Subaru Levorg long-term test review: first report

As for the inside, it is plush and a nice place to be, with leather upholstery and electrically adjustable sport seats in the front and blue stitching to give that sporty appeal.

There’s only one trim level, but the Levorg isn’t short of kit. It has, for instance, keyless entry, 18in aluminium alloy wheels, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, folding and heated door mirrors, a reversing camera, cruise control and a 7.0in infotainment system with sat-nav.

But as I wax lyrical about the new boxer engine, the interior and the attractive looks, the one pressing issue for me is the boot space.

As a photographer, I rarely travel light and often fill the load bay, rear seats and footwells with equipment. Reading that the Levorg is six inches shorter than the Outback made me slightly anxious about its ability to accommodate my equipment.

However, Subaru claims the load bay has a capacity of 552 litres with the rear seats up, eclipsing what is afforded to you by a Ford Mondeo Estate, and 1446 litres with the seats folded flat.

Folding the seats down couldn’t be easier, because there’s an electrical release switch in both the boot and the front cabin, so making room for large loads will be quick and easy.

If that wasn’t enough, Subaru has provided an extra 40 litres of space underneath the boot floor, and so far it has proved ideal for storing little bits and pieces out of sight.

Although the Levorg looks sharp and rather attractive, it does prompt many people to wonder what it is I’m actually driving. (Maybe that’s where the private plate comes in.)

The D-shaped steering wheel is nice to grip, but the steering as a whole lacks any real feel and is somewhat disappointing.

The ride is reasonably firm, as you would expect, but it isn’t uncomfortable and in fact is ironed out slightly by the supportive sports seats.

The Levorg’s powertrain has proved tricky to get to grips with over the first few hundred miles, though.

Although this is no hot hatch-cum-estate, the CVT seems to restrain the engine when you want to make progress and it makes you lurch forward when you try to move off smoothly.

That’s with the Subaru Intelligent Drive (SI Drive) selector in default I-mode (Intelligent mode), too — a setting that is supposed to help ensure smooth and efficient driving.

S-mode (Sport mode), which sharpens up the Levorg’s throttle response, only seems to exacerbate the situation, but no doubt there will be times when it proves useful.