SUBARU'S new sport tourer model the Levorg will cost £27,495 when it hits the streets next month.

The estate, already a hit on the Japanese scene, made its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

It will be available in a single trim level called GT with a high level of kit including all-wheel drive plus the promise of one of the most refined cabins Subaru has yet created.

So the likes of leather-trimmed sports seats with blue stitching will come as standard along with the company's new factory-fit 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment, connectivity and navigation system.

While the Levorg is slightly smaller than the fourth-generation Subaru Legacy Tourer, the newcomer boasts greater practicality.

Subaru says the Levorg has been developed with ease of use and practicality in mind, and not only do occupants enjoy greater leg, head and shoulder room than in the last Legacy Tourer model, but its 522-litre boot rises to a whopping 1,446 litres with the second row of seats folded down.

From launch in September, the car will be up for grabs with one engine in the shape of a newly-developed 1.6-litre direct injection turbo Boxer petrol unit mated to a Lineartronic CVT transmission.

The new engine offers the same performance as Subaru's existing 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated Boxer engine, despite being 36 per cent smaller.

Engineered specifically for the Levorg,the four-cylinder engine produces 170PS and accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 8.9 seconds while returning just short of a claimed 40mpg with emissions of 164g/km.

Regards construction, the new model has a larger proportion of ultra-high tensile steel than other models in the Subaru range, such as the Impreza, with 50% of the body made up of light steel alloys for the greatest possible crash safety performance.

And as part of its safety features the Levorg is equipped as standard with the new Subaru Rear Vehicle Detection system, which alerts drivers to vehicles which are crossing behind.

To ensure optimum handling, the Levorg joins the WRX STI and new Outback in being fitted with Active Torque Vectoring, which effectively brakes the inside wheels under cornering.