Subaru Liberty 3.6 2017 Review

Innovative, not boring
Family cars are boring, and that perception is probably accentuated in the medium segment by the dominant model, the Toyota Camry. Not that the Camry is a bad car, but its fleet-led dominance is like a really bad F1 race; there's just one winner – by a huge margin on a different lap – and absolutely no overtaking or real competition is possible.

It's actually the backmarkers in the medium segment which offer the real interest – cars like the Subaru Liberty, which is actually one of the stronger-selling models. According to VFACTS figures for 2017 year to date, the Liberty holds down fifth spot in the segment, having sold 1476 units as at the end of August. While there are four other cars ahead in the segment – including two taking part in this comparison, the Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo – the Liberty sells significantly better than Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima and Skoda Octavia, followed by a host of other models which sell in even smaller numbers.

We chose the Liberty for this comparison, like the other cars tested, because it offered something a little different from the segment paradigm.

Performance and safety in parallel
The Liberty on test was the only car to offer all-wheel drive and six-cylinder performance, available from its 3.6-litre engine. This combination gave the Liberty an immediate leg up for straightline traction and acceleration. Just in case you think that doesn't count for much in the modern era of clever, computerised traction control systems, the Liberty never put a foot wrong in the damp conditions. In contrast, on the same damp road, the Skoda Octavia RS 162 TSI – producing less power but the same torque (350Nm) – under harsh acceleration and with full turbocharger boost, spun one drive wheel with an unpleasant, teeth-rattling thump from the front end.

Quite simply, the Liberty was a lot of powertrain for the money ($42,740) in this company. In fact, it was the most affordable of the five cars tested, despite the extra cylinders, shafts, joints and differentials. Others may have offered more equipment, but the Liberty's 1800kg towing capacity was the benchmark, and its combination of engine output and continuously variable transmission (CVT) promised effortless overtaking on the country roads out west of Melbourne. We've been occasionally critical of Subaru CVTs in the past, but the Liberty's unit was quieter than others and emulated steps like a 'real' transmission.

Summing up the views of the testing staff, Nadine Armstrong observed: "Great engine, immediate power and very responsive." Feann Torr noted that the flat six was very "refined" and he gushed breathlessly about the Liberty's straight-line poke, even praising the car's transmission: "CVTs can be fun".

Driving dynamics
Behind the wheel, the Liberty proved to be a decent touring machine, although some of our reviewers noted the ride quality was less compliant than any of the cars tested, other than the Octavia. According to both Tim Britten and Ken Gratton, the Liberty felt tightly sprung, but underdamped. Tim thought the Liberty was more inclined than its competitors to pitch and roll.

But no one had a serious issue with the Liberty's roadholding, although the Subaru did feel heavier in the nose and slower to respond to steering input. Feann noted the steering was "vague", particularly up to a few degrees off-centre. For Nadine it was "underwhelming".

"I really wanted to love this car," Nadine also commented. "And until I had to turn a corner, I did."

The Liberty wasn't the worst example of this syndrome - with Feann using an old Anglo-Saxon synonym for manure to describe the Mondeo's tiller - but the Subaru did finish in the lower half of the field for steering tactility and response.

For road noise, the Liberty was line-ball with the Mazda6 and noisier than the Mondeo, Optima and Octavia.

Not just bells and whistles
Given the Liberty's design constraints (all-wheel drive and a longitudinally-mounted engine and transmission), the Subaru was roomy and well packaged.

According to Tim, rear legroom was "better than Skoda and Mazda", and was matched by the headroom in the rear, despite the "stadium-style seating" which saved passengers from feeling "claustrophobic".

Tim was not as fulsome in his praise for the front seats, noting they lacked shape to hold the passengers in place.

Nadine mentioned the Liberty had found the "fine line between posh and pensioner-approved." She was particularly taken in by the Liberty's cream leather and rated the seats as "comfy" but noted also that the cushioning was "quite flat".

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Feann loved the Liberty's interior and commented: "The doors shut beautifully and dash plastics are good quality."

He rated the Subaru's rear-seat accommodation as mid-field: "More than Mazda and Octavia, less than Kia and Mondeo."

But, as an aside, he did agree that the Liberty's head-room was better than the Optima's, which was limited by the large sunroof fitted in the Kia.

Ken appreciated Subaru's usual attention to the field of vision, and felt the Liberty's major instruments were easy to read and all the controls were properly located. But there was an overabundance of switchgear on the steering wheel – not just the usual phone, cruise control and audio buttons, but also drive modes, voice control, trip computer, audio source and radar cruise control braking distance adjustment. While the busy steering wheel frees the dash and centre fascia at least, he wasn't too keen on the style of the centre stack.

"The audio control knobs look like they've been ripped off a 30-year-old home stereo system," he said. The satin-finish metal trim around the climate control interface looks a bit old-fashioned too, he suggested.

There were plenty of storage receptacles and functional features scattered throughout the Liberty's cabin, all contributing to a usefully practical package. In addition to the Liberty's door storage, there were also adjustable vents in the rear, cupholders in the rear-seat armrest, bag hooks, two ISOFIX mounts and rear map pockets. Power outlets were missed however. Not surprisingly, the transmission tunnel did encroach on rear-seat accommodation more so than in the case of the front-wheel drive competitors. A space-saving gas strut supports the boot lid of the Liberty, but there are no anchor points within. Many will appreciate the full-size spare wheel in the well under the Liberty's boot floor.

Costly to run
As an ownership proposition, the Liberty is at a major disadvantage in this crowd. Its warranty is limited to three years (but unlimited kilometres during that time). Only the Mondeo's warranty coverage (100,000km) is worse, and the Mazda's is on par.

While the Liberty's service intervals are respectable, measured by kilometres travelled (12,500km between services), the six-month restriction is definitely not. The Optima's service regime is worse – 7500km or six-months, but every other car in the comparison boasts at least 12-month intervals. If you travel more than 10,000km in a year, the Mazda6 may also require two services over a 12-month period. But unlike the Liberty, that's not certain.

Finally, the expense of running a naturally-aspirated engine with nearly 50 per cent more displacement than the only other atmo engine in this comparison (Mazda6), plus the additional drivetrain componentry, will be apparent at the petrol pump. In combined-cycle testing, the Liberty's 9.9L/100km is well adrift from even the Mondeo and Optima (both 8.5L/100km), let alone the Mazda and Skoda (6.6L/100km).

One thing we can say about the Liberty though, it will not only achieve that figure in open-road driving, it can also do better – just not around town. And curiously, among this group, the Liberty's fuel use was the most frugal over the course of our drive program, at 10.6L/100km.

Among this group, the Liberty rates as the second-best proposition for resale value, according to RedBook. Only the Mazda6 ranks better over three years. The Liberty's percentage of retained value is forecast to be 64.5% for 60,000km travelled during the three-year period from new, 65.8% for 50,000km and 67.0% for 40,000km.

So the Liberty is a mixed bag. The right buyer for the Liberty is someone who tows occasionally, or appreciates the combined safety suite of Subaru’s EyeSight system and all-wheel drive – or someone who recognises the distinction of a muscular six-cylinder engine in a car costing less than $43,000.

2017 Subaru Liberty 3.6 pricing and specifications:
Price: $42,740 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.6-litre six-cylinder petrol
Output: 191kW/350Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 9.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 230g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2015)