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) struggled to find an audience in the UK and remains a rarity on the roads. Parkers called it “an oddity, difficult to pigeonhole,” and Car “maybe the oddest car you can currently buy” while Honest John said it has “a curious specification.”
This is because you could 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,” Car commented.
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 saw 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 commented on the interior space and while saying that the functional dash layout “lacks a feelgood factor,” highlighted the build quality; “everything feels like it will last for years.”
No longer on sale in the UK, the Subaru Levorg holds an Expert Rating of 51%, based on 14 reviews. That’s well off the pace of similar cars like the BMW 3 Series Touring, Skoda Octavia estate or Audi A4 Avant.
This first-generation Levorg has been replaced by a second-generation range, but this latest iteration is only on sale in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. There has been no indication of if or when that model will come to the UK.
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 estate
Engines: petrol
Price when new: From £34,810 on-road
Launched: Autumn 2015
Last updated: Summer 2019
Discontinued: Spring 2022
Image gallery
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 overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Subaru Levorg estate is an unusual, practical choice that lacks a little sophistication compared to its rivals.”
Read review
Autocar
Model reviewed: Review overview
Score: 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.”
Read review
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 overview
Score: 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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Heycar
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 4 / 10
“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.”
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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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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
Overall score: 5 stars
Date tested: August 2016
Date expired: January 2023
Read the full Euro NCAP review
Adult protection: 92%
Child protection: 83%
Vulnerable road users: 75%
Safety assist: 68%
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
No longer on sale, the Subaru Levorg has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.
Reliability rating
As of August 2022, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Subaru Levorg to generate a reliability rating.
The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusive from extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Levorg, we’ll publish the score here.
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the Subaru Levorg, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Audi A4 Avant | BMW 3 Series Touring | Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate | Skoda Octavia estate | Subaru Outback | Subaru XV | Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake | Volkswagen Passat estate | Volvo V60
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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