Subaru’s 2018 performance range has been dressed up, with the many changes to our driver’s car triplets - the All-Wheel Drive turbocharged WRX, WRX STi and Levorg 2.0 GT-S - leaving them even better looking on the outside but just as wild on the inside.
The handsome trio will hit the town and country roads sporting multiple external and cabin changes, which include new alloy wheel designs, front grilles, front bumpers and LED headlight designs. We’ve also given the WRX EyeSight® Driver Assist, in the automatic transmission model.
Mechanical and cosmetic modifications will muscle up the owner experience to new adrenaline-charged levels as the “Rex” pair add to their rally-backed reputation and the Levorg 2.0 GT-S cements itself in Kiwi culture as a stylish, high performance sports wagon with substance.
The Levorg 2.0 GT-S’s external refinements mean the spiritual successor to the much-loved Legacy GT wagon, looks even sharper than when it was launched in New Zealand in June last year. It is now available in a smart, new Storm Grey colour and to prove it’s not all about just external attractiveness, Subaru engineers have further refined Levorg’s ride with improvements to the Bilstein suspension and other suspension components.
These three added features are: Front View Monitor, which helps prevent collisions at intersections, or when parking close to walls or other objects; Smart Rear View Mirror that features a camera located in the top of the rear tail gate, showing a rear image in the rear view mirror and Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH), which alleviates driver fatigue by holding the vehicle in position when stopped.
Across the performance range an even greater attention to interior quality adds to the air of exclusivity, while the introduction of EyeSight® Driver Assist in the WRX automatic transmission variant extends Subaru’s dominance in bringing the potentially accident-avoiding technology to the masses. All automatic WRXs also add an electronic parking brake and AVH.
New on all WRX STi models is a significant braking and wheel upgrade from the already impressive Brembo four piston front and two piston rear calipers on the superseded model, to enormous 340mm front and 326mm rear cross-drilled rotors clamped by six piston front and two piston rear yellow Brembo calipers. They also receive a new design 19” alloy wheel. Entry-level WRX STi’s gain heated door mirrors, while WRX STi Premium and WRX STi add the Front View Monitor. All STi models have also received changes to suspension components and the DCCD (Driver’s Controlled Centre Differential) to improve performance even further.
WRX Premium, WRX STi, WRX STI Premium and Levorg 2.0 GT-S also bump up the driver comfort with a 10-way power driver seat with memory.
Driving performance, the features list and quality, are all big winners in Subaru’s revised Model Year 2018 line-up, which despite all the extra kit, still has a starting price of $48,990
Retailers Recommended Price (RRP) for the WRX manual.
As with the entire Subaru new car range, every Levorg 2.0 GT-S, WRX and WRX STI has an independent five-star rating for occupant safety.
Subaru of New Zealand Managing Director Wallis Dumper says: “Over the years WRX and STi have gained a special place in our rally heritage market and continuously rate very highly in the bang for buck equation. Now we have added the Levorg 2.0 GT-S, which falls into the same stunning performance category but provides more boot space for Kiwi adventurers to fit all their sporting gear into.”
”There are a huge amount of safety and specification improvements to the full range of WRX, STi and Levorg cars, yet the price move on them has been minimal. These are cars that are exciting to drive and have very little competition, especially considering they all come standard with Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and we have now added our safety technology EyeSight to the WRX auto models.”
“Our Subaru customers have realised our performance cars can deliver exceptional driving performance without the vagaries of owing a European car. Value for money, they provide a premium drive at a best value price.”
“We believe our Subaru drivers like to look the part too and with sporty new brake caliper colours on the WRX and WRX STi range, plus the new design wheels on the Levorg and 19” wheels on the STi, these cars all look as good as they go.”
“These three models keep true to the spirit of Subaru as drivers can ‘do’ New Zealand roads in style and comfort but with a degree of performance others will be envious of,” Mr Dumper says.
MY18 specification changes and prices
WRX 2.0 6-speed and SLT
WRX 6-speed manual $48,990
WRX 8-speed SLT $50,990 (new)
MY18 specification changes include the following:
• Meets Euro 6b
• EyeSight – SLT only
• Front and rear (manual only) brake calipers painted red
• Front (auto only) brake calipers painted red
• New design 18” alloy wheel
• New style front grille
• New design front bumper
• New design headlight
• Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) - alleviates driver fatigue by holding the vehicle in position when stopped - SLT only
• Newly-developed ‘Jurid’ brake pads - efficiency increased approximately 20%
• Steering responsive headlight with DRLs
• Centre cup holder with slide shutter – SLT only
• Heated door mirrors
• Electric hand brake – SLT only
• Black accents to door armrest, centre console, steering wheel and auto gear selector
WRX 2.0 Premium 6-speed and SLT
WRX Premium 6-speed manual $53,990
WRX Premium 8-speed SLT $55,990 (new)
MY18 specification changes include the following:
• Meets Euro 6b
• EyeSight – SLT only
• Front and rear brake calipers painted red - manual only
• Front brake calipers painted red - SLT only
• New design 18” alloy wheel
• New style front grille
• New design front bumper
• New design headlights
• Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) - alleviates driver fatigue by holding the vehicle in position when stopped -SLT only
• Newly-developed ‘Jurid’ brake pads - efficiency increased approximately 20%
• Front View Monitor - helps prevent collisions at intersections, or when parking close to walls or other objects
• Steering responsive headlights with DRLs
• Heated front seats
• Electric hand brake – SLT only
• 10-way power driver seat with memory
• Heated door mirrors
• Black accents to door armrest, centre console, steering wheel and auto gear selector
WRX STi and WRX STi Premium
WRX STi $59,990 (with or without rear spoiler)
WRX STi Premium $64,990 (with or without rear spoiler)
MY18 specification changes include the following:
• Meets Euro 6b
• 6 piston front/2 piston rear yellow ‘Brembo’ brakes calipers.
• 340mm front/326mm rear cross-drilled rotors
• New design 19” alloy wheel
• New 245/35R19 tyre
• New style front grille
• New design front bumper
• New design headlight
• Front View Monitor - helps prevent collisions at intersections, or when parking close to walls or other objects – Premium model only.
• Red seat belts
• Steering responsive headlight with DRLs
• Improvements made to DCCD – now fully electronic allowing finer more precise operation
• Centre cup holder with slide shutter
• Heated door mirrors
• Black accents to door armrest, centre console, steering wheel
Levorg 2.0 GT $57,990
MY18 specification changes include the following:
• New design 18” alloy wheel
• New style front grille
• New design front bumper
• New design headlight
• Front View Monitor - helps prevent collisions at intersections, or when parking close to walls or other objects
• Revised suspension
• Newly-developed brake pads - efficiency increased approximately 20%
• 40/20/40 split folding rear seats
• Smart Rear View Mirror – Camera located in top of rear tail gate shows rear image in rear view mirror.
• Auto Vehicle Hold (AVH) - alleviates driver fatigue by holding the vehicle in position when stopped
• New colour – Storm Grey
• Steering responsive headlight with DRLs
• 10-way power driver seat with memory
Please credit Dillon Photography for the images.
To request additional images please contact:
Subaru Public Relations
Catherine Pattison
T +64 27 455 389
E catherine.pattison@subaru.co.nz