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Subaru previews Levorg concept ahead of Tokyo reveal

When I was a kid I went with my family to a Subaru dealership. My brother, being clever as he is, pointed out that Subaru backwards spelled "you're a bus." The portly salesman was not amused, and we bought a Passat instead. Fast forward a couple of decades and we can't help but wonder if Subaru wasn't thinking the same thing when it named its new concept Levorg, which spells "grovel" backwards. The company itself says the name is a combination of the words "Legacy," "Revolution" and "Touring," but one way or another, that's what they're calling it, and here are the first preview images and details on the concept which Fuji Heavy will unveil at the Tokyo Motor Show this year.
Designed to combine the feel of a sports car with the practicality of a touring car, the Levorg looks set to preview the next step in a long line of performance-oriented Subaru wagons. It packs a 1.6-liter turbocharged boxer four and next-generation EyeSight technologies in what looks to be a svelte yet muscular form that could point the way forward for the next Legacy.
The Levorg, however, is not the only concept which Subaru will reveal in Tokyo this year. The Japanese automaker has also revealed plans to unveil the Cross Sport Design Concept (which could preview the replacement for the discontinued Tribeca), the Crossover 7 Concept (which looks like a taller version of the Legacy wagon with an apparent third row of seats), and an Evolution version of the Viziv concept presented in Geneva earlier this year. Scope them out in the gallery above and press release below.

Autoblog Podcast #370

Episode #370 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Michael Harley and Craig Fitzgerald of BangShift and Boldride talk about the 2015 Jeep Renegade, the Consumer Reports list of Cars to Avoid, and the Geneva Motor Show, which opened today. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #370: Topics: 2015 Jeep Renegade Worst Cars of 2014 Geneva Motor Show preview In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Volkswagen Jetta SE 2014 SRT Viper 2015 Subaru WRX Hosts: Dan Roth, Michael Harley Guests: Craig Fitzgerald Runtime: 01:28:37 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Jeep Renegade - 27:28 Cars to Avoid - 41:46 Geneva Motor Show - 59:54 Q&A - 01:11:04 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Geneva Motor Show Jeep Subaru Volkswagen Concept Cars worst cars

Consumer Reports sneaks in early review of 2015 Subaru Outback

Subaru is taking a bit of a measured risk with its new generation of Legacy and Outback. While they ride on a slightly larger platform than before, with a revised front-end design, neither of them looks to be a radical departure from models they replace. Instead of focusing on exterior styling, the Japanese brand is trying to make the vehicles better to own with more sound deadening, improved fuel economy and more available tech. Pricing for the 2015 Outback isn't available yet, but with the 2015 Legacy pricing as a guide, it's likely a few hundred dollars more than the current model.
We just had our first stab at the new Legacy, which is slated to go on sale this summer, but Consumer Reports managed to snag an early look at the 2015 Outback in a sort of mini-review to get an idea of how the new model shakes out. Like many, we'd wager, CR isn't completely sold on the new styling, but seems otherwise moderately impressed by the upgrades. The improvements to the interior and infotainment system are especially well received by them. Naturally, though, CR notes that not everything is perfect with the high-riding wagon.
Scroll down to watch CR's preview of the new Outback and see what it thinks of this practical family hauler.