The facelifted Subaru Liberty has surfaced in the
USA, where it is known as the Legacy. The revised Legacy/Liberty is
distinguished by a revised front-end design, which includes new C-shaped
headlamps with daytime running lights, a wider grille with a prominent chromed
winged slat, and a new bumper design with LED fog lights. At the rear, design
changes have been limited to a bumper that’s redesigned to emphasise the car’s
width.
Subtle revisions have also been made to the
interior, including the availability of dashboard stitching, piano black trim,
silver-coloured bezels, a new sportier steering wheel, a redesigned clock, and
a climate control system with temperature displays inside the control dials.
The infotainment screens have been upsized, with new
6.5- and 8.0-inch displays replacing the current 6.2- and 7.0-inch units. The
entertainment systems also feature Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone
mirroring, improved voice recognition, and a much faster CPU for the 8.0-inch
unit.
In the US, Subaru’s large sedan will be powered by
unchanged versions of the company’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder and 3.6-litre
six-cylinder boxer engines. All-wheel drive and a continuously variable
transmission remain standard. The American-market Legacy
is now available with steering responsive LED headlights, automatic high beam
engagement, automatic braking in reverse gear, new paint choices, and alloy
wheel designs.
Less noise is said to enter the cabin thanks to
reshaped wing mirrors, revised windows and thicker aprons for the rear wheel
well. Subaru has also tweaked the car’s suspension, steering, throttle, and
transmission settings.
The facelifted Subaru Legacy sedan makes its
in-the-flesh debut at the Chicago motor show next week before going on sale in
the US from the middle of the year.
