2018 Subaru Liberty 2.5 Premium

TAKE a look at the Subaru Liberty, and the term ‘understated class’ comes to mind.

It’s a conservatively styled medium-sized sedan in a market being eroded by SUVs, but it attracts around 150 buyers around Australia each month and it sits halfway in the medium sector sales chart.

That makes a strong case for the many folk who like to drive a car that reflects their personalities, people who appreciate quality and spacious comfort without making a big noise about it.

And that’s what the latest Liberty 2.5 is all about.

The engine is the same 129kW/235Nm four-cylinder boxer engine from the previous model, which drives all four wheels via continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the car runs on attractive 18-inch alloys.

The CVT has a seven-speed manual mode, and there’s a choice of ‘Sport’ or ‘Intelligent drive modes – and shift paddles and alloy pedals for keen drivers, even though the car is by no means sporty.

Hop inside and much of its appeal is immediately obvious: it’s blessed with an abundance of space, front and rear.

Back seat passengers have loads of hip, shoulder, leg and headroom, the use of a couple of USB ports, cup holders and air vents and the bot, which has a full-sized underfloor spare, is also big at almost 500litres.

The back seat has a 60/40 split fold to liberate more space.

The ride is what one would expect of a family sedan.

The suspension has been tweaked a bit to reduce body roll and rebound over bumps and the result is a slightly flatter ride.

Parking the car is aided by a reversing camera, a side view monitor and a forward camera, so you get a clear colour picture of your immediate surrounds, hence there’s no need for beeping sensors.

Performance is fine, though it’s not a traffic light grand prix contender. The sprint to 100km/h comes up in 10seconds and the car runs along happily in the city or country and, thanks to its all-wheel drive, it’s a delight around corners.

The official combined cycle fuel figure is 7.3litres/100km but we got 9.0 on our usual cross-section of driving.

The Liberty has seven airbags and all the electronic safety bits and packs a five-star crash rating, which is comforting in these days of an increasing number of so-called drivers managing to crash into houses, let alone other cars.

Warranty? The standard one is three years, unlimited distance, but if you buy one   during a campaign period with a two-year extended warranty, it is extended to five years, unlimited km.

Tad complex. Why not join much the rest of the auto world and start with five years – or match Kia’s seven years?

Verdict: A well-engineered, super spacious and comfortable sedan, packed with more features than you’ll probably ever use, all in one prestigious package.