Subaru's missing Legacy Wagon and Impreza Wagon makes a return - in this one car

Photos by Azfar Hashim and Joel Tam

If you were to look back a decade ago, you would probably notice how Subaru’s wagons – namely the Impreza TS Wagon and Legacy GT Wagon – did rather well. And this was a surprise, considering wagons were ‘more of a European thing’; they outdid their European counterparts simply by beating them on price and also matching up on quality/usability.

The Impreza TS had to compete with Ford’s Focus Wagon and Chevrolet’s Optra Estate, and not forgetting the parallel-imported Corolla Fielder; but it outshone all three in sales volume. It’s the same with the Legacy GT Wagon — despite having to compete directly with the Volvo V50 T5 and Saab 9-3 SportCombi, it also had to go against the SUV brigade, which at that point in time, was a burgeoning market. Then again, it was the only turbocharged wagon that offered a fine balance of brilliant drivability, ample space and most importantly, a price tag the sat comfortably below $100k with COE (oh, how we missed those times). Being Japanese also meant long-term reliability was the last issue to be concerned about.

All that said, at this point it is safe to say Subaru is quite the expert at putting together a wagon that offers more than just it being a car.

Because if you’re under the impression the Levorg GT-S is a boring, mind-numbing wagon that steals all your mojo away, you’re really wrong.

Pop the hood and the first thing you would notice is the 1.6-litre turbocharged Boxer engine sitting proudly (and grinning). Paired to Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT with seven virtual speeds, output is a respectable 168 bhp with maximum torque some 250 Nm. On paper, Subaru quoted a 0-100 km/h timing of 8.9 seconds while top speed limited to 210 km/h.

And gladly, those numbers do not lie as the Levorg surprisingly feels willing and somewhat light-footed despite the weight-bogging all-wheel drive system a standard fitment; Subaru must have done their homework very, very extensively to endow this car with such a trait. Fact is, you don’t have to worry about being the last one off the line at a traffic light grand prix — select ‘Sport’ via the SI-Drive button on the steering wheel, and you’re technically raring to go. For more action, simply use the paddle-shifter; which also means you can explore the performance all the way to its 6,200 rpm redline mark.

And because it’s a wagon, there will be other drivers not in the know wondering what on earth this hearse-like elongated car is; so when you see a pesky little rice’d hatch right up your behind (or a cocky Golf), just floor the accelerator and get ready to give him a nice little surprise.

Now the minor 'backlash' for such act is you will be followed vigorously, hence, if you’re worried the Levorg would not handle well at the approaching fast corner and the said hatch would catch up and overtake you (and deflate your ego), I am glad to report right here right now that you can still out-handle it. After all, the Levorg is fitted with all the necessary bangs and whistles — wide 225/45 R-18 performance-biased Dunlop tyres, traction control and all-wheel drive, essentially. Finished with a brilliantly set suspension and steering that provides good feedback, this wagon takes cornering lines positively. As a matter of fact, you might be so committed that the only way to know you’re dangerously close to its limit is via the screaming tyres and a tail that’s nervously trying to keep up with the front — even then, you need a lot to reach this point.

Driven normally - like how a rational human would - the Levorg exposes its high refinement level. The cabin is well insulated against unwelcomed noises (except for tyre noise), and even driven along the bumpy MCE-KPE, it irons out the unevenness well enough to prevent any unnecessary use of the barf bag. If you’re expecting the sort of harshness of a WRX, you won’t get it here — based on butt feel, I reckon it’s one level below its rally-bred brethren.

Interior wise, the best word to describe it would be… safe. Subaru didn’t try to be too adventurous like Volkswagen with their Golf, but instead went for the typical Japanese practicality mated to quality, which is equally deserving of praises. Every control buttons are clearly labelled and placed within easy reach for both the driver and passenger, the flat-bottomed steering wheel is lovely and the flushed multimedia head-unit wouldn’t need a 200-pages thick instruction manual to fathom. Then, you get engine start/stop button to keep up with the current order, seat warmers (why on earth do I need a roasted behind in Singapore is still beyond me), drilled pedals and cruise control as standard; unfortunately for rally fans, you don’t get a conventional handbrake lever for any misbehaviour(s) but a more premium button that you pull to activate and press to release.

The rear seat is surprisingly commodious and you can definitely seat three adults back there in full comfort; leg and shoulder rooms do not come at a premium for sure. That said however, taller passengers may complaint of limited headroom — unfortunately a design conundrum here. Oh, sunroof comes standard, good for distracting the kids on long road trips.

In terms of boot space, the Levorg offers 522-litres; and that includes two separate compartments for additional storage. This should also be useful enough if you have to lug around kiddy stuff during weekend family excursions. Better still for added convenience, tugging a lever by the side of the boot allows you to bring the backrest down; remove the boot cover and… tadaa… triple the volume to 1,446-litres.

At the end of the day, what Subaru has successfully accomplished here is giving consumers a wagon that is (a) handsomely chiselled and styled, (b) with a cabin that is useful without being overly fancy, (c) good available power and lastly, (d) a brilliant handler — which is a lot for a car. It’s one of those cars that are easily likeable with liveable flaws and nothing to hate.

That’s not all: At less than $129k with COE, it is the most affordably priced next to the competing Volvo V40 T2 ($145k), Mini Cooper Clubman ($148k), Mercedes-Benz CLA180 Shooting Brake ($167k) and most importantly, VW Golf Variant ($133k). History repeating itself? You betcha’.

(However, I have this feeling a torque-converter 6-speed automatic would add more driving character to the Levorg…)