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By
EWAN KENNEDY
30 May 2005
The
Liberty has been successful in Australia almost from day one, chiefly
because of its well-deserved reputation for toughness and reliability.
Subarus have long been a hit in this country and, unusually for small
and mid-sized cars, are very popular in the bush. Libertys also carry a
vote of thanks from snow skiers as their permanent all-wheel drive makes
them particularly useful in slippery conditions.
Subaru Liberty was introduced to Australia in 1989. A new European-style
model came out in October 1998. The latter initially came as a station
wagon, always a strong model in the Subaru range, with the sedan
arriving in March 1999. An all-new Liberty arrived in 2003 and its
combination of clean lines and even greater refinement are ensuring
strong market success. Not a lot of the latter are on the used-car scene
at this stage, but will begin to show up soon.
Liberty is sold as a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon, with
a much larger percentage of wagons being sold than in any other in the
mid-size class.
Offering more refined and comfortable motoring than most of their
contemporaries, all versions of the Liberty have been successful in
Australia. From the second generation, arriving here in 1998, it has
been particularly successful.
Subaru Outback is an interesting variant on the Liberty station wagon.
On the market since 1996 it is intended as a halfway step between a
normal station wagon and a full-on 4WD. It is aimed at a significantly
different buyer to the standard Liberty so we will cover it in a
separate feature.
The Liberty engine has a flat-four layout to lower the centre of gravity
for improved road holding. Most have all-wheel drive for extra traction
on slippery roads, or simply to provide that extra oomph out of corners
when you feel in the mood for spirited driving. Since 1995 only
all-wheel drive models have been sold.
Engine size was 2.2 litres in older models. The Outback and the upmarket
Liberty Heritage from late 1996 used a 2.5-litre engine. That latter
engine spread to several other models in the range over the years. The
standard engine in the 1998 Liberty dropped in size to 2.0 litres, but a
more modern design gave it more performance than the 2.2 it replaced.
These are all four-cylinder units. The option of a flat-six engine
didn’t come in the Liberty until August 2004, when the 3.0-litre unit
previously seen in the Outback was finally offered in selected models in
the Liberty range.
There are a couple of high-performance variants on offer for the full-on
driver. The Liberty RS has a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit. The RS was
launched in October 1992 but was on sale for less than two years when it
was totally upstaged by the Subaru Impreza WRX. The even quicker Liberty
B4 sports machine has a twin-turbo 2.0-litre. It first came here in
August 2001 but was a bit of a disappointment in Australia as it was
significantly detuned from the engine offered in the Japanese market.
These Subarus are reasonably easy to work on and most routine jobs can
be carried out by an experienced home mechanic. However, safety items
and most areas of the high-performance variants are best left to the
experts.
Spare parts are around average in price for a car in this class and the
Subaru Australia dealer network, though relatively small, works
efficiently and there are dealers in many comparatively remote areas.
Insurance charges on all but the turbocharged high-performance Liberty
RS and Liberty B4 are moderate.
All-in-all there's a huge variety of models to choose from. On today's
market, they range in price (new) from about $31,000 to almost $60,000
so there's a big spread. Take your time to look at the ones you think
might suit you best and there's a very good chance you’ll find just
the right one.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Be sure the engine starts quickly and immediately idles smoothly no
matter how cold the conditions.
Manual gearboxes should be quiet in operation and gearchanges should be
smooth and light. Automatics which tend to hunt up and down the gears,
or which are slow to go into gear, could be due for an overhaul.
Look under an all-wheel drive, especially if it’s a station wagon, for
signs of damage through it coming into contact with the ground.
Be particularly wary of any under car damage on an all-wheel-drive model
that could indicate it has been used off-road.
Rust is certainly not common but may get into the door sills, the bottom
corners of the doors, bootlid and tailgate if a Liberty has been in a
crash and repaired incorrectly.
Look over the trim for signs of damage, though it usually holds up well
to all but the most outrageous of treatment. Don’t forget to look in
the luggage area as well as the cabin.
CAR BUYING TIP
It’s important to put almost as much time into researching
insurance and finance as into selecting the car itself.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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