This Is It: Subaru Levorg Prototype Arrives In Tokyo With New 1.8L Turbo Boxer

A new spy video provides a much better look at Subaru's development on the next generation of the Levorg wagon. We still believe that the differences are mostly under the skin of this test mule because the exterior looks so much like the existing model.

Gallery: Subaru Levorg Spy Video

4 Photos

While this car is running around the Nürburgring, the test driver clearly isn't trying to set a new lap record around the circuit. Levorg buyers aren't looking for all-out speed, though. As long as the wagon offers a reasonable amount of performance, buyers should be satisfied with the vehicle's utility, though.

Underneath the familiar sheet metal, this Levorg test mule likely moves to the Subaru Global Platform like many of the brand's other modern models, including the Impreza, Crosstrek, and Ascent. The new underpinnings would allow Subaru to tweak the wagon's dimensions to allow even more interior room.

Powertrain changes for the Levorg are also a mystery. The current model is available with a 1.6- and 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four-cylinder engines. One possibility is for the company to add cylinder deactivation to its powerplants, which would boost fuel economy. Don't expect to Subaru to give up using CVTs anytime soon, either.

Subaru's development of the new Levorg still appears to be in the very early stages. The production model might not arrive until 2020. The existing Levorg is getting old after going on sale in Japan in 2014 and arriving in Europe a year later.

Unfortunately, the odds still seem low of the Levorg arriving in the United States. The wagon would compete closely against Subie's strong-selling Outback. Plus, the company makes the Outback in Indiana, which lessens any concerns about tariffs affecting the model's price, whereas the automaker would need to import the Levorg into the country.

Source: Automotive Mike via YouTube