Toyota Camry vs Subaru Liberty

What's the difference?

The Toyota Camry SL Hybrid offers good practicality for families and has a handsome road-side presence. It's well-specified but some of the tech is being outshone by its rivals now. I love the price tag and the ongoing costs because in this day and age, every penny matters! But it's the driving experience that's the highlight for me and this earns an easy 9.0/10 from me.

My son loved the blue colour but was a little annoyed that our morning school run conversations were constantly interrupted by those school zone alerts. He still enjoyed this one though and gives it a 7.0/10.

The Liberty has a lot going for it - a great reputation for reliability, it isn't terribly priced (although servicing is a little steep) and has that signature all-wheel drive. While I've complained about the ride and handling, apart from STi and RS-badged versions, that has never been the Liberty's strong suit.

While it might be a shrinking part of the market - and Subaru is a founding architect of the modern SUV cult - Subaru and its competitors still care. The Liberty, like Forester and Outback, remains a stand-out in the sector with a boxer 2.5 and all-wheel drive. Sometimes that kind of individuality is enough.

The Camry is easily recognisable on the road. It has that 'Toyota-ness' with panelling and lights managing to look sharp and curvy all at the same time.

The full LED exterior lights and cool faux intake vents at the rear makes it look steadfastly handsome.

It has a lot of road-side presence due to its sheer size. It's 4885mm long, 1840mm wide and 1445mm high. That translates to roomy cabin space, where practicality rather than sexiness has taken the design reins.

The dashboard's centre curves towards the right, making it feel very driver-centric but not necessarily passenger friendly when it comes to accessing the charging ports or utility tray.

There are a multitude of soft touchpoints which combine with the panoramic sunroof to add a sense of refinement to the cabin.

Here's a thing - this week I regularly parked my car in the same street as a fourth-generation Liberty. I kept heading for it at the end of each day because that design feels a lot more contemporary than the current car.

I came to my senses every time before trying to get in, but it does tell you that today's machine is a little on the dowdy side. While not the horror of the lines-everywhere-slab-sided fifth-generation model, I don't think the styling has escaped unscathed from the mess of the car it replaced.

This one won't scare small children or start pub arguments, though, and is a more cohesive, gracefully-ageing design. The LED daytime running lights and, in the case of the Premium, LED headlights, give it a modern feel and its less imposing headlight design is rather more pleasing. 

Little has happened as part of the refresh, with just the requisite number of visual tweaks. The front and rear bumpers (now with subtle diffuser) are a bit sharper and new wing mirrors and grille all add a little extra - but not much - to the 2014 original.

Inside is pretty much the same as before. The touchscreen has a flat, glare-prone screen but the rest of the cabin is well thought through, if entirely conventional. The flashy alloy pedals are a fun touch, though, and the materials choices are solid if uninspiring.

The interior is quite practical and boasts a roomy cabin. I have plenty of head- and legroom in both rows, so taller passengers will feel comfortable.

Up front, the leather-accented seats are well-padded and are electric with heating and cooling functions, but the trim can feel a bit too synthetic for my liking.

It's easy to clean, though, which is always handy when you have kids or pets around.

Individual storage options are quite good with a 7.3-litre middle console, a glove box, plus two cupholders and a skinny drink bottle holder in each door.

The phone utility tray is great as it hides a second storage area underneath that's large enough for a wallet and keys.

The 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is simple to use but is starting to look a bit old compared to its rivals.

There is wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as, built-in satellite navigation which is always a bonus.

The 7.0-inch digital instrument panel is very easy to read and the coloured head-up display is clear, too.

Charging options are okay but not awesome for a top-model. You get a single USB-A port and 12-volt port up front and two USB-C ports in the back.

But there's no wireless charging pad or USB-C port in the front, which would provide faster charging speeds.

In the back seat, individual storage is average with two map pockets, two cupholders in the fold-down armrest and skinny drink bottle holders in the doors.

The amenities are a bit bare for a top-model and there are no additional luxe factors to add some comfort for older kids or adults, like heated seats or climate control. I do like the directional air vents and reading lights, though.

There are ISOFIX child-seat mounts on the outboard seats and three top-tether anchor points but two seats will fit best.

There is plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed, too, but with the lower height of the car, you may get a sore back bending down all the time to buckle in an infant.

The boot is large at 524L but typical for a sedan, meaning the aperture is narrow. You might struggle to fit bulkier items.

There's a temporary spare wheel under the floor and while there's no powered tailgate, you probably won't mind because it's so light to open.

The Liberty has a terrifically spacious interior. Rear seat passengers have a huge amount of legroom, with a ton of room behind my driving position (I'm 178cm) for long-legged teenagers. There's also plenty of legroom and even air vents.

The cabin has four cupholders in total and four USB ports, two up front and two in the back.

If you found a way to fill the boot with water you'd get 493 litres aboard and you can drop the 60/40 split fold seats for yet more space.

The Liberty's sixth-generation has arrived at middle age and Subaru took the opportunity to tweak the specification as well as the looks. Second in the three car range is the 2.5i Premium, which sits between the 2.5i entry-level and the 3.6R, and carries a $36,640 price tag.

Standard on the Premium are 18-inch alloys, a six speaker stereo with Bluetooth and USB, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, active cruise control, powered and heated front seats, sat nav, auto high beam, active LED headlights, a very impressive safety package, partial leather seats, leather steering wheel, power everything, sunroof and a full-size spare.

The 7.0-inch touchscreen now not only features sat nav and a half-decent media system but also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is still a rarity in this class. Also a rarity is the standard all-wheel drive system (good) and the CVT auto (maybe not so good).

This model has a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder hybrid engine with a maximum power output of 160kW but Toyota doesn't quote a combined torque figure.

I was very surprised by the power – it's got some serious grunt when you need it.

The SL is a front-wheel drive and has a continuously variable auto transmission, which is so smooth as to be almost undetectable for gear changing!

Like the overall specification, the drivetrain has received some attention. While power outputs are the same as before - 129kW/235Nm - the CVT auto with which Subaru's 2.5-litre boxer engine is paired is slightly improved. Even in the quiet of the cabin you hear that 'flat' four-cylinder's trademark gravelly growl.

Being a Subaru, all four wheels receive their share of power. The Liberty's published towing capacity is 1500kg for braked trailers and 750kg unbraked. If you need a bit more, the six-cylinder 3.6R can handle another 300kg.

So, how's that hybrid efficiency? The official combined fuel cycle figure is 4.7L/100km and my real-world usage came to 5.5L/100km.

That's great for this size sedan! I covered a combination of open-road and urban driving this week, so I'm very happy with my result.

Based on the combined fuel figure and the 50L fuel tank, you should be able to get a driving range of around 1064km, which is stellar.

Toyota recommends a minimum 95 RON petrol to be used for the Camry.

Subaru says the combined cycle fuel figure is 7.3L/100km and I got 9.3L/100km with a mix of suburban and 80km/h running.

The fuel tank is a generous 61 litres.

I fell in love with this car once I started driving it because it's got to be one of the smoothest cars I've driven! It totally has your back when it comes to ride comfort, too.

The suspension feels well-tuned for Aussie roads but doesn't feel springy. It will still hug the road in a hard corner, making it a pleasure on my winding coastal journeys this week.

As I've mentioned, the power delivery surprised me and I had no trouble keeping up with traffic or overtaking. It's also very responsive accelerating from a full stop, which isn't always the case for CVTs.

The cabin is whisper quiet, even at higher speeds and the engine noise around town is all but mute.

The visibility is good from my driving position and despite its larger size, it's super easy to park. It has a 360-degree view reversing camera but I was disappointed with the image quality. Serves its purpose, though.

Subaru says the Liberty has undergone some changes to improve the driving experience. To my backside, that hasn't worked out perhaps as intended. At least I hope so, because the results aren't terrific. The ride is particularly odd - in the corners there is noticeable body roll but it bangs and crashes over bumps, the rear passengers suffering worse than those up front.

In the cruise it's perfectly reasonable and the car is very quiet, indeed it's pleasant at speed. At lower speeds, there is a lack of feel contributing to the feeling that the wheel lacks accuracy. Nothing dramatic, but I felt like I was constantly correcting it the way Parisians correct my high school Francais.

Cheeringly, what I expected to be my least favourite part of the car was quite good. I am monotonously on record dissing CVTs because generally, they're pretty terrible. After six months with one in the Forester, I was never comfortable with it. 

Here in the Liberty, it seems better integrated with the engine, with much better control of the trademark flaring and it's only when you really get the accelerator up against the firewall that you're reminded you're driving a rubber band. When you switch from I (Intelligent) to S (Sport) mode, it also responds accordingly, but there's never going to be fireworks.

The brake pedal is a bit on the mushy side, too, but its stopping ability was never in doubt. I guess the final verdict is that some parts of the experience are dreamily isolating while others are not as good as you might expect.

The Liberty ships with seven airbags (including driver's knee), lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise with brake light recognition, ABS, traction and stability controls, reversing camera, forward and side view cameras, reverse cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring. 

Bafflingly, there are no parking sensors at all on any Liberty. I know that sounds churlish, but I don't park watching a camera and like the beepers so I can watch somewhere else. Give me a beeper and a dipping left-hand mirror any day.

On top of all that, the 'EyeSight' system is also fitted. EyeSight is a pair of cameras pointing forward that not only powers the lane keep assist, but lets you know if you're drifting or approaching an obstacle too quickly. It also detects pedestrians and in this latest iteration will work up to 50km/h rather than 30km/h as before.

As you might expect, the Liberty scored five ANCAP stars in December 2014.

The on-going costs are great on the Camry Hybrid. It comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, but you can get up to 10 years warranty on the hybrid battery if you service the car at a Toyota dealership.

It has a five-year capped-price servicing plan and services are a flat $255 per service, or $1275 over the five-years – which is cheap compared to its rivals.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

At three years/unlimited kilometres, the Subaru warranty is now starting to look a bit thin compared to, say, Korean rivals. Over the three years of the capped-price servicing you'll wear $2281.66 for up to 75,000km of servicing. 

Subaru expects to see you every six months or 12,500km, so that averages out to $380 per service.

Hyundai's Sonata will cost you just $795 over the same period (for fewer visits), a Mazda6 will only hit you for between $308 and $336 per service, and a Camry will cost just over half what Subaru charges every year.