92 Liberty GX with 2.0 L Turbo engine transplant.

This vehicle is probably fairly well known to club members, as Jody Reid owned it for a while before selling it to Peter Brown. Peter decided that he needed the cash more than he needed the car, and so Kathy and I (who needed a car - to hell with the cash) purchased it from Peter about a month ago.

Because we have been active members of the Subaru 4WD Club of Queensland for a couple of years without having ever owned a Subaru, the other club members often gently ribbed us about having to get out of the Mazda 4WD to put the hubs in so that we could use 4WD. And listening to the club members talking passionately about their various Subaru models at meetings and on club outings rubbed off on us, so we finally succumbed to the Subaru bug.

The car itself is quite unusual. It is a 92 Liberty GX in black with a red metallic fleck, and has a "Turbo Off Black" coloured interior. Yet much of the vehicle's equipment as fitted more closely matches the RS Turbo model. The vehicle has had a compliance plated engine transplant, so underneath the bonnet sits the twin overhead cam EJ20 2.0 L turbocharged RS unit. The brochures state that the Turbo RS produces 147 kW (198 horsepower) at 6000 rpm and 260 Nm (192 pound-feet) of torque at 3600 rpm, and I imagine that mine would have roughly the same specifications. I'm not sure what the turbo boost has been set at, but Peter Brown has told me that it has been set more for longevity than for maximum boost. Even so, I get thrown back in the seat once the turbo cuts in when I put the right foot down.

As with all turbocharged Subarus, this one requires premium unleaded to perform at its best. The fuel tank holds 60 L, and I prefer to run Shell Optimax because it has the highest octane rating of all the premium unleaded fuels available. I haven't yet worked out what kind of fuel economy I can achieve, but the brochure figures for the RS Turbo quote 11.5 L / 100km in the city and 7.9 L / 100km on the highway. I would say that these figures are pretty much correct.

The list of factory fitted equipment includes the E-4AT electronically controlled 4 speed automatic transmission with active torque split full time 4WD and economy or power modes as well as a manual over-ride button. The E-4AT uses a final drive ratio of 3.9:1. The brakes are a four channel ABS system with disc brakes on each corner; the front discs being ventilated. The suspension is McPherson strut / coil spring and stabilizer bar all around; the front suspension includes negative scrub geometry whilst the fully independent rear suspension includes trailing arm and twin parallel links.

The factory air is a climate control system, and is as efficient as any car air conditioner I've come across. The car also has cruise control as well as electric windows, mirrors, aerial and driver's seat. The driver's seat even has adjustable lumbar support, and the Momo steering wheel, shift lever and hand brake lever are leather clad. The car has tinted windows all round, a rear spoiler, a deep chin front spoiler with fog lamps and body skirts. At some stage, the sound system was upgraded by including a CD player and the sound system pumps out some volume with no distortion.

The boots are 195/65R15 Bridgestone SF265s on 6.0JJx15 dusky grey metallic factory Subaru alloy rims, but Kathy has ideas of improvements in this area. She's on the lookout for a set of gold WRX rims, which would look great on the car but aren't cheap.

So, how does it drive? Overall, I'm highly impressed. It's very comfortable with the seats hugging you in tightly without squeezing you, and I love the lumbar support (something the Mazda desperately needs). The engine has that typical Subaru harshness when idling, but seems much happier at 100 kph. And it has no problem getting to 100 kph in a hurry when I want it to. Cornering is something I've yet to get used to - I don't know if it's a typical Subaru AWD trait or if it's more likely to be the tyres, but I find that the car feels like it's understeering when I first turn the wheel, and then the car seems to lean out then come around before I know it. I haven't driven the car on wet roads yet, but Kathy says that she doesn't feel comfortable in the wet. Once again, it might be the tyres.

Unlike most of the Subarus in the club, this one won't be doing any serious of road work. I regard it as more of a touring car, and we still have the Mazda to take us out into the bush or onto the beaches.

Finally, the wish list. I've already mentioned Kathy's wish for gold WRX rims with lower profile wider tyres. I, too, would like to see good quality rubber under the car. I was impressed with the Falkens we had on the Sonata, and would gladly try another set. Or maybe Pirellis. The other wish is for a larger diameter exhaust (2½" or 3") to produce a nice resonating throb.