Subaru Liberty RX 2.5 Wagon Review (build date 10/99, MY00)

Disclaimer:I can’t guarantee an unbiased review here, I grew up with a same-gen Subaru Outback as the family car and I love the thing to death, then it got sold and now I’ve got the Liberty, which I also love, plus it’s a manual, so yeah.

So, here’s a review on what will most likely be the first car that I will officially own and be able to drive on my own. My purple, going-on-17-year-old Subaru Liberty RX2.5 Manual Wagon. It cost a grand total of $3000AUD to purchase + a roadworthy certificate and rego costs, which is cheap for this specific model, specification and age. I do plan on keeping this car for practical reasons, as well as emotional (I know, I shouldn’t get so attached to a car, but I just can’t help it!), even if it goes unregistered for a while. Just about every other car I ever want to/plan to own is old, unreliable or will be built-not-bought, so having a reliable, relatively modern (LOL) backup car would be handy. So, let’s get on with it and end all this preamble, shall we?

The Engine & Drivetrain

Well, this model has the 2.5 litre, EJ25(1) boxer motor under the bonnet, however it is naturally aspirated and it revs a lot. Now, N/A is not something I can say Subaru had really mastered by the time this vehicle was produced, and it is lacking in torque for an engine of this size. (That said, it does need a spark plug change…) The open-deck head design caused head gasket issues and you can’t increase power without disassembling the engine & modifying the block to be able to handle any more pressure within the cylinders. Despite this issue, it really needs at least 1 turbo, but that would blow up the engine, so too bad, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. This being said, once you punch the engine in the guts, it does do what you ask it to and throttle response is direct (if a bit jumpy), instant and sensitive (although maybe a bit too sensitive at times…). The clutch has some weight to it without being too heavy for anyone to operate, but it does have a rather low biting point and less overall grab than I would really like. The engine connected to this clutch also loves to rev, leading me to believe it’s not near geared high enough for cruising speeds, at which it’ll sit just under 3,000 rpm… in fifth gear, which brings me onto the gearbox. The gearbox has short ratios, a soft, tight-enough-but-not-so-tight-you-take-off-in-3rd selector configuration. (On this specific example, the synchro between 2nd & 3rd can be dodgy and the gate into 5th has been worn down, leading to occasional accidental grinding when shifting up) For some reason, this model is also fitted with a low-ratio gearbox, despite its low ground clearance and long wheelbase that combine to make it unsuitable for off-roading…

Handling, Suspension, Brakes

The steering is responsive, heavy enough, but not too heavy to move thanks to a thing the manufacturers of today have forgotten called hydraulic power steering, which gives the driver an accurate feel of the road, but lightens up the steering enough to make the car comfortable to drive for someone with no biceps. The suspension is firm enough to add to the driver’s feel of the road beneath them, but is soft enough to be entirely comfortable on most road surfaces and copes remarkably well in corners, giving you confidence to go through the turn at that extra 5-10km/h. The all-round disc brakes also give the driver confidence, as they do work well and can stop the car very quickly (due to the car’s weight, which I’ll get into later on) if needed or just gradually under normal driving conditions thanks to the amount of travel you get in the pedal. The brakes are firm, but somehow aren’t twitchy at all despite the nature of the vehicle. (again, I’ll get into it later)

Comfort and Interior

The interior of the car is luxurious for a car of its class and price range, with a whopping 3 cup holders (1 reverse bear trap at the front, 2 that fold out from the same slot in the back above the prop housing), standard heating & cooling, a modern (for 1999) radio with CD player and plenty of slots in the centre console for said CDs, adjustable fabric seats and quality materials used where it matters. The fabric seats are seriously nearly 17 years old and showing no signs of wear, although the same can’t be said for the leather on the gear stick and steering wheel, which should be replaced or refurbished at some stage soon. The seats are comfortable and supportive without feeling as though they could eat you at any moment, but the driver’s seat has only just enough adjustment for 6’1” me to operate the pedals properly. There’s plenty of room in the back for 2 more people to comfortably sit, with just enough room for one more to squeeze in without pushing people out of the frameless windows. The boot is large enough to store anything a normal human being would sensibly want to store in their boot, with some space even occupied by the full-sized spare wheel in its compartment and the two hidey-holes for things like toolkits, jump leads, umbrellas, whatever will fit that doesn’t need to take up cabin space or be accessed in too much of a hurry. With the rear seats folded down, you can apparently even fit a mattress in the back and sleep comfortably in it without being in the fetal position all night! Now, some may say that certain elements of the interior are ‘tacky’ or whatever. Yes, the elephant in the room I’m referring to is the plastic wood-grain around the centre console and behind the steering wheel, however I think it gives the car a bit of character, especially with the dark grey interior that surrounds it. It’s a styling risk, which I like when executed correctly (which you may know already if you read that Kia Cerato review) and I think that this was executed in such a way that’s so typically Subaru that even if you didn’t like it, you couldn’t be mad at them for it.

History, Development, Styling

This car was redeveloped from the ground up after the 2nd-gen Liberty was slated to end production, which meant that Subaru had a chance to review everything as it went into the new car’s design, allowing them to delete unnecessary bits and shave off some weight here and there, resulting in an all-new, modern-, but uniquely Subaru-looking machine. It also resulted in a very light car, which meant that although each slight movement of the throttle makes the car jolt a bit, added to its handling characteristics and braking, resulting in an inherently safer car. This came at a time when its main Australian competitors were such truly amazing vehicles as the Mitsubishi Magna with its front-wheel-drive and poor reputation, the Ford AU Falcon with its highly polarising styling and the… um… well, actually rather good Holden VX Commodore. This meant that despite only being available for about 3 model years, many were sold in Australia as Subaru built up its reputation for quality and reliability, bringing the Liberty close to the then-very-popular VX Commodore. The styling has caught right on with me, I think it’s one of the few actually good-looking cars developed in the ‘90s, as most others looked like weird metal blobs, where the Subaru went for more bold, slightly squared and well-composed styling.

Overall

A very nice car to drive, easy enough to drive daily, but a bit of fun with its revvy flat-four and floppy, close-ratio 5-speed going through all four wheels when you feel like it. Despite this being a slightly conservative effort on the part of Subaru, it does quite obviously have elements of Subaru’s quirkiness flowing through its veins and it is an interesting enough thing to want to keep around. After nearly 240,000k’s, the thing’s still going strong and mechanical parts are relatively cheap, so you can forgive the lack of much of an aftermarket for these vehicles simply due to their longevity and robust reliability that Subaru is so renowned for here in Australia.