaru Levorg’s robustness. If you’re really sold on a nearly-new or ex-demo 2.0-litre car, you’ll make a huge saving over the new price, with these available in the mid-high £20,000 mile sphere, but that’s true of its rivals. And, just in case you’ve gotten this far and not realised we’d suggest Subaru’s Outlander as a better choice, the Outlander.
Trim levels and standard equipment
Ask the heycar experts: common questions
Is the Subaru Levorg reliable?
Is the Subaru Levorg fast?
Does the Subaru Levorg have CVT transmission?
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