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Think of the 2.5i Sports as a GT Lite.
It’s for buyers looking for a sporty Liberty but can’t stretch to the GT Premium’s $52,990 starting price.
You don’t get the 195kW turbocharged version of Subaru’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder, though from $39,490 the Sports offers other key GT performance elements such as Bilstein suspension and 18-inch alloy wheels.
The Sports also gains sports bumper and grille, alloy pedals and xenon headlights. Unlike the GT, the Sports isn’t available with a six-speed manual – and it gets a continuously variable transmission (CVT) auto instead of the carry-over conventional five-speed auto.
The CVT is far more effective than the old four-speed auto. Acceleration is seamless courtesy of the gear-less transmission, though where most CVTs have a characteristic drone as constant revs are held during acceleration the Liberty’s tacho needle climbs correspondingly with vehicle speed before settling at lower revs once the car is cruising.
Drivers can use paddleshifters to change between the six artificial gears programmed into the CVT, though the transmission changes up at about 6000rpm rather than holding ‘gears’ to the 6400rpm redline.
The engine is respectably muscular, although you often have to strain your ears to catch the signature ‘boxer’ engine’s throb. And in performance terms, there’s no comparison with the GT’s terrific turbo engine (see separate first drive).
Although the Sports sits on the stiffer Bilstein dampers, the difference in suspension firmness compared to the regular underpinnings is not night and day. Although a definite verdict will have to wait until we’ve tested the new Liberty on our own choice of roads, suspension compliance seems to be excellent on all models we tested during the launch.
The Liberty Sports also tackled flowing country roads well, though the lack of tight corners on the launch drive means a full dynamic assessment must wait. The Sports is available in three trim levels (regular, Premium or Premium with Sat Nav) and two body styles (sedan or wagon).
Premium adds $4000 to the price tag ($43,490) and introduces an electric sunroof, leather seats, and electrically adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support. Satellite navigation is an obvious inclusion for the $46,990 Premium with Sat Nav, though there’s also Bluetooth, McIntosh audio system, reverse-parking camera, dual electric front seats, and rear air vents.
The Liberty’s interior is undeniably a smart design, including brushed-metal effect trim, though overall material quality isn’t a step forward over the old model. The dash, for example, features no tactile, soft-touch plastics.
The wagon costs an additional $2000 over sedan versions. That brings improved practicality, however, as the sedan doesn’t feature folding rear seats. Every new Liberty features hill-hold assist, electronic parking brake, cruise control, foglights, stability control and seven airbags (fronts, sides, curtains and driver’s knee) as standard.