Is the tribe becoming too big for the faithful family sedan? Look no further than the Subaru Liberty Exiga seven-seater wagon.
Based on the Liberty platform, the Exiga started life as a six-seater wagon. Now, due to popular demand says the maker Subaru, an extra place has been set for someone in the 2013-model vehicle, which went on sale in July.
The seven-seater comes in two models — the Liberty Exiga 2.5i, which includes a DVD, and the top spec Liberty Exiga 2.5i Premium (our test vehicle), which adds leather trim, satellite navigation, reversing camera, Bluetooth compatibility, eight-way electric driver and front passenger seats, and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design and new-look door mirrors.
The former is priced from $37,990, the latter costs from $42,490, both plus on-road costs.
With a model upgrade midway through 2012, the entry-level Exiga added a reversing camera plus dusk-sensing headlights and steering wheel Bluetooth controls, voice command, audio streaming, USB connectivity and AUX jack.
Liberty Exiga 2.5i’s factory-fitted 4.3-inch LCD screen displays audio information and reversing camera images.
A saving grace on long, drawn-out journeys is the roof-mounted, fold-down remote-control DVD system with infra-red wireless headphones which can keep even the most tiresome travellers in the two rows of rear seats occupied.
With all seven seats occupied, there’s not much space in the back for two people’s luggage, let alone that for more than half a dozen. With the rear two rows of seats folded there’s a reasonably flat surface to take longer and more bulky items.
Designers, it seems, didn’t spend much time on the exterior, the Exiga having a boxy, old-fashioned look. The high sides, however, do make for plenty of head room – 40mm better than the Liberty – and good visibility. Expect to get fuel consumption of 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres. Once you go past the dated ‘maxi taxi’ exterior, the Liberty Exiga has much to offer, especially for the larger family, small sports team or groups of friends.
