2001 Subaru Liberty B4 vs Volkswagen Bora V6 4Motion comparison review: classic MOTOR

To quote singer and full-time pants man David Lee Roth, “I’m a family man; in fact, I started three last week.”

This feature was originally published in MOTOR’s December 2001 issue

In Roth terms, the Subaru Liberty B4 is a family man’s sedan, maternal styling trying to hide the effect of 190kW from sequentially-acting dual turbochargers. It’s an approach to muscle cardom many Australians may not totally appreciate but one the Europeans and Japanese really dig.

Not impressed? Then realise this; the Liberty B4 has almost the same power as a 5.0-litre V8 yet weighs about 150kg less than an XR8.

When it comes to keeping things low-key, the body kit can hardly be called boofy. That puny rear wing and bonnet scoop directing air to the intercooler is more muted apologies than lusty overtones. And look at the, well, rather dull Liberty B4 colour range: graphite black mica, silver metallic, deep blue mica, and pure white.

This isn’t a car that’s going to be noticed. The statement is in not making a statement; let the whisper of the twin turbos do the talking. With poetic understatement, the B4 is anti-Evo, but almost as evil.

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The Volkswagen Bora 4Motion speaks the same no-lair lingo. Let’s remember that the Liberty B4’s water-cooled boxer engine carries DNA dating back to the air-cooled Dak-Dak; fortunately, sometime last century the two paths diverged. VW could care less to see Subaru succeed with the boxer four-cylinder when the German maker has been busy breaking just about every rule on engine design, and succeeding.

VW’s narrow V engine is impressive. In the Bora, the 2.8-litre V6 is about the same size as an in-line four, with about twice the power. It packs 150kW at 6200rpm and 270NM at 3200rpm.

VW and Subaru appear to agree that a proper sports sedan needs bags of grip and all-wheel drive. Even so there is contrast. A Haldex clutch controls the Bora 4Motion’s centre differential, while the Liberty B4 uses a viscous coupling. From the driver’s seat, both feel decidedly front-drive biased.

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With 40 fewer kilowatts than the B4, the Bora is at a disadvantage before either turns a wheel. For a similar spend, (Bora at $54,400 to the Liberty at $55,130), VW offers an interior crammed to the roofline with style and safety, but the naturally-aspirated 2.8-litre engine is bread roll short of a buffet against the might of the twin-turbo B4.

What an engine! The B4’s motor is basically the same as the WRX 2.0-litre, with a couple of performance changes. The B4 cylinder heads are the exotics from the STi, with very light hollow intake valves and sodium-filled exhaust valves. Forged alloy pistons with molybdenum-coated full skirts are works of art. Compression ratio is 9:1 compared with the WRX’s 8:1.

The B4 engine is more powerful and more driveable than the WRX thanks to a small primary turbo to boost on low revs and a larger secondary huffer to up the herbs at high revs. It makes maximum power of 190kW at 6400rpm, fairly early on in a 7500rpm rev range. The story of this engine is torque, and it produces plenty from 278Nm at 2000rpm to a maximum of 320Nm at 4800rpm.

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From the initial touch of the clutch, throttle and gear stick, these are two very different cars to drive. It is the B4 that’s sharp, positive and defined; firm even, and compared to the soggy response of the Bora, the Subaru immediately starts earning your trust.

Subaru starts with a torsionally stiffer body shell with less body flex to affect the suspension, which means the springs, dampers and sway bars can be dialled in more effectively. Sizing up the two, the Subaru is longer overall and, more importantly, longer in the wheelbase by 137mm. The squarer Bora looks wider, and it is. Track width and kerb mass favour the Bora, only marginally. Suspension for both is McPherson struts front and multi-link independent rear.

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The B4’s insides are about as flash as a cupboard with the light off, with exception of a Vegas-like instrument light display. The instruments arc up in sequence, beginning with the thin golden gauge surrounds, followed by the bright red needles and finally the faces come to full light. It is a neat trick for a car that isn’t really all that tricky.

On interior design, the B4 is an oasis of black and purple leather in a desert of blah. Practical, yes, but not pretty. You buy Subaru for other reasons, and experience states loud and clear those reasons are ride and handling. It will be very tough to beat, mainly because once you get past the Visual nothingness of its exterior and interior design, the Subaru does few things wrong on-road.The Bora 4Motion is the better equipped car, with gear like a glass sunroof, a 60/40 folding rear seat (the B4 has a ski port), front and side airbags, leather seats, six-speed manual gearbox (B4 has a five-speed), cruise control, six CD stacker, and a pollen-dust filter. On the face of it, VW loads the Bora 4Motion with more stuff while Subaru sweats the basics.

Fast Facts

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The Strip

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