The Levorg may sound like a character from a Star Trek movie but it’s actually the name given to Subaru’s entry into the ultra competitive mid-sized estate battleground and effectively replaces the Legacy. The Levorg enters territory where it has to compete against the like’s of the Mazda 6 Tourer and Volvo V60. But is the Levorg up to the task? First of all there is the exterior design, ordinarily it looks ordinary, but the aggressive looking bodykit, lowered suspension and that bonnet air-scoop adds a bit of visual drama. Modern day Subaru’s have an industrial design look to them, a kind of understated but confident swagger. Currently only one model spec is on sale in the UK and power is supplied by a 1.6-litre, flat-four, direct injection, turbocharged petrol engine. On the inside you will find a full leather interior with electric blue contrast stitching. Usually I don’t mention contrast stitching however for Subaru this is a small but important step. That contrast stitching marks a shift up in terms of interior refinement and quality. And for the most part it works, refinement levels are now excellent whereas past Subaru’s had a pragmatic approach to cosseting the driver. I would say it’s a premium refinement experience as opposed to the premium luxury offered by the Volvo V60. Nevertheless Subaru have upped the game with the interior and while it lacks visual flair it more than makes up for it with a solid build construction throughout and plenty of soft touch surfaces. Equipment levels are typically good you get 18-inch alloys, that leather interior, rear privacy glass, push button starter, keyless entry, cruise control, DAB, Bluetooth connectivity and so on. Most of all the buttons to access the media functions have been moved to the flat-bottomed steering wheel and while it takes time to acclimatise to this setup you do figure it out in the end. The central console is minimal featuring few primary controls and physical dials except for the heating functions. The 8-inch touch screen is easy to navigate, simple to use and comes with Sat-Nav. Being a mid-sized estate you do get plenty of room up front and rear seat passengers are also well accommodated for, maybe individuals bigger than 6ft will suffer slightly as the rear roof gently slopes down. And yes you also get typical features like boot space which offers up a useful 522-litres with the seats up and 1,500-litres with the rear seats folded down. Under floor storage compartments are always welcome additions to boost practicality just that little step further. The Levorg is gifted power courtesy of Subaru’s trademark Boxer petrol engine however the trend to downsize engine capacity in an effort to improve efficiency and save the Polar Bears means a new era petrol turbocharging has begun. That means the 2.5-litre normally aspirated petrol unit has been replaced with a 1.6-litre, direct injection flat four. With 167bhp and 250nm of torque the power is not too far off from that of the 2.5-litre boxer engine. That power is accessed via a CVT automatic transmission. CVT transmissions are cheaper to make and lighter than torque converter transmissions and offer efficiency benefits all round. Think of a CVT transmission as being one continuous gear, but they work best with cars that have a lot of power, around 300bhp and over. Anything lower than that and it feels sluggish and that is the case with the Levorg. You never feel a surge of acceleration like you would with a traditional auto or manual. And when you want to access that 167bhp and step on the throttle the engine whines inconsiderately and you end up using more revs than you would prefer. Not very efficient and bad for fuel economy. The Levorg even has torque-vectoring but you don’t get to utilise this technology to the fullest extent because the performance is blunter than a blunt pencil being sharpened by Mr Blunt. CVT’s by their very nature strangle any life out the overall performance preferring continuous liner progression rather than good old fashioned man-power. That said if you drive within the limits of the Levorg you can mange about 40.mpg on a combined journey but you may well bore yourself to death. The latter isn’t just a Subaru affliction it applies to all cars equipped with CVT gearboxes. Driving the Levorg GT is a little confusing, at low speeds you notice the steering is weighty and the car doesn’t seem that agile, it feels all rather lethargic. Then there is the ride, the suspension is setup to be stiff and a net result of that is the Levorg doesn’t like rough or uneven road surfaces. Pot holes you can forget about that there is no magic ride to cushion the blow. Those 18-inch low-profile tyres also let in quite a bit of tyre noise into the cabin. So all-in-all it doesn’t bode so well for the Levorg. Or does it? You see the harder you drive the better and the more alive the Levorg GT becomes. Through the corners the Levorg handles itself with panache, very little roll, plenty of grip, thanks in part to the permanent 4-wheel drive system, and the steering becomes sharper at turn in. The car will track and grip progressively, indeed your always left feeling you haven’t driven hard enough. The Levorg’s suspension has been thoroughly revised over the legacy, double wishbones at the rear, McPherson struts at the front, stronger anti-roll bars, up-rated dampers, geometry revision and stiffer bushes. If you don’t understand what that means let me put it this way, the Levorg almost feels like a track car but… without the dynamic surge of speed. So the Levorg GT has a bit of an identity problem, you would assume that being a GT by naming convention the Levorg would be all about cruising long distances at will and at comfort which it can do. But what Subaru have actually made is a track athlete in disguise. Because of that CVT transmission it’s not the quickest mid-sized estate out there but once you push the Levorg it handles fantastically well and once you discover the limits the firm ride/suspension, that CVT transmission it doesn’t matter so much. So does the Levorg have what it takes to compete against the Volvo V60 and Mazda? Yes and no, the Levorg in the UK with only one model spec, a petrol engine, that CVT transmission and costing £27k  may well be an acquired taste. A comprehensive 5 year warranty does make it much more palatable, give you a sense of “peace of mind”. But once you discover who well it handles all the cons outweigh the pros.