2002 Subaru Liberty Reviews

I have had the car for about 1 month. I sometimes hear a screeching sound when I let the clutch out in first gear. I inquired about the problem and I was told that a part in the clutch mechanism may have to be replaced if the noise gets worse. The clutch is not under warranty, as it is a wearable part like brake pads and tyres.

The alloy wheels are nice, but are fitted with 205x16x50 tyres, which cost I'm told $165 to replace. I just hope I don't hit a pothole as they are low profile.

I decided to jack up the car after I bought it to check the brake pads, and found it very difficult to get the jack under the car because of the low ground clearance.

I doubt if I would be able to do much towards servicing the vehicle except to change the engine oil, and oil and air filters. To check the power steering fluid alone, I will need to remove part of the air filter intake.

Regardless of the previous comments, I find the car great to drive, comfortable, handles incredibly well and is well appointed with such things as cruise control, climate controlled air conditioning, good sound system, large boot and more than enough power for quick acceleration if needed.

I like the body shape, and the body kit and rear spoiler.

Leather steering wheel and gear knob are nice also.

A bit disappointed that the rear seats don't fold forward like the old '91 Liberty I had before it, as that was handy to carry long items in the boot.

Nothing.

Fast, reliable, sports sedan.

I got this car a month ago (I work about 50km from my house, hence the kms) and so far it's been very good. I like the twin turbo setup, first one runs all the time and the car has enough power to be smooth and not struggle, and the second on kicks in at around 45000rpm and that's when the fun starts. It does have a slight pause between the two, but for me that's OK. They tell me that this can be solved by reprogramming the ECU, but I like my car reliable.

There are a couple of things that I don't like. Steering is too light, you get no response or feel from it. If you get in a corner a bit quicker you think that front wheels are loosing grip all the time. This could be dangerous because you have no idea when they actually loose grip.

Brakes are very good, although they don't like driving through water, especially after exiting car-washes. I guess a more quality set of pads should fix this.

Be careful when exiting corners. Just because the car has Blistein suspension and AWD, does not mean that it won't spin. I proved this in the first couple of hours of owning the car. LSD locked the rear wheels, they started to spin, car started to go sideways, and then the front wheels got the grip and my car was pointed straight for the side-walk in an instant.

Its very good in straight line. When raining, taking off at the lights, you can give it full power and it just grips and goes. But don't do this in the corners. First you will get under-steer and when you take your foot off the throttle a bit of over-steer happens.

No problems.

When I first took a test drive in the B4, it put a smile on my face. Nothing much has changed, it is a superb car. It is a car that makes me feel good when I drive it.

The car is fast and stable, the brakes and suspension are well matched to the performance.

Good air-con, good visibility and easy to manoeuvre.

The slight pause in power between the first and second turbo, at about 4500rpm has been criticised. I find it quite appealing. Just when most people expect a fall off in performance the B4 takes a breath and goes harder than ever.

It is a fun car and also practical.

The lease expires soon, I will be hard pressed to part with the B4.