New 1.6-litre variants means you can bring one of these home for less.
Subaru Australia has refreshed its lineup of the Levorg family of cars for the 2018 model year, and with it introduced a couple of new models that lower the cost of admission into the sprightly Subaru estate significantly. The car also sports a mildly (really mildly) revised looks, which are so subtle that even we didn’t spot them immediately.
The lineup now houses two more affordable variants that are powered by a smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged boxer engine, that puts out 125kW of power and 250Nm of twist, with a Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system sending power to all four corners via a Lineartronic continuously-variable automatic transmission. It also gets a leg-up on the bigger 2.0-litre engine with better fuel economy figures, claiming to use just 7.4L/100km on the combined testing cycle (the bigger mill does 8.8L/100km).
The Levorg lineup now stands as follows:
- Levorg 1.6 GT – $35,990
- Levorg 1.6 GT Premium – $42,890
- Levorg 2.0 GT-S – $49,140
- Levorg 2.0 STI Sport – $51,990
Standard across the range are those aesthetic revisions, made up of tweaked LED headlights, and LED fog lights, along with a reprofiled front bumper and grille. The headlights themselves now feature directional beams, with the projectors swivelling according to steering input. There’s also an upgraded 5.9-inch multifunction drivers’ display along with ‘Auto Vehicle Hold,’ which helps hold the car in place on an incline, ensuring the car never rolls unintentionally.
The 1.6 GT entry-level model features a laundry list of standard kit, like LED daytime running lights, Subaru’s ‘EyeSight’ advanced driver assistance suite of safety kit (active cruise control, lane departure warning, pre collision braking, lane keep assistance), a reversing camera, and a six-speaker audio setup powered by a 6.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system with AUX and USB inputs. The seats are wrapped in cloth, though leather is employed on the gear shift lever and the steering wheel, with privacy glass, keyless entry and go, heated electrically-folding rear mirrors and 17-inch alloys wrapping up the package.
Going up a step to the 1.6 GT Premium nets revised Bilstein suspension, power-adjustable drivers seat, sports seats up front, leather trim, a sunroof, a bigger 7.0-inch infotainment screen with sat-nav, a dimming central rear view mirror, silver wing mirror caps, and 18-inch alloys. There’s also ‘Vision Assist’ added on to the EyeSight suite, which tacks on a side-view monitor, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high-beams and a front-view camera.
The GT-S kicks off the 2.0 range, with the biggest improvement over the lesser GT Premium being the brawny 197kW/350Nm engine under the bonnet. And to further capitalise on the additional power, the GT-S also gains a ‘Sport-Sharp’ driving mode that recalibrate the throttle and gearbox responses as well as the steering weighting to provide a more involved driving experience.
More significantly is the arrival of the 2.0 STI Sport, sitting at the top of the Levorg lineup and commanding quite a pretty penny to boot. It’s money well spent though (or at least we think so), as the flagship Levorg gains niceties like deep red leather seats, a unique fascia treatment, STI badging everywhere, STI exhaust tips, unique instrument cluster graphics, 18-inch STI alloys, STI suspension, and the option of having your car finished in signature Subaru blue (no mention of gold alloys, though).
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