Peter Lyon
July 24, 2024
Two of Subaru’s high-profile models were recently spied on Malaysian roads leading us to surmize that Subaru Malaysia will put them on sale soon. The Subaru Levorg STi and a naturally aspirated Forester were spotted outside the company’s Petaling Jaya dealership, but one source suggests that the actual Forester slated to land in local showrooms will be the turbo model.
The Levorg features STI badging, similar to the STI Sport and STI Sport EX models that are sold in Japan. It has a 1.8-litre turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine that produces 177 hp and 300 Nm and mated to a CVT that distributed power to all four wheels through the brand’s rally-honed 4WD system. Pricing for the Levorg STI is expected to be more in line with its previous version, which cost RM200k.
In contrast to the 156 hp base model Forester, the Forester Turbo packs the same 1.8-litre turbocharged boxer engine as the Levorg— which of course pumps out 177 horsepower and 300 Nm of torque. The alloy wheels and dual exhaust outlets that set it apart from the existing Malaysian model improve both its looks and performance.
With all-wheel drive and a CVT gearbox, both models provide improved driving dynamics appropriate for various road conditions. As of 2025, Subaru Malaysia will be switching to wholly imported (CBU) vehicles from Japan, which marks a distinct departure from the previous local assembly (CKD) processes.
Given that TC Subaru, the official Subaru distributor in Malaysia, declared in May of this year that all new cars sold by the distributor starting in 2025 will be fully imported (CBU) from Japan, the existence of these models may mark the brand’s move from its CKD (local assembly) business model to its CBU Japan product line for the Malaysian market.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
It’s great to see two of Subaru’s hottest models heading for Malaysia. Readers will be intrigued that Subaru Japan no longer offers a naturally aspirated Forester—only the turbo and a 2.0-litre e-Boxer hybrid model. Interestingly, the car spied outside the local factory was not a Forester Turbo but probably an early, naturally aspirated version brought in for testing. Of course, the turbo version has a bonnet scoop so the model spotted recently was not the Turbo as some publications have suggested.
