Megane 275 Cup-S meets JDM WRX STI | PH Fleet
The Impreza 20th Anniversary was a JDM-only special edition - special enough to tempt Ben from his Megane?
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Fail of the century #28: Subaru Levorg
When the Subaru Levorg was proudly unveiled at the 2015 Geneva show, Top Gear gently pointed out that, read backwards, its name spelled out ‘GROVEL, U R A BUS’. This made the man from Subaru very upset, and our relationship with the sorry ’Vorg struggled to recover thereafter.
This was not solely Top Gear’s fault. See, the Levorg was billed as the spiritual successor to Subaru’s brilliant Legacy Spec B, an understated performance estate of the Noughties that boasted genuine pace, and genuine rally infused handling.
And if there’s one thing that makes Top Gear upset, it’s being promised an understated performance estate, and being served a confused, lethargic mess.
Because the Levorg was, in cricketing parlance, a proper medium-pace trundler. At launch, its sole powerplant, a 1.6-litre turbo petrol, pumped out a weedy 168bhp. Zero to 60 required around nine seconds. In later years, Subaru decided even 168bhp was dangerously excessive, and replaced the turbo engine with an even less potent nat-asp unit.
Worst of all, that meagre power was piped to the wheels through a CVT, a gearbox arrangement that screams ‘performance’ in much the same way that Greggs screams ‘haute cuisine’. The Levorg didn’t bring much ‘grovel’, but it sure brought plenty of ‘bus’.
Fail of the century #28: Subaru Levorg
Sheriff
Octane Boostaholics
It's time people move on. Most buyers of Subaru now aren't high-performance cars anymore. They have to follow the trend of get out of the business. May be hard to hear but it's reality. Nobody listens to TG now also, it's a bad website/magazine to base any opinion on. The new Levorg model was just shown the other day. I think they look decent for the family wagon they are. No customer of Levorg is charging around with 200hp with family and the dog in the back.
Subarus main problem in Ireland is there pricing is just too expensive,
they sold years ago when they where well priced,
so far this Year they have sold 2 x Foester , 2 x XV , 1 x Impreza (5 units and I would take a guess they where all demos) ,
You can buy a Rav 4 for 10k less than a Forester , and a Outback is 60k ,
they have priced themselves out of the market is how I see it.
Also im sure a considerable ammount of there loyal customer base had a diesel that ate its self.
I would guess they will go the same way Mitsubishi have in the not too distant future.
Sheriff
Octane Boostaholics
Let's not kid ourselves either. The Impreza of the 2000s was lacking power and handling back then also. The difference is that we modded them to run 300hp on a dyno. A 1999 E55 AMG (I know it's more pricey) makes about 300+ stock so Subaru were behind from the off.
The poor sales are not an exclusive Ireland issue. They are a done brand EU-wide now also.
LOL
Difference is we modded wrx to run 300 bhp where as most sti ran 300 standard and jap sti ran 320 out of the box, so saying the subaru of the 2000s was lacking power from the get go isn't really a fair comparison and also an sti is streets ahead of a wrx handling wise. And anyone who has driven both would say the same. In every way they are two different cars.
I agree with colm I think the reason for losing customer base is pricing as well as the diesel engine being so bad.
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Sheriff
Octane Boostaholics
You can lol to your hearts content but a 99 E55 is 370.
Sheriff
Octane Boostaholics
Not contesting the STI compared to WRX. The STI being the better car obviously.
320 Impreza to the likes of a Mercedes of same era, 370 is a big jump. Subaru was lucky to ride on the back of rally success.
The point I was making is impreza of the 2000s is 2000 on so newage era and the equivalent year amg is a supercharged v8 with 470 bhp so can't really be put in the same category. The only car in the same class is the likes of an evo. An e55 amg can only be put in the same class as an m5 or rs6.
Entirely different cars
The only wrx sticker that matters 
After reading this it seems you lost your way with the old subaru everybody's taste Change. Sometimes an engine blowing up being shafted on repairs or selling a much loved car at the wrong time but there's no need to be so negative towards the brand. I'd love a porsche but ain't got the bucks so no point in me coming along and comparing the two and putting down the blob I sold that I had so many great spins or trips in.
What is it about subarus that got us all here to isdc and if its not something you like any more don't put the rest of us down or compare completely different models and brands. It ain't top trumps. It's like this are evos better than imprezas my answer is some are some aren't. But I am here because I like subarus been very reliable to me. Anyway take what you want from my thoughts
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clodex
Well-known member
Ooooh wow look, an engine with twice the pistons and more than twice the size produces more power, shocker!!
It's not all about BHP and Torque figures, you really can't compare the two cars at all, different purposes for both.
Personally, if I had the choice between an E55 AMG and my WRX for my current situation of driving in a harsh winter environment with loads of snow (or dirt roads around where I live in the summer), I know which I'd choose!
Sure, if I was living in Germany and using the Autobahn for a daily commute, I'd have the E55 AMG.
Loss of sales here to some extent is price point but also loss of the diesel in 2019. Im on my second diesel forester now and have no complaints. From 2013 on there has been few failures, Id imagine no more than any other marque.
I'm constantly looking out for a newer one up to 19 but they just aren't out there as people holding on to them as nothing to trade up to.
I'm not sure how you put a E55 into the same category as a WRX. Completely different.
Had a 2021 Outback in September there for two weeks and did nearly 2000 miles in it around California and it was a lovely car just wasn't a XT so didn't have the grunt.
I'm constantly looking out for a newer one up to 19 but they just aren't out there as people holding on to them as nothing to trade up to.
I'm not sure how you put a E55 into the same category as a WRX. Completely different.
All true. They are everywhere in the states and half the price of here as we pay so much tax on new cars.
Had a 2021 Outback in September there for two weeks and did nearly 2000 miles in it around California and it was a lovely car just wasn't a XT so didn't have the grunt.
Yeah I meant the early ones the new ones seem fine allright
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Worth a shot:
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Petter Solberg
🎁 I've got a Christmas treat for you! For your chance to win this top quality RC Subaru Impreza thanks to Tamiya UK, just answer this question: how many stages did I win at Rally Mexico 2004? Let me...
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Subaru STI returning soon, with a catch
Subaru is planning to reveal its new Impreza STI package at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon – without a turbo engine.
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