Subaru Liberty 2007 News

Volvo, Subaru, Land Rover, Citroen and GM have issued safety recalls for some vehicles due to defective manufacturing issues.

Subaru has announced a host of cosmetic, handling and efficient technology changes to its Liberty line-up for 2013. Entry-level pricing has been sharpened by $2000 with the Liberty 2.5i sedan which loses leather and is now priced from $32,990. Power and torque improves on normally aspirated 2.5 litre variants, while fuel efficiency is also refined by up to 4.8 per cent, thanks to the new generation FB horizontally-opposed boxer engine, linked to the latest Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Subaru's award-winning EyeSight driver assist system is also introduced on additional Liberty variants, including the 2.5i Premium, despite a pricing reduction of $1500.  Liberty's revised all-wheel drive system improves precision in torque distribution between front and back wheels, benefiting handling and stability. The technical refinements, including suspension and handling, were tested on Australian roads. In addition to the new engine, automatic transmission and alloy wheel patterns, Liberty 2.5i with leather trim now adds factory-fitted satellite navigation and a new colour information display. Liberty sales are up 12 per cent year-to-date.  

IT was two degrees in the Blue Mountains when Kate and Gerren Hawkins broke down in their "old Holden" a few years ago. That's when they decided they wanted a new and more reliable car. "We always liked Subaru and didn't consider any other car," says Kate, 29, a sales manager. So they bought a 2008 Liberty 2.5i Luxury Wagon to fit Gerren's musical equipment. "It was important to fit all his music gear and the seats fold down flat," she says. "It doesn't matter what you put in there, it always fits, so we hardly ever pay for delivery of things; we just pick it up ourselves. I also like Subaru's style. They have quite a sporty look without being a sports car and are quite rugged." Safety was also very important. Kate says they were aware that Subaru has a five-star safety rating and all-wheel drive for all its vehicles. "I used to snowboard a lot when I as younger and I know a car handles icy conditions better with all-wheel drive," she says. Now they have moved north to Queensland and traded snow for sand with planned trips to Stradbroke Island. They've also traded the Liberty for a new tangerine-coloured Subaru XV 2.0i-S with CVT which is due to arrive in the next few weeks. "Our trade-in price was just under what my payout figure was for the hire purchase which is pretty good given the state of the economy at the moment and how low second-hand car prices are," she says. "I thought we would get a second-hand car this time but there wasn't much difference in price so we went for the new one. We may as well get brand new and have all the warranties. Subarus don't seem to drop thousands of dollars in value the moment you drive out of the dealership." Kate says she was attracted to the new XV by a host of features such as "extra airbags and the look of the dashboard". "We bought the S model because it has the touch-screen satnav, digital radio, USB with iPod connectivity, Bluetooth stereo adjustments on the steering wheel and dual aircon which is really important for us as I'm always whinging it's too cold and my husband is always whinging that it's too hot so it will be handy when we do car trips together." Kate will mainly drive the car to work Monday to Friday with occasional weekend trips away to the beach, so fuel economy was important. "We are downsizing from a 2.5-litre engine to a two-litre engine with stop-start which we hope will make a difference," she says. "Even if it's saving just a little bit of petrol, it's also handy to get the extra mileage from the tank. "I hate filling up the tank. It's always a hassle. I'd rather drive around for two weeks than have to fill up every four days, even if it ends up costing much the same. You pull over when you have to, not when you want to."

The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) yesterday revealed motor theft would become harder with the use of personal scanning, impact-resistant windows and automatic deadlocking doors.The council previewed a 3D virtual car featuring security innovations to be introduced in five to 10 years. Features of the future included an improved identification system, a satellite global-tracking system and a centrally monitored two-way communications system, including an interior camera and panic alert.Motor theft across Australia is down to a record low of 62,000 vehicles a year. NSW theft rates have dropped from 47,338 five years ago to 26,891 this year.NMVTRC executive director Ray Carroll yesterday called on motorists to be more aware of security features when buying a new car and urged car manufacturers to lift their game.The NMVTRC also unveiled the nine most secure cars in Australia.Among these were the Volkswagen Polo, Citroen C2, the Subaru Liberty 2.0R and the Mitsubishi 380.Do you think all new cars should have smart access system as a standard feature?

With the local car industry now at the halfway point in the 2007 sales race, it is easy to see who's winning and who's losing.Toyota is basking in the glory of not only being No.1, but also cementing its sales lead so convincingly that — barring a catastrophe — it will take out the sales crown this year.The Altona-based Japanese company is 40,404 vehicles clear of its nearest rival, Holden. It is also relishing the positive spin of the Corolla knocking off the Holden Commodore last month.But apart from Toyota, other players are also revelling in the good times.Of the importers, Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Peugeot managed strong June sales.Mazda sold 6932 cars, with the Mazda3 being the strongest seller on 3037.The company experienced the biggest market share gain of any importer.Its record half-yearly result is 20.3 per cent up on the same time last year, lifting market share from 6.7 per cent in 2006 to 7.5 per cent, a gain of 0.7 percentage points.Subaru's tally was 4085 for the month, with the Forester, Impreza and Liberty all breaking through 1000 sales.Suzuki, like many importers, was buoyed by keen end-of-financial year deals.It sold 2368 cars for the month, bringing its year-to-date tally to 10,910 vehicles, a 43 per cent lift over last year.Of the French, an ever-expanding Peugeot line-up continues to bolster sales, but Renault flops around due to a lack of new product.Peugeot sold 1016 vehicles last month, bringing its year-to-date run-rate to 4549, a 13 per cent lift over last year. The 307 continues to be Peugeot's best seller.By contrast, Renault has a year-to-date total of 1431 vehicles, 32 cars fewer than last year.Even Saab experienced some solid growth, albeit off a low base, as the 9-3 turbodiesel helped lift the marque's appeal.Saab sold 336 cars last month, its best month for 10 years, taking its year-to-date tally to 1148, a 170 per cent lift over last year.The X-Trail, Tiida and Navara continue to drive Nissan sales. The Japanese importer sold 5845 vehicles last month with 31,176 year-to-date, a 20 per cent lift over last year.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries monthly Vfacts figures show that most of the extra volume last month was generated by the light, small and medium car segments.A breakdown of large car sales shows that Holden sold 5588 Commodores last month, Ford 3206 Falcons, Toyota 2626 Aurions and Mitsubishi just 877 380 V6s.All three were eclipsed by the new four-cylinder Corolla, which secured 5890 sales.But a finer look at the figures shows that much of the Corolla's success was down to fleet purchases and pent-up demand for the new car, which spiked figures.But a sale is a sale. Holden's own figures point out that 29 per cent of VE Commodores are bought by private buyers, as opposed to 18.6 per cent for the VT Commodore.Apart from the Corolla, other small car stars were the Mitsubishi Lancer with 2143 sales, Holden Astra 1763 and Ford Focus 1550.Of the tiddlers, Toyota again ruled last month. The Yaris managed 2926 sales against 2486 for the Hyundai Getz, 1361 for the Kia Rio, 1351 for the Suzuki Swift and 1392 for the Honda Jazz.Despite the dominance of the light, small and medium segments, large cars were up 3.7 per cent in June and, in year-to-date terms, are running 5.1 per cent ahead of last year.However, Ford's overall market share has slipped 2 per cent and Holden's by almost 1 per cent, despite its Korean strategy, which was hoping to deliver an increased share.Mitsubishi is a bit stronger, experiencing a 0.6 per cent overall drop in share and, despite Toyota's increasing sales, its share has increased by only about 0.6 per cent.One of the more interesting results was for the Ford Fairlane.Ford sold 149 Fairlanes, bolstered by the news that the long-wheelbase sedan will be axed at the end of the year.Dealers are also reporting a slight pick-up in interest for the car from fleets.Overall, the year-to-date sales figure of 524,376 means that a record 1 million market is likely by December.   Top 10 makes  1 Toyota 24,5392 Holden 14,2563 Ford 10,3044 Mitsubishi 81945 Mazda 69326 Nissan 58457 Honda 57508 Hyundai 50239 Subaru 408510 Volkswagen 2848 Top 10 models1 Toyota Corolla 58902 Holden Commodore 55883 Toyota HiLux 42494 Ford Falcon 32065 Mazda3 30376 Toyota Yaris 29267 Toyota Camry 26458 Toyota Aurion 26269 Hyundai Getz 248610 Mitsubishi Lancer 2143 

Only 300 models of the Liberty GT Spec B with STI tuning are available in Australia at an extra $10,000 to the normal Spec B price tag.Starting at $65,990 for the manual and automatic sedans, the STI-enhanced model produces an extra 10kW of power and 11Nm of torque through the upgraded ECU. It will also be available in a wagon variant for an extra $2000.With STI tuning, the limited model has firmer, sportier ride with better handling, better turbo response and a sportier sound, as well as improved grip."This is the second tuned-by-STI Liberty we've had," says Subaru spokeswoman Alicia Cannon. "With the MY07 model we expect it to sell very well, with a good customer response to locally tuned variants."Tweaked features include Bilstein sports-tuned dampers matched to STI lowered springs, the two STI twin-tip sports mufflers, Pillow-ball bush suspension components and Brembo performance brake upgrade. It sits on 18-inch lightweight alloy wheels and changes have been made to both transmissions with the manual featuring a six-speed STI short shift gear lever and the automatic given a sportier response.All models feature front lip spoiler and STI badging and the sedan gets an STI boot spoiler.

Alfa Romeo stepped up straight after the Peugeot unveiling of a woman, I mean a car. A 207 apparently.