Suby Club

The wife and I are really interested in buying a new 2013 Subaru GT 2.5 Premium wagon (Auto, wife doesn't drive manual ) . I'm hoping I could get some honest opinions from you guys on what you think about this car, both good and bad. I know I might get some biased views coming to a Subaru forum, but you guys will know a lot more about these cars than I do (I'm a Nissan man myself, but love the Subaru's).

 

The other car we are also looking at is the VW FSI V6 Highline Wagon. Also seems like a nice car, and supposedly with a "better" finish than the Liberty. But the VW service costs seem to put me off, and I've always been more into Jap cars. Should I expect crazy service costs with the Liberty??

 

Anyway, thanks for any info and recommendations you can provide.

 

Mark

Welcome to Subyclub.

 

As long as it's a wagon, you'll be fine

 

The only complaint from around here, is that they're butt ugly. Unfortunately Subaru has gone downhill in the looks department ever since 09ish when th Gen 5's came out. Lucky for us, the wagon has a much better rear end

 

My folks nearly bought one a year or so ago and I would've been able to give a first hand driving/ownership experience if that went through but it didn't end up happening...

 

Subaru services are no more expensive than any other car. Many of us do it ourselves (albeit on older Subys which are out of warranty) and it doesn't cost more than $60 odd for a minor service. (Oil, and a few filters).

 

VW make some great cars but as you say, it costs alot to maintain. A mate and I tried to change rear brake pads on his Polo GTi and you need a special tool to push the pistons back in. I mean c'mon, VW! It's a brake pad change!!

 

The ultimate decision is up to you though. Have a drive of the GT, the VW and perhaps a few other wagons in the same genre and see what you think!

 

Do you plan to modify the car at all? There are some very tasty Gen 5 wagons cruising around. Will have to find some pics for you...

Thanks for the reply..

 

yeah I must admit, the current Liberty's just aren't as pretty as the older models. But the 2013 model has grown on me, and I think the Wagon looks pretty good with some sharp aggressive lines to it. The wife and I are set on a new car, so looking at older Liberty's just isn't an option. I was also very keen on the new Mazda 6, but without a current MPS model, the naturally aspirated engine is just a bit low on the killer wasps for me . But from what I hear, its a great car, and if there was a V6 or turbo'd engine, I would check it out as well. I'm also a little excited about the AWD that the Liberty has. Never had an awd car before, so interested to see what its all about..

 

As for modding the car, probably not straight away. But when the mod bug does bite, it bites hard While its under warranty, I wont touch it myself. Let the Suby mechanics worry about that. But afterwards, I'll have a tinker. I do all my own work on my other cars. Have a fairly modified NIssan 300zx Twin Turbo, and will be very soon restoring and building a Datsun 260z. 

 

However, I dont know much about the 2.5 litre suby engine. Whats the stock boost at?? And whats a safe level that you can raise the boost without having to worry about changing injectors or getting a different ECU tune?

 

Anyway, got a test drive booked this weekend at Subaru Docklands in Melb. Then the week after, got a test drive with the VW passat. Really keen to see how they measure up. 

 

Welcome to Subyclub.

 

As long as it's a wagon, you'll be fine

 

The only complaint from around here, is that they're butt ugly. Unfortunately Subaru has gone downhill in the looks department ever since 09ish when th Gen 5's came out. Lucky for us, the wagon has a much better rear end

 

My folks nearly bought one a year or so ago and I would've been able to give a first hand driving/ownership experience if that went through but it didn't end up happening...

 

Subaru services are no more expensive than any other car. Many of us do it ourselves (albeit on older Subys which are out of warranty) and it doesn't cost more than $60 odd for a minor service. (Oil, and a few filters).

 

VW make some great cars but as you say, it costs alot to maintain. A mate and I tried to change rear brake pads on his Polo GTi and you need a special tool to push the pistons back in. I mean c'mon, VW! It's a brake pad change!!

 

The ultimate decision is up to you though. Have a drive of the GT, the VW and perhaps a few other wagons in the same genre and see what you think!

 

Do you plan to modify the car at all? There are some very tasty Gen 5 wagons cruising around. Will have to find some pics for you...

 Datsun 260z.  

 

NEED MORE INFO ON THIS!

To be honest,

I don't know much about the new model liberty's

 

But I can tell you, that VW has a high amount of warranty jobs compared to some of the other manufacturers.

VW make some great cars but as you say, it costs alot to maintain. A mate and I tried to change rear brake pads on his Polo GTi and you need a special tool to push the pistons back in. I mean c'mon, VW! It's a brake pad change!!

 you dont need a special tool you just need to rotate the piston while pushing it in.

 

cant comment on gen5 but yes vw are shit to work on

Having a family friend who owns and runs a VW repair business, and hearing some of the stories, I would be steering clear of VW. Cost and availability of parts is rediculous for one, not to mention the costs of servicing. If anything goes wrong internal to the engine, I hope you have a very large credit limit on your plastic card.

I can't comment on the Gen 5 models, because I don't own one, and I don't personally know anyone who does. But the general thing I keep hearing is that they are a good build, but simply just ugly.

 you dont need a special tool you just need to rotate the piston while pushing it in.

There is a star pattern on the piston that needs a special tool. I'm sure you can make something up but there wasn't enough leverage on it for anything we had lying around. We tried!

Only just got it all back together in the end!

NEED MORE INFO ON THIS!

Not much info I'm afraid. This project is still in its early stage, and with a pending purchase of a new car, it might have to wait a little longer. The car needs some panel work, and currently has a L28 motor in it. Still haven't decided if I will keep the L28 or put a skyline GTR motor in it. Time will tell...

If you're still reading along, I went and took the GT Premium Liberty for a test drive today. Mighty fine car if you ask me. I'm not use to all the new car tech, but it was a great car to drive. Very secure and solid. Didnt quite have the same acceleration thrills that my Zed provides, but with a 100 kw difference between the Zed and the Liberty, I didn't really expect it to. But the cornering and confidence on the road felt pretty tight. The auto was ok. But I really wish I was getting the manual. But the wife doesn't drive manual! Anyway, looks like we might be buying it . I'm currenly looking at accessories, and I'm thinking of getting the STI grill and bottom lip.

Glad to hear you like it. They are a very comfortable car.

Those accessories are a must have IMO. Especially the grille!