Subaru Liberty GTI Premium or Passat?

[kgbAgent]

Well I did

Went & had a squizz on the weekend & my thoughts are:

• It sure seems bigger than MY05 GT liberty that I have currently
• The display car was a crappy blue that didn't endear me to it
• The front light cluster seems HUGE
• Dash / Display /Dials seemed OK
• Interior was quite dark overall - Privacy tint good - Front seats seemed short - Door pillars annoying
• Weathersheilds improved
• Keyless entry worked well
• Miss the moonroof
• Bluetoof iteration unknown
• Build quality excellent

When I compared the spec lists it seems the Sube has made ground on the VDub significantly. Yes it is slower 0-100 (but not that the average punter will notice); it seems larger physically (but it is not); it has similar features.

I personally found it's looks as objectionable as the last Rex incarnation but I suspect that when I am in the market 3/4 yrs time it will be a sexy alternative if the R36 still exists.

The next bit really pissed me off (having just got a VIN after 3 months to the day after ordering) - when asked about delivery of the Sube as specced I was told "2 weeks" !!!!


Cheers

[V6Passat]

Well I did

Went & had a squizz on the weekend & my thoughts are:

• It sure seems bigger than MY05 GT liberty that I have currently
• The display car was a crappy blue that didn't endear me to it
• The front light cluster seems HUGE
• Dash / Display /Dials seemed OK
• Interior was quite dark overall - Privacy tint good - Front seats seemed short - Door pillars annoying
• Weathersheilds improved
• Keyless entry worked well
• Miss the moonroof
• Bluetoof iteration unknown
• Build quality excellent

When I compared the spec lists it seems the Sube has made ground on the VDub significantly. Yes it is slower 0-100 (but not that the average punter will notice); it seems larger physically (but it is not); it has similar features.

I personally found it's looks as objectionable as the last Rex incarnation but I suspect that when I am in the market 3/4 yrs time it will be a sexy alternative if the R36 still exists.

The next bit really pissed me off (having just got a VIN after 3 months to the day after ordering) - when asked about delivery of the Sube as specced I was told "2 weeks" !!!!


Cheers

serenity now.....serenity now.....serenity now....

[team_v]

Japanese manufacturing, shorter delivery travel and worse build quality/looks = 2 weeks.

German engineering, better build quality/looks and longer delivery distance = 4 months.

I hate the new liberty, it looks like someone ran it into a wall.
The Passat looks and is much more classier.
In the end, the passat will have better resale value and appeal.

[DJC]

Well hopefully Subaru can get the option right when you order one, VW have no idea!

[Transporter]

I like both brands. Subaru for reliability and VW for comfort and level of equipment, looks and how it feels.

Love my T5.

[Swallowtail]

Well hopefully Subaru can get the option right when you order one, VW have no idea!

Did I miss something - what happened??

[skyva]

I drive the GT premium, it is a nice car. I am yet to drive the r36 or CC, but that is next.
The GT has lots of standard features, leather, satnav etc. It is a bit bland looking though. In the sedan form it is very plain, however the wagon is not bad.
The awd system seems pretty good. I did the following test on a wet road:
Stopped facing uphill at a t-intersection, turning left,
front wheels turned strongly left
Floored it.
It took off nice and smoothly with no wheel spin.
Hopefully the VW awd system can cope as well.
It is 10k cheaper and what I will probably get after our first baby turns 3. As of now I am looking at something nicer on the basis that the pending bub will not mess up the interior too much.
For those enthusiasts, it is obviously easily tunable, and Subaru have a large following of tuners. I am sure that with only a little money it could be made just as fast as the R36 in a straight line. I was also presently surprised by the compliance of the suspension. It was a little firm, but very comfortable (billstein suspension). That is my only concern about the R36, that the suspension will be too stiff.
The current Wheels mag has an article about the GT and seems to like it. I would love to see a comparo between the R36 and GT.

[Swallowtail]

There's an intersection I go through coming home from work - T intersection, turning left onto a main road, with the main road going downhill and the intersecting road cambered to suit. In my old Mazda6 MPS I could floor it coming out of the intersection and I'd get a slight chirp from the front wheels as the car would lift because of the hill / camber / throttle before it would just bite down with all four and go.

In the R36, same intersection, the front wheels spin and traction control kicks in. It doesn't feel any slower out of the intersection, but it's not as clean in getting the power down to all four as the 6 was. In general driving it feels more FWD-oriented to me than the 6 was. I haven't had it push the rear wide on me, it tends to understeer more.

There is a Haldex awd mod that changes the way the R36 drives from this aspect.

Re suspension - the R36's suspension has pretty ordinary bump absorbtion. Performance handling is excellent, as is grip and overall poise, but it does feel a little unsettled by rough roads.

I was looking at the specs of the Subie GT on the weekend actually, 191KW V6 vs R36's 220, but 100kg or so lighter. Better for towing - 1800kg braked capacity with 180kg ball load. 7.3s 0-100 seems slow for that weight / power. Almost 2s slower than the R36 to 100. You'd be hard pushed to gain that with mods on a non-turbo motor without spending a lot of money. Cheaper fuel in the Liberty, and marginally better fuel economy. Looks is no contest. The Liberty is ugly!

[apom]

And dont forget Subaru can only afford 1 platform at a time being. The new Liberty/Outback is built on an enlargened Impreza platform

[Leagle]

I like both brands. Subaru for reliability and VW for comfort and level of equipment, looks and how it feels.

Love my T5.

Hmmm.. have never owned a VW before, but I hope that the new VW that I have ordered (CC) is going to reliable!

Having owned Audi and Subaru previously though, I can see what you mean though.

I actually had a look at the new Subaru Liberty and ultimately decided in favour of buying a new VW CC. However, both cars are attractive propositions. Here is my quick summary of my comparison of each:

PRICE:

The Liberty GT wins hands down on price. You can get one fully loaded for less than $60K on road and probably just over the luxury tax threshold means you don't pay much extra to the tax man. A similarly specced V6 Passat CC (or R36) is going to cost you at least $10K more and yes, you are going to pay the tax man extra. Passat 0, Liberty 1

STYLING:

The Liberty GT is an interesting car. Like many other Subarus I reckon it actually is a backwards step to the old one from a styling point of view. On the other hand, the VW Passat CC is simply stunning. Can't say the R36 doesn't look better either. Passat 1, Liberty 0

INTERIOR SPACE:

While the Liberty GT has an uglier bod (IMHO), it does have a substantially roomier interior than the old model. And it is larger and more practical than the CC (and seems to be roomier than the R36 too). Passat 0, Liberty 1.

GADGETS:

The Liberty GT is vastly improved over the old Liberty in offering a wide array of nice new features including keyless entry (not available on the VW), reverse camera (as an option) and fantastic Macintosh sound system. Although the VWs miss out on keyless entry, they do have front and rear sensors as standard (I believe this is only an aftermarket option on the Liberty) and the optional reverse camera is far better. I reckon the VWs stereo sounds as good as the Subaru's (if not better). However, on balance the VW (particularly the CC) wins on the "gadget factor" by offering a few options that you simply cannot get on a Subaru, including cooling (as well as heated) seats, radar assisted parking and adaptive cruise control. The adaptive chassis control on the CC also swayed me. Sorry the VW is simply better on the gadget count, although you will have to pay more. Passat 1, Liberty 0.

LUXURY:

The Liberty has a nice, roomy cabin. Splashes of aluminium too. But there is no way it competes with the VW. The Liberty still looks Japanese, the VW exudes Germanic luxury. Easy win for VW. Passat 1, Liberty 0

DRIVE:

This is a little hard to evaluate as I only had the benefit of short test drives with both cars. Suffice to say that they are both nice cars to drive. Both cars perform well. Both cars ride well. However, what won it for me is that the overall refinement of the CC was just that much better than the Liberty. I think the adaptive chassis on the CC really makes the VW! And it seemed to be a more responsive and exciting car to drive too. The V6 (in the CC) has a nice (if subtle) growl that appealed to me more than the Liberty's turbo. So although this category was almost a tie, I will give the nod to the Passat. Passat 1, Liberty 0

So overall, its Passat 3 to Liberty 2. Yes, I chose the VW. Now going back to the first comment, it will be interesting to see how RELIABLE the VW will be. If the VW is nearly as reliable as the Subaru I will be very happy indeed. If not, it will be my first (and possibly last) VW. Time will tell.

[craigy]

Japanese manufacturing, shorter delivery travel and worse build quality/looks = 2 weeks.

German engineering, better build quality/looks and longer delivery distance = 4 months.

I hate the new liberty, it looks like someone ran it into a wall.
The Passat looks and is much more classier.
In the end, the passat will have better resale value and appeal.

I think you will find on the whole the Japanese build quality is better than the Germans. I know my Subarus build quality is better than my VW's. The Lexus build quality flogs the BMWs, Mercedes and Audis from what myself and others have observed.

[theplanner]

I think you will find on the whole the Japanese build quality is better than the Germans. I know my Subarus build quality is better than my VW's. The Lexus build quality flogs the BMWs, Mercedes and Audis from what myself and others have observed.

I have to agree here. It was a long time ago that the germans used to build better quality cars. But where the Germans have the upper hand is they seem to build cars that are more appealing to "drivers" whereas the Japs is more about gadgets and overall value for money. And unfortunately this usually involves quite a boring drive too.

[tryingavw]

I have to agree here. It was a long time ago that the germans used to build better quality cars. But where the Germans have the upper hand is they seem to build cars that are more appealing to "drivers" whereas the Japs is more about gadgets and overall value for money. And unfortunately this usually involves quite a boring drive too.

i have to agree. i hop into a jap car and think..."is this as good as it gets?"

[KWICKS]

Drive a GT-R or Evo X or STi then?

Agree generally Japan has lost its way, eg. Toyota hasn't made anything interesting after a late 80's, early 90's flood of interesting metal. Lexus included.

[Transporter]

I think you will find on the whole the Japanese build quality is better than the Germans. I know my Subarus build quality is better than my VW's. The Lexus build quality flogs the BMWs, Mercedes and Audis from what myself and others have observed.

When many people I know including me road tested Passat, Golf or Skoda we all agreed that you don't want to get out of that nice car you just want to keep driving, no matter how bad the traffic is. I don't get that feeling from any Subaru or any other Japanese car I've driven.