14 replies to this topic

[SUBARU]

I've gotta say that I love the Suby. Some of you might find this tale boring, but I thought it was worthy of mentioning my thoughts in a comparison of the Lib and two cars I have recently spent a bit of time driving. I've been away on business for a week and had 2 different hire cars throughout that time. The first was a BFII XR6, which was a surprising car actually. I took it for a squirt through the Adelaide hills and was impressed by the handling for a big lump of a car. I can't really complin about this car too much apart from some rattles e.t.c. It was comfortable and did the job. At one point I even thought, "this is a nice car, imagine what the turbo 6spd and the FG's must be like." It also had the old 4 speed auto, which wasn't the greatest tranny in the world, but it went about it's job very nicely. Then over to Perth, where I was greeted with a Toyota Aurion. I hated it. It was so uncomfortable. The seat was too high, an the seat base too short. I couldn't find a comfortable driving position at all. Although the engine was nice and smooth, it lacked serious torque under 3000rpm and then after that it tended to wander around the road due to torque steer. What do you expect from a FWD though right? The gearbox was garbage for a 6 speed, especially when giving it some poke. I found that if you feather the throttle at high revs, it slips into neutral??? Every button was out of reach on the console. It was clear that they had made this large car for short arses. The whole experince left me feeling very beige. I was expecting more of the big Japanese company. Now back to Melbourne, where the Suby was waiting faithfully for me in the long term car park. I wondered what it would be like to get back into the seat after being in these bigger cars that have heaps more options when it comes to adjusting the driving position. Getting in the car was like a relief. The seats were great, the sound of the engine was better, the response from the little 2.5 was the best and the handling was the bestest. As well as that, the creature comforts are above anything the other two had to offer. So in a nutshell, I found that the 2003 Liberty was the better option over an 07 XR6 and an 08 Aurion. Newer aint always better huh? Go Suby.

[Mav]

howd the xr6 feel with the performance / accel etc compared to ur subey mate? i havnt driven the xr6 before, but i was driving dads commo while i was lookin for my car, its a slightly modded (HSV suspension/body kit etc) 05 equip wagon. which compared to my new car, the seats are no where near as comfortable, it doesnt feel to have as much power on hand, and well obviously feels way to big compared to the gen4 <3 suby also always comes down to personal preference , good to hear your side of the story

[SUBARU]

howd the xr6 feel with the performance / accel etc compared to ur subey mate?

You could feel the weight in the XR6, but that didn't make it a slug at all. I can't really tell if it was quicker than the Suby, it went about going places in a much more relaxed way, but I dare say that it was quicker! The steering was heavy compared to the Suby, but I don't hink that the heavy steering is a bad thing though. I'm probably just used to the light steering that comes with most japanese cars.

The performance of the XR6 was good, it had strong acceleration from standstill and just kept going. In the twisties, there was no sign of understeer/oversteer, it was a very point and shoot affair. It was the kind of car that you just want to keep driving, much like the Suby.

[Mav]

ahh cool, RWD would have been a bit of fun thru the twisties huh???

[XXB4XX]

RWD pwns any AWD. end of story... until your 2.5 can lay a whole street burnout, it is just as good as my heap of shi* B4.

[Mav]

it depends on alot of things brenda!. rwd = mad fun yes. but for any decent amount of control etc AWD is way better.

[XXB4XX]

it depends on alot of things brenda!.

rwd = mad fun yes. but for any decent amount of control etc AWD is way better.

Nope..

RWD is still better..

e.g.. VE GTS.. a.k.a sex on wheels..,

[Mav]

pft. commonwhores.

[Soop]

Brendan, I had the opportunity to jump behind the wheel of a VE SSV the other day. I must say i was rather disappointed. The car looks nice, the interior is also better than any other I've seen in an Australian built car. The engine sounds the goods and does the job. But seriously. It feels slow. Foot to the floor and you can hear the engine working, the car does accelerate. But its like playing a video game. You sense absolutely nothing. Considering the size of the motor (6.0ltrs) the actual performance isn't anything to write home about either. I'd contribute this to the obese nature of the car, even so the SSV is supposed to be the sportier variant. I draw the comparison to an early model Commodore. VH-VL with the Australian 5.0ltr v8. Now with one of these if you plant the foot, it will pull you back into the seat. You can feel the car lift and move and the slight vibration through the car as the live rear end has a fit. In most case's you have the wheel turned about 90degree's whilst driving in a straight line as the arse end wants to come around. Some of you will say this is rubbish. But i say try it. It's not the most refined prancing pretentious wanker "Ohh look at my pretty butt warming car" kind of ride. It's not one that you'll take on a 2000km road trip. But it is a ride, that when you pull over and turn the ignition off, you can still feel your heart racing a million miles a minute and you wont get the grin off your face. My 2c.

[SUBARU]

RWD and AWD are the only drive trains that I would ever own. The XR6 was fun through the twisties in it's RWD format, certainly a different feel from the AWD. I would seriously consider and XR6T for my next car. Paul, your experience with the SS is interesting. I guess the days of balls and all V8's are gone and in come the days of sensoring the driving experience for all those heroes out there who cannot drive.

[CRUISN]

Nope..

RWD is still better..

e.g.. VE GTS.. a.k.a sex on wheels..,

I had a drive of a silver VE GTS last week. It was a suggestion award through work.

It pulled pretty hard and did great skids.

[Soop]

Not so much those that can't drive. But those that pose. "OH lala, I want a sports car. But it cannot be too fast. It cannot be to loud. I just cant live without my sat nav and climate control...." Buy a f*cking cruiser!! I'll draw another comparison. GC WRX and a GD WRX. Both are sports cars (Just ask your friendly neighborhood insurance broker.) Go for a ride in a GC WRX. Their harsh, loud and rattle. But you can feel the road underneath you. You can feel the car work around you as you punt it through the twisties. When you give it a boot full you can hear and feel the driveline shudder as gets a flogging. Your going fast doing 100km/h. Then jump into a GD WRX. Their a great car no doubt. But the line between sports car and comfy cruising car has seriously blurred. Climb in start the car, you get almost silence save for a few beeps of the dash. Driving down the road its like being in a sound proof room. A sharp turn and the car goes exactly where you point it, but the most feed back you get is weight on the wheel. Sure it will pull you back in your seat, and fly down the road, but again its like staring at a T.V screen. Now most of you will say, it's a sign of quality in the car. No doubt. But if a silent ride and a vague sense of the vehicle is what you want. Then perhaps a WRX isn't what you need? Unless of course your a soft c*ck posing wanker.... My 2c, I'm sure I've offended about 11ty bazillion people there. Meh so be it.

[XXB4XX]

Heya Pauly, You must have driven an Auto one dude.. My mate has the 6 speed manual, and it is a fukkin terror on the road, all it wants to do is break traction.. I fell in love, I gave it a quick hoon, and man.. I slept that night with a smile I couldn't remove, and a wet set of undies.

[Soop]

Yes it was auto. But even still, I've driven Auto V8's before (Big block XB coupe). And this thing still felt damp. It would break traction. Quiet easy in fact. But it just didn't give you the same feeling. The feeling that if you under estimate or get careless for a second, that the car will bite you hard on the arse and kill you quickly.

[d_generate]

I've been driving my Bug Eye WRX for the past couple of weeks since I got it regoed & you're right it's a fat slug, I got in my Libbo yesterday for the first time & what a difference, twice the grunt & so much more feel even though the power steering & clutch are on their way out..........Love the Lib hate the Bug, can't wait to get my WRX off roader hatch finished & on the road.