Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car. I get it regularly serviced as with the previous Liberty I had.

General Comments:

The car gives a stiff bumpy ride compared to my previous 1993 Liberty.

I wish it had a little more ground clearance as it's too low to the ground.

It handles well though and cornering is quite safe.

The drivers seat does not give enough lower back support and a cushion is necessary to solve this problem.

It's gets good fuel economy.

The quality of the finish on the car is excellent.

I would not like to pull the spark plugs out because they are almost impossible to get to.

The car has nice styling, but is not a head turner.

The car is generally built for speed and not comfort. I just hope the next model gives a more comfortable ride.

Faults:

Front wiper blades poor quality.

Console box (doubling as the driver's left armrest) latch not working anymore.

Paint a bit thin. Easily scratched or marked.

General Comments:

Very quick, handles like a dream and nimble for a station wagon.

Very safe especially in the wet.

Very quick and linear acceleration.

Have frightened some V8s and V6s and more expensive machines when taking off on green.

Still a little turbo lag, but can be minimized with practice.

Appreciate the understated exhaust note; the wife wouldn't appreciate a WRX driven by a 50+ executive so this is an excellent, practical family wagon. The Momo tiptronic gearchange is excellent. (I shopped for the Liberty alone and didn't tell her it was the GT-steroid loaded version until it was delivered and we went for our first drive. She has since forgiven me! My 11-year old car crazy son is absolutely wrapped with dad's black "Batmobile".)

Faults:

Excessive fuel consumption: this car uses more fuel than either of our two previous Libertys, 97 LX wagon which we loved (see report on this site), and '99 RX sedan.

The engine performance of this car is way off-colour compared to our previous Subarus. I've complained to the dealer, who claims to have checked the car and re-set the ECU. No difference. I'm now using Mobil1 10W-30 in an effort to liberate a few more horses, without much success. This car just feels like a slug. I think I got a dud one. Ran it in by the book, use premium (95RON) fuel - which is the highest octane available here in Tasmania.

Interior rattles - they come, they go, and the dealer can't find them. They drive me mad and have totally destroyed the bullet-proof image I previously held for Subaru's.

This will most likely be our last Subaru.

General Comments:

This car is definitely lower quality than our '97 and '99 Libertys, uses more fuel and delivers worse performance than both, even the '97 2.2litre wagon.