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01 September 2006



It's a midlife makeover for Subaru's "respectable" range, but it answers many of the criticisms of the last model.

Call it growing old disgracefully. Though the most mature vehicle in the Subaru range has been steadily growing up through the generations, a mid-life facelift has removed any trace of adolescence from the Liberty sedan and wagon.

The new Liberty range is the most resolved and focused to date. Even the glorious fun-park ride that is the turbocharged GT has grown up, reintroduced to the range in a top-shelf ‘Spec B’ luxury variant, and there are numerous luxury and technological additions to the turbo and 3.0-litre models, and the revised exterior and interior add up to a more complete package.

The Liberty GT has been reborn after a nine-month absence, forced out of the market on January 1 this year due to stricter Euro III emissions. But the GT has benefited greatly from the green-thumb rule in retrospect, returning to full form with the Impreza STi’s excellent 2.5-litre turbocharged boxer engine. This engine won its class at the International Engine of the Year awards, and can run on 95 RON fuel instead of a strict (and expensive) diet of 98 octane. Producing 184kW and 339kW in the Liberty, it can be teamed up with the STi’s fantastic six-speed gearbox as well as the five-speed sports shift auto in the specced-up ‘Spec B’ variant.

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