subaru liberty 6cy 3.0l

[Si]

gday,
im in the market for a near new car that pleases the missus and baby but needs to tow my fibreglass 5.3 metre haines signature with a standard single axle trailer (sorry i dont know the weight) i think the best of both worlds would be a subaru liberty awd 6cy 3.0l b spec engine. anyone have one of these cars and tows a glass boat and if so how does it go? Its towing capacity is 750kg unbraked and around 2000 kg braked from memory. I would like to buy a hilux or patrol but the missus definitely is sick of these cars (thats all i have ever had). i note that there is also the standard 2.5 l 4cy liberty with 700kg unbraked towing capacity which is not much different to the 6cy. any thoughts or opinions good or bad would be appreciated. cheers.

[Steeler]

Have a chat to Newby as he knows Scooby Doo's inside out,may even have one for you.

Steeler

[wrxhoon]

gday,
im in the market for a near new car that pleases the missus and baby but needs to tow my fibreglass 5.3 metre haines signature with a standard single axle trailer (sorry i dont know the weight) i think the best of both worlds would be a subaru liberty awd 6cy 3.0l b spec engine. anyone have one of these cars and tows a glass boat and if so how does it go? Its towing capacity is 750kg unbraked and around 2000 kg braked from memory. I would like to buy a hilux or patrol but the missus definitely is sick of these cars (thats all i have ever had). i note that there is also the standard 2.5 l 4cy liberty with 700kg unbraked towing capacity which is not much different to the 6cy. any thoughts or opinions good or bad would be appreciated. cheers.

Liberty wouldn't be my choice as a tow car. my daily is a GT tuned by STI.
They are very good cars and very reliable

If you must have a sedan to tow the boat , Falcon post BA would be my choice, very cheap in the used market as well. Only disadvantage , they are rear drive.

As far as legalities go the 3.0lt is rated to tow 1800 kg ( braked trailer , your trailer should have brakes ). The 2.5lts are rated at 1500 , the 2.0 lts are rated at 1300 kg and all turbos are rated at 1500 kg .
If you must tow with a liberty, 3.0 lt is the only to buy , if not towing turbos are the best or even 2.5 none turbos , the 3.0lts have to much weight over the front wheels and tend to understeer a lot.
If you end up with a 3.0 lt to tow get the auto , they have a 5 speed auto , not the best in the business but still ok.
All the none turbo 4 cylinders have 4 speeders, turbos and 6 cyls have 5 speed autos.
If you buy a 3.0 manual , your clutch won't last very long pulling 1200+ on steep boat ramps.

[Si]

Liberty wouldn't be my choice as a tow car. my daily is a GT tuned by STI.
They are very good cars and very reliable

If you must have a sedan to tow the boat , Falcon post BA would be my choice, very cheap in the used market as well. Only disadvantage , they are rear drive.

As far as legalities go the 3.0lt is rated to tow 1800 kg ( braked trailer , your trailer should have brakes ). The 2.5lts are rated at 1500 , the 2.0 lts are rated at 1300 kg and all turbos are rated at 1500 kg .
If you must tow with a liberty, 3.0 lt is the only to buy , if not towing turbos are the best or even 2.5 none turbos , the 3.0lts have to much weight over the front wheels and tend to understeer a lot.
If you end up with a 3.0 lt to tow get the auto , they have a 5 speed auto , not the best in the business but still ok.
All the none turbo 4 cylinders have 4 speeders, turbos and 6 cyls have 5 speed autos.
If you buy a 3.0 manual , your clutch won't last very long pulling 1200+ on steep boat ramps.

yeah cheers hoon. i was hoping you would comment. yes they are very good cars. hard to find the compromise between what i want it and what the missus wants. lol. dont think i can bring myself to buy a ford though unless its a shelby cobra! i dont really like holdens either for that matter (go easy on me guys!). interesting bout the manual/auto. I would have assumed most of the real 4wd like patrols, hiluxes are mostly manuals 6cyls and are adequete to pull on steep ramps over thier life cycle. im not an expect on this but i guess torque would be different to subes though. anyway thanks for your info. cheers.

[chisel]

Considered something a bit bigger but still comfortable for the wife? Perhaps a pajero?
I'd be a bit nervous towing anything big-ish with a medium sized sedan (but I'm no expert).

[GBC]

That boat would be between 1.3 and 1.5 t - conservative. Any reason you need the b spec? It's not going to like towing as much as a standard suspension one, or an outback.

[wrxhoon]

.

interesting bout the manual/auto. I would have assumed most of the real 4wd like patrols, hiluxes are mostly manuals 6cyls and are adequete to pull on steep ramps over thier life cycle. im not an expect on this but i guess torque would be different to subes though. anyway thanks for your info. cheers

.[/quote]

As far as 4WD trucks goes they are all geared low and they have a low range as well so no problem. I prefer a manual too, I use to tow with a LC100 td manual, second low on the boat ramp and she would just iddle out no need to ride the clutch. The only reason I have an auto now is because you can't buy a LC200 manual.
Cars are geared a lot higher because they don't need to carry heavy loads, thats where the auto comes i. The torque converter slips and she comes out of the ramp much easier than riding the clutch. Because its for a short period of time the oil in the tranny won't get very hot either.

My previous statement still stands, if you must use a car the most suitable for the money is a post BA Falcon auto . Any medium to large 4x4 will tow easier than a sedan.

[lethal098]

I would prob shy away form the Liberty as the tow vehicle, it will to ok but would not be my preffered option. Have a look more at the SUV type vehicle, such as Forester, Outlander ETC. These will tow much better and still give you the better road handling capabilities than other 4wd type vehicles when not towing.

Cheers Lee

[finga]

Go the 3L outback.
My brother has one and it used to tow his 5m no worries and it towed my 5m Bertram as if there was nothing on the back.
He's had his since the 6 cylinders first came out and has had no worries with it.

[Si]

Go the 3L outback.
My brother has one and it used to tow his 5m no worries and it towed my 5m Bertram as if there was nothing on the back.
He's had his since the 6 cylinders first came out and has had no worries with it.

yeah ok, thanks. still a bit of a dilemma at mo. i dont mind the outback but wanted the liberty as it a nicer vehicle. do they have more towing capacity than 6cyl liberty?

That boat would be between 1.3 and 1.5 t - conservative. Any reason you need the b spec? It's not going to like towing as much as a standard suspension one, or an outback.

i just wanted the b spec 6 cyc as opposed to the 4cyl. does the 6cyl outback have lower gearing and higher torque than the 6cyl liberty. cheers.

[lethal098]

The outback and the Liberty do have different trans fitted to them, the outback would be a far better option for towing but still total 1800kg braked.
I personally think is far better options out there, if you are going to keep it for 3 years go for it, if longer term i would stay clear.

cheers Lee

[GBC]

B spec only refers to a run of libs which come out with Bilstein inverted shocks. I'm not as over this stuff as someone like Newby as previously mentioned, but the motors aren't different between B-spec and standard 3.0.

Lethal - you really reckon a forester or an outlander is going to out handle a lib on the road and not towing? I'd put my 8 year old B4 against either on the road. Bear in mind factory standard it put in exactly the same times around the Nurburgring as the equivalent E46 M3 in 2002 - they handle o.k....

[Si]

B spec only refers to a run of libs which come out with Bilstein inverted shocks. I'm not as over this stuff as someone like Newby as previously mentioned, but the motors aren't different between B-spec and standard 3.0.

Lethal - you really reckon a forester or an outlander is going to out handle a lib on the road and not towing? I'd put my 8 year old B4 against either on the road. Bear in mind factory standard it put in exactly the same times around the Nurburgring as the equivalent E46 M3 in 2002 - they handle o.k....

oh ok, i just wrongly assummed that all3.0l were b specs. cheers for the info.

[ozscott]

Liberty wouldn't be my choice as a tow car. my daily is a GT tuned by STI.
They are very good cars and very reliable

...

Agreed. Havent owned one but have driven one. One of the nicest cars around.

Cheers

[ozscott]

..

As far as 4WD trucks goes they are all geared low and they have a low range as well so no problem. I prefer a manual too, I use to tow with a LC100 td manual, second low on the boat ramp and she would just iddle out no need to ride the clutch.
...
.[/quote]


Agreed - that what I do with my Disco 2 manual towing the Vagabond out of the ramp. Makes the clutch last forever.

Cheers

PS. Is this a love in Hoon?