Subaru Liberty 2.5i Premium 2016 review

Safety kit, clever pricing and suspension tuning burnish the Liberty's appeal.

It isn't hard to find reasons to rate the Subaru Liberty as one of the best mid-size sedan buys. Subaru's reputation for safety is backed by a sharp price and an impressive drive, a combination that has the all-wheel-drive sedan trailing only the Toyota Camry and Mazda6 in the class.

The Camry wins the outright value stakes; the Mazda takes points for its styling and drive while the Subaru positions itself as the sophisticated elder statesman of the group.

That image is reinforced by a classy interior look and collision avoidance software dubbed EyeSight that uses a pair of stereo cameras to mitigate nose-to-tail crashes.

Not much has changed on the base model for 2016 beyond the introduction of electrically closing side mirrors. The two top-spec variants pick up extra firepower for the EyeSight suite, adding the likes of blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to the arsenal, but it's largely steady as she goes.

In terms of gear the base 2.5i trim has dual-zone aircon, a 6.2-inch touchscreen, six speakers, reversing camera and adaptive cruise control.

The continuously variable transmission is one of the best in the business.

The 2.5i Premium adds heated and powered front seats with leatherette upholstery, satnav and keyless entry and start, while the 3.6R adds 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio and the extra go from the 3.6-litre six-cylinder boxer engine.

On the road

A specific suspension tune for Australian models gives the Liberty a leg up in the handling stakes. It sits flatter and firmer than most cars, to the point where it starts earning favourable comparisons with European-badged vehicles.

There's still a tendency to hit square-edged bumps (the inventor of metal speed humps in car parks needs flogging) with more jar than gel but that improves with pace.

That pace sadly exposes one of the restrictions in the Liberty. The leatherette seats just don't have enough grip or bolstering to anchor the driver in hard cornering — and the Liberty clings like a crossbench senator through 100km/h turns.

Driven more maturely, the issue resolves into a decent, if high-riding, driving position. The powered front seat and reach and tilt adjustable steering wheel make it easy to find a relaxed cruising environment.

The steering is light yet gives enough feedback to work out what the front wheels are doing even in solid rain.

Boot space is respectable at 493L and rear room is good in height and knee space.

The continuously variable transmission is one of the best in the business. It is responsive, especially in sports mode, and feels as though it steps its way through the phantom gear ratios — rather than continuously whining, as other gearboxes of that ilk do, while trying to match pace with throttle pressure.

The steering is light yet gives enough feedback to work out what the front wheels are doing even in solid rain. Subaru says noise is down for this model year but there is still a persistent — faint but it's there — tyre roar from the Dunlop-shod 18-inch wheels beyond 80km/h.

EyeSight-equipped Subarus have been rated as a top safety pick by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for some years. This setup works more aggressively than many CarsGuide has tested, which is good news in terms of avoiding accidents, but can involve more "false positives" (an alert sounding when the driver doesn't believe it should have) than some rivals.

Drivers will need to adapt to the car beeping at them if they go around someone who's turning left or brake later than the software appreciates.