Photo: Subaru
Subaru has unveiled a host of new concepts at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, with the STI-branded prototypes taking center stage. The new Impreza fitted with STI parts was the highlight, but the Levorg STI Sport prototype was no less impressive.
Subaru renewed the Impreza late last year, so the Japanese are so excited to see it in STI guise at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Nevertheless, the Subaru/STI booth has a genuine STI model on display, which is the Levorg STI Sport# (Sharp) Prototype. The concept is based on the production Levorg STI R EX and will arrive in showrooms later this year as a special edition, limited to 500 units.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to dive deeper into what makes this sporty wagon so enticing. As you can see, it’s priced above the Subaru Levorg Sport R, unveiled in November with a price of 4,389,000 yen ($34,348 at current exchange rates). If we’re to take Subaru’s words for granted, the difference is more than justified, considering that it features STI performance parts and has been specially tuned to improve steering stability, as claimed in the press release.
The exterior of this sporty JDM wagon features a custom front grille and door mirror covers, along with prominent STI branding, in case you missed the memo. On the inside, it impresses with the Recaro sports seats covered in Ultrasuede upholstery. There are plenty of occasions for the black leather and the Ultrasuede material to be stitched together, including on the dashboard. Oh, and did we mention the STI badges? Expect a lot of them.
Subaru took special care of the suspension with a new STI strut tower brace and stiffer STI anti-roll bars, which help with high-speed cornering. Electronic dampers can be adjusted according to the driving style. The car rides on 19-inch BBS forged aluminum wheels wrapped in 225/40 ZR19 Michelin high-performance tires.
The engine seems unchanged, with the 2.4-liter turbo boxer known from the Levorg STI Sport R. The powerplant is good for 275 ps (271 horsepower) and 375 Nm (277 pound-feet ), delivered to all four wheels thanks to the Subaru Symmetrical AWD system. The engine is mated to a sporty (if that’s even possible) continuously-variable transmission with an eight-speed manual shifting mode. Subaru mentioned installing a performance transmission oil cooler and a dedicated transmission control unit. Hopefully, this will help with the traditional laziness of CVT transmissions.
Unfortunately, only Japanese customers will be able to order the special edition Levorg STI starting on January 26. The price starts at 5,240,000 yen, which translates into $40,769. If fancy STI badges are not your way, you could just stick to the standard STI Sport R, and you’d still get the same great JDM wagon, saving $6,000 in the process.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to dive deeper into what makes this sporty wagon so enticing. As you can see, it’s priced above the Subaru Levorg Sport R, unveiled in November with a price of 4,389,000 yen ($34,348 at current exchange rates). If we’re to take Subaru’s words for granted, the difference is more than justified, considering that it features STI performance parts and has been specially tuned to improve steering stability, as claimed in the press release.
The exterior of this sporty JDM wagon features a custom front grille and door mirror covers, along with prominent STI branding, in case you missed the memo. On the inside, it impresses with the Recaro sports seats covered in Ultrasuede upholstery. There are plenty of occasions for the black leather and the Ultrasuede material to be stitched together, including on the dashboard. Oh, and did we mention the STI badges? Expect a lot of them.
Subaru took special care of the suspension with a new STI strut tower brace and stiffer STI anti-roll bars, which help with high-speed cornering. Electronic dampers can be adjusted according to the driving style. The car rides on 19-inch BBS forged aluminum wheels wrapped in 225/40 ZR19 Michelin high-performance tires.
The engine seems unchanged, with the 2.4-liter turbo boxer known from the Levorg STI Sport R. The powerplant is good for 275 ps (271 horsepower) and 375 Nm (277 pound-feet ), delivered to all four wheels thanks to the Subaru Symmetrical AWD system. The engine is mated to a sporty (if that’s even possible) continuously-variable transmission with an eight-speed manual shifting mode. Subaru mentioned installing a performance transmission oil cooler and a dedicated transmission control unit. Hopefully, this will help with the traditional laziness of CVT transmissions.
Unfortunately, only Japanese customers will be able to order the special edition Levorg STI starting on January 26. The price starts at 5,240,000 yen, which translates into $40,769. If fancy STI badges are not your way, you could just stick to the standard STI Sport R, and you’d still get the same great JDM wagon, saving $6,000 in the process.
Google News