Subaru Liberty News

The two fresh Subaru faces will arrive in January, with the Forester's complete change brings with it an automatic gearbox for its diesel-engined models.The CVT box is a tweaked version of the unit fitted to the current Impreza models, with gearshift changes designed to suit off-road applications. Subaru will also bring access to offroad adventure in the form of a high-riding sedan.The Liberty sedan cross-over - effectively a four-door Outback - arrives in January with 60mm extra high-ride suspension and the choice of four and six-cylinder petrol engines.It has no direct competitors in its expected $35,000 to $55,000 price bracket but will be shopped against its wagon counterpart and new models including the diesel-only Volkswagen Passat Alltrack wagon, due here in November.The Liberty sedan cross-over - which is yet to get an official name - was first displayed at last month's Beijing motor show. Compared with the standard Liberty sedan, it features a new grille and front bumper, chrome side skirts and 18-inch alloy wheels.Cabin changes are black metal dash trim and relocated electronic park brake and SI-Drive switches. Subaru Australia's managing director Nick Senior says the car will be ideal for Australian roads ``where we have a huge percentage of unsealed surfaces and the extra ride height adds to its capability in regional and rural areas''.Subaru sells the bulk of its diesel models into these areas yet, conversely, the Liberty sedan won't come with a diesel engine. Well, not initially."Another key aspect of this new Liberty variant is that the hip point is 70mm higher than the current sedan,'' Senior says. Only two markets in the world - Australia and China - will get this model. Senior says that's because they each have unique road conditions. "It is still an enlightening statistic that around 60 per cent of our roads are unsealed,'' he says."Our all-wheel drive Liberty is a great choice for these conditions and the new variant with its extra ground clearance makes an even stronger case."We see its main market to be in rural areas, but it will also be ideal for those with tricky driveways, those who travel with trailers and caravans, or just those who want a sedan where you can sit a bit higher.''The Liberty sedan variant goes on sale about January and will be available with either 2.5-litre four-cylinder or 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engines. Keen spotters of Subaru product would have noticed a hybrid model on the 2011 Tokyo motor show stand. The Advanced Tourer Concept (ATC) is a sports wagon with an aerodynamic body over a hybrid system that combines a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and an electric motor. Though the drivetrain is interesting and may be with us in a few years, be prepared to see that body shape a bit earlier. 

Rural owners and those who find comfort in a higher hip-point are the targets of the new Subaru Liberty model. The high-riding Liberty sedan was revealed at the Beijing Motor Show this month and has been confirmed for Australia as part of the 2013 Liberty range due in the third quarter this year. The as-yet unnamed variant has 18-inch rims and a rides 60mm higher at 210mm to help navigate dirt roads. Inside the seats are raised 70mm to improve ease of entry and exit a major issue for older drivers and parents of kids in car seats. The 2013 range will include a revised grille, repositioned park brake and SI-Drive switches, a black "metal-type" centre panel and console and chrome-look sill highlights. Subaru Australia says the variant will only be sold here and in China, reflecting the unique road conditions in the two countries. Managing director Nick Senior points out 60 per cent of Australias roads are still unsealed and says the new variant will make it an obvious contender in rural markets. "This new Liberty variant will be ideal for Australian roads, where we have a huge percentage of unsealed surfaces and the extra ride height adds to its capability in regional and rural areas," he notes. "We see its main market to be in rural areas, but it will also be ideal for those with tricky driveways, those who travel with trailers and caravans, or just those who want a sedan where you can sit a bit higher." Subaru has yet to announce prices but says the new variant will be sold with 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.6-litre six-cylinder engines, mated to Subarus symmetrical all-wheel drive system.  

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."

...than travelling in the traffic stream near a car that has lights particularly brake lights, that aren't working. How often do you see a car that has faulty lights? Often, I bet. Lights are things we use to see, be seen, or to signal our intention to do something. They are an important piece of safety equipment on our cars, important for our own safety, and important for the safety of others. But because we can't see them ourselves, we simply assume they're working and never bother to check them. Checking them is simple, and something we can include the kids in doing. Getting the kids to help us check the lights sets a good example for them, and should encourage them to check the lights on their car once they are old enough to drive. So, get behind the wheel and turn the ignition on, and them run through each lighting system. Turn each on in sequence and have your kids check to see if they are working. As each is confirmed to be working turn it off and turn on the next one. Check the parking lights and headlights, low and high beam, as well as the headlight flasher. While the headlights are on, check that the taillights are also illuminated. Check the turn signals, right and left, front and rear, and don't forget the side repeaters. Check the emergency flashers, front and rear, and make sure all are working. Finally, check the brake lights, all of them. If you can't get the kids to help you check the brake lights, find a reflective surface, a shop front window can be a good one to use, and reverse the car up to it and apply the brakes. You should be able to see the lights reflecting in the surface behind you. Also check the reversing lights. Replace the globes in any of the lights you find that aren't working.

The Liberty will be revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show alongside the bold new BRZ sports coupe as Subaru continues the biggest new-model push in its history. But don't be fooled by the name - or the shape. The Liberty is being previewed only as a station wagon and will wear a label as the Advanced Tourer Concept, complete with a hybrid power pack. It is being displayed as a concept so Subaru can tweak some of the small details before dropping the car into showrooms, most likely in the second half of next year, but all the basics are the same as the production model. Since it's being set to tackle the world's best in its class, including everything from the Mazda6 to Volkswagen Passat, the body design is much more aggressive with a pushy nose including the latest Subaru 'face', a high side profile with a muscular beltline, and accentuated wheelarches. To power the new wagon - and the sedan that will follow - Subaru has taken its current lineup of 2.0 and 2.5-litre boxer turbo engines and downsized the cylinder block to create a new, cleaner, and more fuel- efficient 1.6-litre turbo powerplant. But there is more. By adding a unique, Subaru-developed single-motor hybrid system with Li-ion batteries, engineers say they have been able to reduce fuel consumption while maintaining roughly the same power output as the current crop of engines. Working together with a revised version of the company’s well-known symmetrical all-wheel drive system, the new wagon can run in electric-only EV-mode from rest and at low speeds. The design work on the Tourer includes wood, polished aluminium and leather in the cabin, together with a full glass sunroof. Designers have fitted a large TV monitor inside the steering wheel that displays GPS sat-nav directions and has direct access to the internet. It also incorporates the company’s EyeSight crash avoidance system which uses two cameras mounted above the rear-view mirror that monitor traffic conditions and can detect pedestrians and cyclists. Apart from the Tourer Concept and the BRZ, the Subaru stand at the Tokyo Show will include the new Impreza G4 and the latest WRX hotrod, the STI-tuned S206 based on the existing four-door STI.

….but this car is a Subaru Liberty. Well, sort of.

He is - or was - Hirotaka Ono - a visionary who re-invented the Japanese brand and changed everything, from boosting the quality of its cars to creating the can-do attitude among senior managers that's essential for the success of any car company. Ono had a giant advantage because he was married to the daughter of company founder, Osama Suzuki.He was able to use his family connection to ramrod a range of changes which would have been impossible for anyone else, especially a 40-something revolutionary in a country which usually puts age and experience ahead of youth and enthusiasm. Even so, he still had to walk the walk on everything from design and driving enjoyment to bottom-line financial deals.The award winning Suzuki Swift is an Ono car, so too is the current Grand Vitara, as well as the Kizashi. His track record also includes the less-successful second-generation XL7, thankfully only sold in the USA, but everyone makes an occasional mistake. Ono died too early at the end of 2007, but not before he inspired the cars coming through Suzuki today and forecast the global financial crisis - as well as planning the way his company would react to the challenge."Thanks to Mr Ono we have learned what we can do. He inspired us," says Tak Hayasaki, managing director of Suzuki Australia. Hayasaki has his own challenges in trying to lift Suzuki's share of Australia's annual car sales from its current 2.4 per cent to around six per cent, but he knows he has the strongest lineup in the company's history.The Alto is too small for a lot of people, but a $12,990 driveway bottom line makes plenty of sense with six airbags, ABS and ESP, as well as alloy wheels. The Swift is getting very old but is still a good car, the Grand Vitara is a safe choice and the SX4 does a good enough job.Kizashi is the game-changer for Suzuki, the same as the first Mazda6 and Accord Euro were for Mazda and Honda, combining Euro-type driving enjoyment with Japanese quality.This week the company is adding an all-wheel drive car to the Kizashi line, the Sports, and believes it can boost its sales by 100 cars a month. That's 50 per cent of the current volume. It's a big call for a car which already goes head-to-head with Mazda6 and Euro and now faces up to the might of the Subaru Liberty, the car that convinced Australians about all-wheel drive.As he looks forward, with a new Swift before the end of the year - not   that you would pick it as all-new from pictures - Hayasaki knows where the credit goes. "I have to thankyou to Mr Ono for what he has given us. He proved that we can do it."

"I just never sold anything," the 77-year-old Ipswich real estate proprietor says.  "You buy them to keep them. I have no interest in selling any of them."When I retire - if I ever do - I'd like to get them all restored.  My wife Margaret says I'd have to live to 120 to restore everything I have."His collection runs from a 1900s Orient, one of only four still working in the world, to a Brock VB Commodore and late-model Subaru Liberty GT he uses as a daily driver.Llewellyn also owns a 1968 340 Jaguar, a 1970s Vanguard Spacemaster, 1952 FX and 1953 FJ Holdens which need to be restored, 1970s Suzuki two-stroke 4WD, 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle, 1976 V8 Triumph Stag, 1950s Vespa three-wheeler scooter and a 1950s Renown.But don't bother asking what they cost, what exact year model they are or when he bought them. "I should know the years and prices of my cars but I just acquire so many of them and you don't remember those things," he says.Llewellyn's wheel obsession started in the post-war years with cycling, winning an eight-mile Queensland premiership in 1949.  "I went from cycling to a BSA single-cylinder motorcycle when I just got my licence, then I got a Velocette in the early 1950s and several other bikes, but I kept them all upright."His first car was "a little Triumph" he got from a local backyard. He and his brother, Ross, restored it.  He "graduated" to a Morris Z utility with a little side-valve engine that the brothers also restored."In the meantime I got introduced to stock car racing at the Brisbane Exhibition grounds," he says.  "I won a few things in my '34 Ford coupe. It had a '42 side-valve engine prepared for a boat. It had six carbies and it really used to go."I remember I was leading the world championship (they had a world championship every few weeks) and I was in lap 19 of a 20-lap race when it got an air lock in it, overheated and cooked the engine.  I knew it was getting hot and I thought it would make it to the last lap, but it didn't."He also had a Triumph TR2 for circuit racing and hillclimbs.  "The worst thing I ever did was sell my TR2," he says.  "It had a Harry Firth cam in it. I co-drove with Harry in an economy run and I still ring him every few months."Llewellyn then moved into rallying and competed in the 1956 and '57 Mobil Round Australia rallies.  In 1956 he entered with a Holden FX 215 Series that got from Sydney to Winton before it hit a hump in the road and bent the front suspension and steering.At one stage in the rally he recalls being in a queue of competitors waiting to cross a creek when he saw a VW Beetle skip across the creek like a bouncing stone.  The next year he returned with a 1957 VW Beetle and completed the race in 40th out of 120 entries.Llewellyn also competed in 10 Mobil Economy Runs up to 1966 and four Variety Club bashes.  He worked as a real estate agent from 1959 to 1964 when he started his own agency, Action Realty, and work started taking over from motor racing.However, his passion for cars never abated and he has collected several over the years, either as outright purchases such as the Brock Commodore he bought from new in 1980 or as part of property deals such as the Orient.The Brock Commodore 308 V8 is number 387 of 500.  "It was stolen some years ago while I was at a Charlie Pride concert at Festival Hall," he says.  "It was used in a robbery of a chemist shop and I believe it outran the police."A man who was out walking his dog found it in bushland and got my $500 reward.  "It wasn't damaged but they took the toolbox and spare wheel and left the car.  It would have be worth about $50,000-$70,000 now but I have no interest in selling it. I just count my blessings I got it back."The Orient is one of only four still working in the world.  Made in the UK it has leaf springs, four bicycle tyres, tiller steering, direct cog drive, single-cylinder engine with a leather strap pull starter and weighs only 200kg."I've no idea what it's worth," says Llewellyn.  "It would have been worth a bit a few years ago, but I'm not interested in selling it.  I've had it on display at motorsport events and want to one day get it running again."He also hopes to one day get his 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle running.  One of his registered and frequently used vehicles is his 1976 Triumph Stag with a 2997cc V8."Some people say they always see it with the bonnet up, but it's a beaut little engine that revs out so well," he says.  "It drives better with the hard top off. It takes two people to lift it off, it's that heavy, so it runs better without that extra weight."Plus you can hear the engine and I'm a great believer in listening to your engine because it changes.  If you listen to your engine you can hear it sweeten and when it goes off and needs some attention." Llewellyn says the impeccable little car has "never been bent" and never been restored, just well looked after.The first owner wanted a blue one with airconditioning and the only one available was in Melbourne, so they went down and got it and drove it back.  What better way to run a car in than a trip like that?"They have a history of overheating so when I bought it in 1980 that was the first thing I had fixed.  One day I hope to have them all working so I can take them out every couple of weeks."

After leading the world on so many fronts - from quality to comfort and reliability - they have been hit badly by the global financial crisis.  Toyota and Honda and many of the others wound back dramatically at the onset of the GFC, not just on their production lines but also in their motorsport programs - F1 was the first casualty - and new-product development.We are now seeing the results in Australian showrooms, where the Corolla and Civic are now mid-pack in the small-car class and former pacesetters including the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and even the locally-made Camry are struggling against newer and better rivals.  They are fine for everyday transport, but not as impressive as they were just five years ago.Subaru has also cut costs and its latest styling work - particularly on the Liberty and Outback - reflects a desperate desire to win sales in the USA.  Contrast all of them against the Suzuki Kizashi, which comes from one of the few Japanese brands that held its nerve through the GFT. Suzuki has cut its production targets, and admits that extra Kizashi models are on the back-burner, but is going to do brilliantly well with the car.Toyota and Honda, in contrast, are relying on value-added deals to keep customers coming in Australia. They are recovering from the economic downturn but nowhere near as rapidly as some of their rivals  - particularly Hyundai.In Australia, many of our Japanese cars are now also actually built in Thailand. It's not a major drama, because the quality is much the same, but it shows how the battle to cut costs is influencing the Japanese makers. The Thai drive also shows that Japan Incorporated is now happy to produce bland transport modules instead of appealing cars, going for numbers first - in showrooms and on the balance sheet. It's a reasonable response to the GFC but is going to cause problems in coming years.Why? Because Australia is seeing so many classy European cars at more affordable prices - look at the Volkswagen Polo - and because Korean is coming up fast.  Hyundai is now doing a better job than Toyota at building Toyota-style cars, with adventurous styling, classy quality and great prices. It's latest, the i45 replacement for the dowdy Sonata, is really good on every front except its awful steering and lacklustre front suspension.The i45 is a Camry done better and, like the Kizashi, one of the stars of 2010. And it's not the end for Hyundai, which has all sorts of new models coming from the baby i20 to an overdue sporty car sometime in 2012.And that's whan the Japanese really could be in trouble. It's not because Hyundai has something new but because the Japanese wound their development programs back during the GFT and the results of that conservative risk management will not really be known until we see - or don't see - the work which should have been done over the past two years.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

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.