Your experience with new Legacy/Liberty or Outback?

Yes, here in Oz the new Liberty(Legacy)/Outbacks have been on sale since about last October 2003.

I purchased the new standard spec Outback 3.0R H6. This is one hell of a car. The new 3.0R motor is a gem and very powerful. I have now travelled 16,000kms (10,000miles) and the motor has freed up nicely. The car absolutely flies and is so much fun to drive.

The new five speed tiptronic (manumatic if you like) is so much better than the old power sapping 4 speed auto only. In normal auto mode it changes gear generally in a fuel saving type mode, but when in sport mode it holds on to gears longer on the up shift and changes down very quickly on the down shift for spirited driving. It really is fun in sports auto mode.

Put the auto in tiptronic (manumatic) and you can change gears just like a manual. It won't change up a gear even at redline, so you can really give it to it right to the redline. When slowing for say the traffic lights it will automatically change down a gear at a designated speed point for each gear, say from 5th to 4th at 30kmh, then 4th to 3rd at 25kmh etc. (not sure of the exact speeds, but you det the picture).

The new motor/drivetrain set up in the new Outback is a long way ahead of the old H6. The difference is just chalk and cheese compared to the old one. I feel like I'm driving a sports car not a crossover awd.

Legacy/Outback

Sounds like they have a winner. Were you th owner of a previous generation Liberty? I'm curious about the difference in interior room.

Also, the only thing I'm not crazy about so far is from the pictures on the Subaru web site the Liberty/Legacy is starting to look like a Honda. Do you have that impression in person?

Yes. I had a '97 Outback (1st generation 2.5 manual. I loved it. Then I bought a GMH Frontera (Isuzu Rodeo in the US) which was quite good. I then went back to Subaru in the form of the H6 (2nd generation of Outback). Now with the 3rd generation 3.0R Outback.

Not much difference in room. Slightly wider and a little bit more room from front to rear seat, but thats it not much diff at all.

Don't see any Honda in it at all in person. I used to love Hondas when I had a 1981 Civic and my wife had a '99 Civic. Both ahead of their time, but they seem to have lost the plot lately, as far as I'm concerned, although the new Honda Accord Euro seems like a good thing.

I like the Subaru's not only because the fact that they are good but also that they have innovative design in the awd, boxer motors, excellent build quality (fit and finnish) etc. Honda was innovative but seemed to have lost that edge where Subaru has picked it up.

We in Australia get the Japanese made Subarus and the quality is fantastic and as good as the Hondas, Mercs and BMWs. I know in the US you have the locally made Outbacks and Legacys, so I don't know how quality stacks up over there.

I hope to get the new liberty at the end of the year. I am looking at the

2.5i (maybe premium pack) automatic. I hope it performs well, I have read that the 2.5i auto is a bit sluggish.

I'm sure my '88 telstar will feel like a turtle compared the the liberty :). Can't wait for a test drive. Would love the GT but price is out of my league unfortunately.

Have you driven the liberty 2.5i auto?

No sorry, I haven't driven the 2.5i, so I can't help you with how well it goes. I had the manual 1st series Outback from 1997 and it went very well. If I was going with the 2.5i I'd buy the manual as I like stick shifts and they go better. Unfortunately the 3.0R is auto only, but at least it has the tiptronic which is a quasi manual.

Car must be automatic. I've read that in Sports mode, the auto goes quite a bit better.

The new 2.5i now comes with a 4 speed tiptronic (manumatic) here in Oz, so I would say that the US will also get the sportshift as well. This should be much better than the old power sapping auto of the old models, so yes as you have said the new auto should be better.

I am from Oz too :) It seems strange that we got the new model way before the US.

Oops, didn't see that you are from Oz. Should've seen that au after your address. We got it before the US because our Subarus come from Japan and thus were being made before the US made theirs. We are a good market for the Subaru vehicles.

Pity, we don't get the 3.0. On aus.cars the Holden Vectra CDXi was recommended as an alternative. After checking out the specs and features it is quite a package. The price for the auto is close to the base Liberty GT though. Hmmm......