Subaru Liberty 2009 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.  

The addition -- coming as part of the Exiga’s mid-life revision – puts another possie in the middle of the second row, taking the original six-seater up a notch.The passenger in the new spot gets a proper three-point lap-sash seatbelt – the absence of which was the reason Subaru did not offer the seven-seat option when the Exiga first arrived three years ago.There are now also three sets of child-seat anchor points in the middle row. Other changes to the Liberty Exiga include a new door mirror design on all models and new 17-in alloy wheels for the Premium spec versions.The price remains at current levels, starting from $37,990 for the 123kW/229NM 2.5-litre Liberty Exiga 2.5i and from $42,490 for the Premium spec that adds features such as leather, foglights and window tinting.“Liberty Exiga will now appeal to even more families that need the option of a seventh seat, in addition to the significant cargo volume it offers for load carrying, with the seats down in a variety of combinations,” Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says. 

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 Mercedes-Benz E Class is good, the Ford Fiesta is better, but the Golf is best of all from more than 100 new cars that landed in Australia over the past year.

Styled to make an impact in the USA, where the previous Liberty was dismissed as too small and soft, the new model is bigger and more impressive in almost every area.

With the Liberty Exiga wagon due in November, the company is aiming to position it away from people-mover territory, describing the six-seater wagon as a ‘versatile utility vehicle’ with ‘multi-seat functionality’.It is deliberately not using the term people-mover to describe the wagon because it believes the newest entrant is sportier and will be a more engaging drive than conventional people-movers.Subaru Australia boss, Nick Senior, says the 2.5-litre Liberty Exiga will leverage its link with the Liberty wagon, sharing its 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer’ engine and all-wheel drive underpinnings. "Exiga is on same wheelbase as Liberty and will have same dynamics," he says. "We'll be able to leverage the Liberty name and save a considerable amount of money trying to establish a new nameplate into the Australian market."As a new model, Subaru is forecasting modest sales of around 100 a month. Senior says the Exiga will have very targeted equipment levels, including standard DVD player and car-like driving dynamics. Subaru has built its success on the back of its wagons, which remain a critical part of the line-up. Last year wagons accounted for about 30 per cent of all Liberty sales. "Moving forward we will continue to offer customers what they want, not what we think they want," Senior says. "Because of that we're going to introduce a four-tier strategy with our Liberty wagons and Outback."This strategy is built around having four-cylinder economy, Sports/GT models, the Exiga and the Outback. "That range enables us to speak to more customer segments than we have been able to do previously," Senior says The Exiga is expected to be available as an entry and Premium model with prices starting under $45,000.Like the Liberty Premium models, the Exiga Premium will get leather and satellite navigation. Senior says the company is taking a six-seater Exiga from Japan because the middle seat in the second row is only available with a lap-seatbelt. Like other people-movers, the third-row seats fold into the floor.In Japan the Exiga is sold as a stand-alone model.Apart from the Exiga, Subaru will also roll out a 112kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel Outback in November. 

The Japanese company's new diesel boxer engine will not make it down under for another two months, well after the arrival of the all-new Liberty this week, and it will only be fitted to the high-rider Outback. "We're going to launch the diesel in Australia in the Outback model," says the father of the new Liberty-Outback range, Takeshi Tachimori.The Japanese vice-president of Subaru was driving in the first Outback diesel to reach Australia during Repco Rally Australia last weekend and says the car is a major breakthrough for the company. But he says a massive development program in recent years on everything from the latest Impreza to the new Tribeca means there will be a staggered roll-out of the diesel engine, even though it is already fitted to the Impreza, Forester, Liberty and Outback in Europe."In just two years we updated the whole vehicle line=-p. It's such big work for us," Tachimori says. "We launched the Forester last year and this is big work for us. We cannot do everything at the same time."He says the biggest changes for the new Liberty and Outback are the cabin space and body design, which were both focussed on American needs. The previous Subaru models were seen as too small in the USA and that meant a major change. "We discussed that we must look for the global market. We shifted the target to a global direction," he says. "Japanese people said the new Forester is too big, but it's not a big car in the United States or Australia. People looking at the new Liberty and Outback say they are so big, but the change is not so big.The height is a significant increase, and also the proportion. "For this fifth generation we changed our centre of gravity, moving to a global position."Tachimori also says Subaru went against the normal development flow by designing its Liberty wagon first. "Most car companies make the sedan, and then add the cargo space. We began with the wagon as we are sharing the car body with sedan, station wagon and outback. "We wanted a strong presence, especially with the Outback model. The packaging is a mixture of a sedan and SUV."Apart from the diesel engine, the big technical change for the new Liberty and Outback is Subaru's first constantly-variable automatic transmission. It has a six-speed manual mode and was done in-house because of the complication of mating it to the company's unique boxer engines and all-wheel drive package."Our powertrain is very unique and our problem is making a good transmission. We cannot have a transmission from a supplier," Tachimori says. "Transmission is always a problem for us. We had to a have a better transmission for better fuel economy, so several years ago we decided to make a new transmission and it will be CVT."The 2.0-litre Boxer diesel engine in the Impreza is claimed to achieve fuel economy of 5.9L/100km with CO2 emissions of 155g/km which is 20g less than a Corolla.It's no slouch, either, with 112kW of power and 350Nm of torque between 1800 and 240 revs, propelling it to 100km/h in nine seconds and a top speed over 200km/h.The horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine sits flat and deep in the engine well with a variable geometry turbocharger and catalytic converter mounted underneath for a low centre of gravity. Coupled with Symmetrical all-wheel drive, this improves handling and traction.Subaru claims the flat-four layout with horizontally-opposed pistons cancels out second harmonic vibration which means there is no need for heavy balancer shafts.Apart from reduced diesel noise, it also ensures a lively throttle response. The 1998cc Boxer diesel has an 11mm longer stroke and 6mm smaller bore than the 1994cc petrol engine. Cylinder bore spacing is reduced so the engine block is 61.3mm shorter at 353.5mm. It uses a common-rail fuel-injection system with fuel pressurised at 180MPa.The variable nozzle turbocharger ensures the correct boost at all engine speeds and placing it beneath the engine contributes to the Imprezas low centre of gravity, where it also connects directly to the catalytic converters, boosting environmental performance. 

A new 2.0-litre turbo-diesel available in Europe will arrive in November in the Outback first. However, Subaru Australia plans to gauge buyer reaction before looking at other models like the Liberty and Forester.In the meantime the local operations are pushing ahead with the launch of the new four and six-cylinder Liberty and Outback models. The fifth-generation Subaru Liberty is bigger, safer and has made gains in the areas of fuel economy and lowering emissions. The larger, significantly quieter cabin offers more comfort and better cabin and luggage space.Subaru Australia managing director, Nick Senior, says the fifth-generation Liberty improves in all areas. “It offers outstanding ride and handling, and every variant in the range offers better fuel efficiency and lower emissions,” he says. “Interior space is improved too in every key dimension.”Senior says safety has been improved in critical areas, with addition of the driver's knee airbag to complement the dual front side and curtain airbags. He said the energy-absorbing engine cradle and framed door windows aided cabin strength. ”That's in addition to standard electronic stability control and ABS brakes, plus a raft of other detailed safety features shows that Subaru isn't resting on its laurels, despite being a leader in this field.”Senior says Subaru has aimed to add equipment but keep prices down. “Every Liberty is keenly priced. The fact that none have increased and some have actually decreased, while specification is enhanced in so many key areas, makes these vehicles an attractive proposition,” he says.ChangesThe Liberty has a number of firsts for the model — a Lineartronic continuously variable transmission and a 3.6-litre horizontally opposed boxer engine, the Liberty's largest engine yet, as well as the addition of a Sports models to the 2.5i range and a six-speed manual gearbox.Fuel consumption has improved across the range, with an 11 per cent gain in automatic Liberty GT models and 9.7 per cent in automatic 2.5i models, in the combined cycle. Emissions have also been lowered. The automatic Liberty GT's CO2 emissions have been reduced by 31 g/km to 228 in the combined cycle.Pricing and variantsPrices for some variants have decreased by up to 7.8 per cent while others cost the same as the superseded variants. Entry-level Liberty 2.5i starts from $33,990, with the CVT auto adding $2500 to the price.The range-topping Liberty GT Premium is $52,990, $4500 less than the superseded GT spec.B, while the new Liberty 3.6R Premium is the same price as the superseded Liberty 3.0R Premium.Features and equipmentFuji Heavy Industries, which owns Subaru, has looked to Europe for inspiration for its new range. Among the features are seven airbags — including driver’s knee airbag - electronic stability control, dual zone air conditioning, Hill start assist, multi-function trip computer, cruise control, six-stacker in-dash CD stereo and 17-inch alloys (2.5i).The 2.5i Premium adds sunroof, leather, CVT automatic, electric driver's seat and rear air vents. The 2.5i Sports opens the standard package with the Lineartronic CVT , 18-inch alloys, Bilstein suspension, sports grille and bumper, alloy pedals and Xenon headlights with washers.Premium models add dusk sensing headlights, rain sensing wipers, McIntosh stereo systems, reversing camera, SI-Drive, satellite navigation, keyless access and push-button start.Apart from being bigger and roomier, the Liberty range is also stronger and safer, achieving a five-star ANCAP crash rating thanks to the addition of a front engine `cradle' and extensive use of high-tensile steel.The Lineartronic CVT on the entry-level and 2.5i Sports Liberty contributes to impressive fuel economy and requires no transmission fluid replacement, unless being driven in severe conditions continuallyAll automatics are available with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters.Pricing Liberty 2.5i manual sedan $33,990Liberty 2.5i Lineartronic CVT sedan $36,490Liberty 2.5i manual wagon $35,990Liberty 2.5i Lineartronic CVT wagon $38,490Liberty 2.5i Sports Lineartronic CVT sedan $39,490Liberty 2.5i Sports Lineartronic CVT Premium sedan $43,490Liberty 2.5i Sports Premium Lineartronic CVT SatNav sedan $46,990Liberty 2.5i Sports Lineartronic CVT wagon $41,490Liberty 2.5i Sports Lineartronic CVT Premium wagon $45,490Liberty 2.5i Sports Premium Lineartronic CVT SatNav wagon $48,990Liberty 2.5i Premium Lineartronic CVT sedan $39,990Liberty 2.5i Premium Lineartronic CVT SatNav sedan $42,490Liberty 2.5i Premium Lineartronic CVT wagon $41,990Liberty 2.5i Premium Lineartronic CVT SatNav wagon $44,490Liberty 2.5 GT Premium manual SatNav sedan $52,990Liberty 2.5 GT Premium auto SatNav sedan $54,990Liberty 2.5 GT Premium manual SatNav wagon $54,990Liberty 2.5 GT Premium auto SatNav wagon $56,990Liberty 3.6R Premium auto SatNav sedan $51,990 

The Japanese versions will go on sale there mid-year, while the Liberty will be launched on the Australian market in September.The fifth-generation of the popular Liberty – known as the Subaru Legacy in overseas markets – is built on a new platform and will arrive with a raft of tech improvements, including the choices of a 3.6-litre six-cylinder horizontally opposed boxer engine , and a six-speed manual or continuously-variable transmissions.The two other engines are both 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxers, one of which gets a boost from turbocharging.Australia will get a six-speed manual diesel Outback in November, with the engine that has already gone on sale in the current model Outback in Europe developing 108kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm from 1800rpm. Fuel economy is said to come in under sub-7.0 litres/100km.Both 2.5-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six cylinder boxer engines are expected to carry over and diesel buyers will be pleased with the arrival of Subaru's first 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.The Liberty is wider and longer than the current model –the American version is even wider again – and should offer a large increase in both passenger and cargo area.Safety gets a big kick-up in the new models, with equipment on offer including an engine cradle that folds to isolate the block from the cabin in a crash, knee airbags, and a reversing camera with factory-fitted satnav. There are also rain-sensing wipers, automatic headlights and push-button start options.Of course, both nameplates get Subaru’s all-wheel drive system, and the dynamic chassis concept from the new Impreza and Forester.Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says the new Liberty has all the right ingredients to make a strong play in the market.“Safety, performance and style are all key ingredients in the new generation Liberty mix. Combined with the high quality engineering for which Subaru is renowned, it represents a formidable package.”“Liberty and Outback will build strongly on the respected records of the current cars, at the same time maintaining the fun driving that’s at the heart of every Subaru.”Pricing will be revealed at the Liberty’s Australian launch in September.