WE'LL never know how close the new Subaru came to being called the Galuto, Acolin or Cyting before the company decided on Levorg.

It's a mix of the words Legacy (a well respected existing car from Subaru), Revolution and Touring. So the other three work just as well..

Beneath this unusual moniker sits a car that might have been designed especially for a limited number of potential car buyers, all of them deeply wedded to Subaru's design ethos.

So the £27,495 Levorg features three features bound up with the very idea of a modern Subaru, all items that the select band of Subaru faithful find essential in the car of their dreams.

They are, from the front, an engine whose four cylinders sit flat to the ground, unlike the tall block of oiliness usually found under a bonnet. This puts the weight closer to the road and the car ought to attack corners with less lean in the process.

Then - back a little - we come to the front wheels. Which in the Levorg's case are given the same amount of power to transmit as the pair at the back.

Yes, it's permanent four-wheel drive, another Subaru article of faith and the saviour of many a country vet on a wet, slippery road deep in a Yorkshire dale.

And, sitting behind that lie-flat engine is a gearbox without any gears, or more accurately, only one, which varies itself as you push the throttle harder. That, theoretically at least, ought to mean the engine is always performing at its most economical. We'll see.

Holding all the mechanical bits together is an estate car body that has more space inside for people and luggage than the last Legacy Tourer. Subaru reckons it has the 'imposing presence of a sports car with the practicality of a tourer', which is pushing it a bit. To these eyes the Levorg looks like a sensible estate car with a big bonnet scoop hinting at a rally-filled past.

If you think all of the above marks Subaru out as a company that ploughs its own furrow, you'd be right. It expects to sell a modest 500 Levorgs in a full year in the UK and you can bet there are that number of potential buyers for whom this car - and no other - fits the bill precisely.

Once the decision is taken that it's going to be new Levorg on the drive, there is little else to consider, except the colour. The car comes with but a single choice of equipment (thankfully, there's a lot of it) and in just three metallic colours - grey, white or blue.

Rivals - the Volvo V60 and Mazda6 estate are mentioned by Subaru - offer lots more choice (diesels, front drive only and manual gearboxes, for instance) but that is never the point with a Subaru. Owners love them for their individuality.

They will also like the Levorg for its kit count, which includes LED headlights, 18 inch alloy wheels, keyless access, leather seats (heated in the front), navigation with a big touchscreen, dual zone air conditioning and a rear parking camera.

Out on a mix of scenic Yorkshire roads, the Levorg's new turbocharged 1.6 litre petrol engine felt stronger than its quoted 168bhp and the CVT transmission avoided the soaring revs that used to mark keen use of similar systems.

In fact, on the right (smoothish) surface the Levorg cracks along with enthusiasm. Rougher roads produced an unwelcome pattering from the wheels but the car never felt less than welded to the road. We didn't try for the claimed 130mph top speed or 0-62mph dash in 8.9 seconds.

The car showed 31mpg on its clear trip computer after a morning's work; not a bad return, if inevitably shy of the official 39.8mpg. The car's 164g/km CO2 output attracts £180 annual road tax.

Like every Subaru in living memory, there is an indestructible feel about an interior that looks well ordered if a bit plain and obviously meant to do the business for years and years.