2006 Subaru Liberty Reviews

I love the thrill of the acceleration, the performance of the brakes and the slot-car handling.However, the now-legendary Subaru WRX STi (Subaru Technica International) is simply beyond me for daily driving.I attended the launch last year of the new WRX at the Darlington Park circuit on the Gold Coast hinterland.Sadly, the track is now closed for business and sadly so am I.The track-tuned WRX rides so harshly my kidneys need a breather after about half an hour on our poorly maintained roads over which my belly has wobbled and jiggled enough not only to cause me gross embarrassment but also to make me slightly ill.However, I now feel like everyone is looking at me and pointing, saying "who does that old fool think he is driving around in that hoon car?".The look-at-me whale tail and bonnet scoop simply don't fit my image any more. Yes, it's a sad day when you have to admit one of the best-handling, fastest-accelerating, street-cred cars under $60,000 no longer presses your buttons.However, before we ageing baby boomers pull off our racing gloves to wipe the tears from our eyes, there now is a car for you and me out of the same stable.Introducing the Subaru Liberty GT tuned by Subaru Techinca International.Only 300 of these special edition models have been released and they should go fast (pun intended) since there are so many of us fossil-fuel-burning jelly-belly baby boomers around.And what a gorgeous hunk of machine it is. Even before you get in, there are immediate hints that this is more than just a stock-standard Liberty GT.Around the car there are "STi" badges, an aerodynamic kit, lowered stance and two sets of twin tailpipes, each with "STi" stamped on them.The whale tail is replaced by a more modest foil, while the bonnet scoop is greatly reduced.And it sits on the most gorgeous mags I have ever seen — 18-inch STi alloys shod with Pirelli P Zero Rosso fat rubbers.The whole effect is subtle and tasteful, rather like a Mercedes-Benz AMG or BMW M. Look around at the fine tolerances in the panel fit and the deep lustrous paint and you'll also be reminded of German craftsmanship.Open the door and be greeted by door sills stamped with STi, while there are more badges inside on the black leather seats with red stitching, deep-pile carpet, steering wheel and gear shift.Thankfully, there is no keypad to code your secret pin number in before igniting the fossil fuels like there is in the WRX STi.Fire it up and you are greeted by a red glow from the special instruments and assaulted with a fiery rasp from the rear end.Depending on which model you get, you can slip it into first on the manual or auto with Sportshift steering wheel-mounted switches.Then give it the berries, and from 3500rpm the performance is almost equal to the WRX. Subaru claims the STi engine control unit boosts power from 180kW to 190kW in the auto and 200kW in the manual, just shy of the WRX STi's 206kW. You'd need a stopwatch to notice the difference.However, what you will notice is the difference in the ride. Firmer than the normal GT, but with compliant lowered STi-tuned spring rates and damping to ensure you soak up the worst of our over-taxed tarmac.The usual standards of luxury and quality we've come to expect of Liberty GT continue, including the second-best factory fitted sound system on four wheels.The 13-speaker McIntosh system is no duff-duff boom box, but is crystal clear and only beaten in car audio by the Mark Levinson system in Lexus vehicles.A few extras over the "standard" GT include climate control air, trip computer, eight-way powered driver's seat and Sportshift.Only complaint is no audio controls on the steering wheel.

This particularly blokey Subaru Liberty GT was such a car. The thrill of the traffic light take-off makes life worthwhile with Liberty's turbocharged, two-litre engine and silky gearshift.But the zero to 50km/h sprint takes less time than you can say "hmmm" and it's back to steady coherence of road rules.Just like one of my favourite U2 songs – Running to Stand Still.It makes me wonder why Subaru, which makes its sought-after peppy cousin WRX, bothers with making a more understated version for grown-ups.Subaru Australia general manager Nick Senior has called it "Subaru's interpretation of a European-style sports sedan".Surely this Japanese car maker does not have to kowtow to Euro-styling. It already has a loyal fan club of drivers who understand the delights of a boxer engine and its off-road capabilities.But I'm inclined to think the Liberty GT will be the choice for women, often decision-makers on the type of car a family drives, who must compromise with their men who want the go-fast WRX.Liberty falls somewhere between the sporting man's plaything and the safety-conscious buyer's choice.But while WRX owners hold a badge of honour with a car renowned among rally enthusiasts, Liberty GT owners lack the same grunty pedigree.In fact, its shape and performance seem to blur with other new four-cylinder sedans on the road. I guess that's the problem with compromise.It has all the things that make you go "VROOM" – engine hole thingy in the bonnet, high-performance tyres, fancy neon-like dash lights, black leather interior.Under the bonnet, Subaru says the turbocharged engine can take you from zero to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds. Impressive.Plenty of doof-doof too, with a sound system able to blast out from 13 speakers, squawkers, tweeters, woofers and a "super woofer" on the back shelf.But the "it" factor is elusive.Surely Liberty GT is a status symbol for the more family-oriented petrolhead – too young to drive a station wagon; too old not to be laughed at in the sporty WRX.Costing $52,990, it would perhaps make more sense to pay an extra $2000 for the Liberty GT wagon which has more off-road, camper-cred.A word of warning – an Australian summer and the skin-baking, sauna-like qualities of a black leather interior are a bad combination ... no matter how good the airconditioning is.