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2014 Subaru Liberty won’t mirror Legacy concept in design or size

A new, longer-bodied Subaru Legacy concept unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show yesterday does not reflect the design expected to hit showrooms in Australia late next year, a Subaru insider has told CarAdvice.


The insider said the styling of the Legacy concept only hints at what will be on offer from the version that will be released next year under the name Subaru Liberty in Australia.

It is understood the showroom version will be less dramatic in design, with a shorter body but more internal space.

“The new Legacy looks good, but don’t expect it to mirror the concept,” said the insider. “It definitely moves the car on in an evolutionary kind of way, but in terms of the concept’s styling, not a lot of that car has made it into to the next-generation production car.”

The concept marks the 25th anniversary of the mid-size Legacy sedan, which is Subaru’s flagship sedan, aimed to compete with the ever-popular Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.

Subaru’s Chief Designer, Tatsuhito Itano, later told CarAdvice that, “while the Legacy concept lends certain design elements to the next-generation production version, it was never intended to be that car, more a look into the future design direction of Subaru’s mid-size sedans”.

“What I can say for certain is that we will not carry anything from the current Liberty over to the new model. Every part is totally new,” said Itano.

Measuring 4930mm long and riding on a 2880mm wheelbase, the Legacy concept is a large car, though the Subaru design chief says that the new Liberty will be longer and roomier than the current model.

Inside, the premium look Legacy concept will be a closer match to the production version apart from the quality of materials, according to Subaru’s design boss.

“The materials we used in the concept car are very expensive. There’s a full leather dash and premium grade metals, which are too costly to be used in a production car in this segment,” said Itano.

“However, we have taken at least 50 per cent of the concept’s interior design to the next Liberty,” he added.

Subaru has also confirmed the new Liberty will get more advanced safety features including a new, and more sophisticated version of Subaru’s Eyesight Driver Assist system.

The Gen II Eyesight package adds colour-recognition capability to the twin stereo cameras that form the heart of the system.

It’s also able to recognise traffic signals and potentially brake the car to a complete stop if the system detects the driver is not slowing down for a red light.

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