Subaru Levorg coming to Australia

SUBARU has delivered its long awaited decision regarding the Levorg WRX-based wagon, finally confirming the new model will hit Australian shores in about the middle of next year.

Without a successor to the now discontinued Liberty wagon and WRX wagon, Subaru Australia has been vying for the Levorg since its announcement at the Tokyo motor show in 2013.

In a statement, Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior said the Japanese factory had been accommodating and the company was expecting a positive reception from the Australian public.

“The factory has been extremely supportive in helping us to secure the Levorg for the Australian market,” he said.

“It will appeal to those fourth-generation Liberty GT buyers who have been starved of a logical successor but we believe it will also attract a much wider audience because of its performance, its versatility, its refinement and its high level of standard equipment.”

Exact specifications and pricing are not expected until closer to the new model's release date in approximately 12 months.

At its launch in Tokyo, the Japanese car-maker announced the Levorg would have a choice of two turbocharged engines – a 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre boxer four-cylinderThe 2.0-litre version offers 221kW of power and 400Nm of torque at 2000rpm, driving through a ‘Sport Lineartronic’ continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight simulated speeds, while the smaller engine musters 125kW/250Nm and combines with a regular Lineartronic CVT.

Subaru says, while the Levorg has similar exterior dimensions to the Liberty GT wagon, its “smart packaging” allows greater interior space for people and things.

The short statement also reveals the arrival of the Levorg will be preceded by three “special limited editions” arriving this year and one more before the new model in 2016.

Subaru is reporting a good reception for the Levorg in other global regions such as Japan where it is already on sale.

When it arrives, the Levorg will go up against other similarly sized and performance-focused wagons such as the Skoda Octavia RS, Renault Megane GT220 and Peugeot 508 GT.

Before its discontinuation, the Subaru Liberty wagon was only available as the high performance GT priced $58,490 before on-road costs, but with the recent Japanese free trade agreement its spiritual successor could be priced significantly cheaper.