The new Subaru Liberty?

By Alborz Fallah | June 09th, 2008

Update - 2010 Subaru Liberty

Although we are not sure if these computer generated images are legitimate, we are hoping they are not, as they could potentially indicate yet another facelift for the aging Subaru Liberty. Or perhaps they are of an all-new Liberty?

Currently Subaru is competing against what can arguably be described as the prettiest car under 40k, the new Mazda6. So whilst we appreciate the idea of another facelift, Subaru can do with a whole new model. Now.

We are leaning towards another minor facelift with these images given the rear has not changed all that much.

The Japanese brand has recently launched the new Impreza, updated the Tribeca and its best selling model, the Forester, so the new Liberty is now high on the agenda.

Exterior changes appear to be more of an evolution than a revolution on the current shape, which is not a bad thing given the Liberty has always been the best-looking car in the Subaru lineup.

The images are from Subaru Magazine and were posted by Nihon Cars.

o

please dont let this be it the libery is the only good subby atm
Danno

ohhh noooo please say it isn’t so!
Kris

I don’t expect next year’s all-new Liberty will look like the computer generated sketches above.
o

actually the top image shows a liberty with a new greenhouse.but the bottom image shares the same greenhosue with the current model.Also to add pull out door handles this late in a model cycle is a bit odd.
Myke

I don’t believe this to be the new Liberty. Firstly it doesn’t have Subaru’s new fugly corperate grille and secondly it still has frameless door windows, which no longer exist on new Subby’s.
Captain Mainwaring

An all-new Liberty has to be due in ’09 and Myke is right, this isn’t it. This looks like a bad facelift of the current one.
http://www.v8superchat.co.nr Ben

I think it is chopped off the new Audi A4 (refering to every thing from the A-pillar to the rear wheel)
jake02

look at the headlamps – the inside is old gen Mazda6. Its a photoshop.
To those who said it couldn’t be a facelift so late in the cycle, look at the last-gen Impreza. it had 3 facelifts in its lifecycle!
Photoshop!
Duck

Oh no PLEASE NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Front lights remind me of past generation Toyota Camry! UGLY!

Rear lights on current model has changed from last generation (liberty). But if this is the new liberty the brake lights look like there going backwards to the model before the current one. Exactly the same nearly.
No Name

Got to be a face lift – The new car for 2010 is currently called the exiga I believe.
zahmad

Definite not legit…all new liberty should be out by 2010. Hope the next one is a looker like the current gen!….
Richo

haha the funny thing is everyone was “oh my god no its hidious!” about the pre-launch sketches and renderings of the current liberty, now its commonly accepted as one of the better looking cars on the road
o

its a photoshop

lines are form audi A4 and the door handles are from bmw protypes [see new 5 and 7]
Bad

Very bad, a little 05′ Camry in there… and thats not a good thing…
http://navelcontemplation.blogspot.com/ SuperCujo

As a repeat Liberty owner I was polled by a dealer rep recently about interest in the new turbo diesel.

What I was told:
- New model will be here Nov 09
- Turbo diesel is coming
- Evolutionary changes, not revolutionary

I am interested in the turbo diesel, the German versions get 5.6 L/100km. One of the questions I was asked is how much of a premium would I expect the turbo diesel to cost, I said about $2-3,000 would be realistic, but if it was the same price as the 2.5 they would sell heaps of them.
Ford GT40

Toyoda will leave Subaru asking questions, looks like it has an old retired cardigan design. just what the crap Camry Fwd oversteering joke ordered, less sales for Subaru, more sales for toyleta..
http://navelcontemplation.blogspot.com/ SuperCujo

And also, this isn’t the new Liberty…
PoisonEagle

Looks like some Passat profile cues were superimposed onto a current gen Liberty pic. Why even post this? It’s a shocker.
The Stig

Bad Photoshop… Just a mash up of everything.

Can’t make up its mind if the doors are frameless or not.

Just someones guess for the future – that is all…
Fredescu

Whatever they do with the new Liberty, lets hope they don’t screw up as much as Mazda did with the new 6.
Tony

The Mazda 6 is selling very well, giving Mazda a new record high volume of sales in May 2008. Latest Wheels Magazine for June 2008 road tested the Mazda 6 against 3 other cars and the Mazda 6 won easily.
Wheelnut

Still looks like a Japanese version of the previous model Audi A4. Now if Mazda offered the new Mazda6 with AWD I could be tempted
Riker

IMO, this is a photoshop. Look at the design of the window frames for example. Blue car looks to have full framing whilst the black one doesn’t, so which one are we to believe?

At best if shows some themes for the next update, but that’s about it IMO.
Flying High

Dont know what you lot are talking about. The Liberty looks just fine and has done so for years now. I would prefer they did not deviate too much from the current design personally.

Now, I cant tell if these are photoshopped or not, but agree they prolly are – is that black one with the rear wiper a hatch? Not sure that Subie is planning that although great if they are.
GooSE

that blue one is a bmw with a mix of impreza and liberty grafted on the front.. pretty crap photoshop
Fred

Please please please make it look nice and throw away the 4-speed auto!
Jax

The Liberty is awesome.

I’d have to agree with everyone else that its a photoshop because its got Legacy B4 on the plate. Liberty turbo’s are GT’s now. Unless they are planning to go back to a Twin Turbo, which means they will get rid of the bad lag in the Gen 3 B4. Because they cant possibly be stupid enough to produce a TT with bad turbo lag again.
Tristan

Spoke to a dealer last week re the next range of libety’s
-New design is apparently more boxier than the current MY09 range and different to these pics.
-6cyl 3L engine will be replaced by a 3.6L engine (curently in the Tribeca).
-Subaru will be releasing a deisel engine option for the Liberty. Not sure of the engine specs as yet.
-GT & GT.B will remain as 2.5L turbo engines.
Geni

Well if it turns out like the concept shown in 09 detroit motorshow then the new Liberty will be hideous. Subaru seriously need to sack their entire current design staff and either replace or outsource to actual qualified designers, not a bunch of visually impaired 8 year olds with a bunch of crayons and a korean fetish.
http://www.fmgjbv.au rich boy

Looks the same like the old but the side has changed the headlights and new rims.
Leon

Oh well, I guess this will encourage me to stay with my MY05 liberty a few years longer. But I was really looking forward to updating year 10.
Michael

Shades of the discredited Austin “P71″ or whatever it was called. Looks too horrible to be a Liberty.
pert

Looks like a combination of Lightroom and iPhoto- http://www.frogmix.com/search/lightroom . Is this an online or desktop app? I’ve requested in the past Adobe create a light viewer and something to do very basic edits. Hope this is that. i.e. Like Irfanview but Adobeized.
Barry

Hi Everyone, I have a 2008 Subaru Liberty GT. Excellent car with superb quality. The only let down is the GPS software (Where Is) which absolutely sux. It generally can’t find it’s way across the street without getting lost.Most time it will claim that the street does not exist then when you do find it(via the Gregorys) it will show the street name on the screen. I have a Tom Tom in another vehicle and it is excellent. The Subaru was supplied new with Version 13 of Where Is which was already 5 years out of date. I then had to pay $400.00 to upgrade to Version 14 and it was no better still being at least 4 years out of date.
Does anyone know of any different software that will operate in the Subaru GPS system which is actually a Kenwood.
Desmo

Barry, Whereis supplies map data not the software. They supply it for BOTH the Subaru and the TomTom. The latst version is R16 so the R13 (2006) is NOT 5 years old, but its dated.

Go to your Subaru dealer and get an update, they should be out soon. Or use your TomTom, as portable units will always have the latest map data sooner, as their time to market is much shorter, oh and they are much cheaper to update.
René P

Now the the 5th Generation Subby is out, give me the 4th Generation any day of the week!!! The Liberty “was” the only car in the line-up that didn’t get a dose of the Fuglys, yes the word I used was “was”