THE B4 is only available in Australia with a five-speed manual transmission, although an automatic variant may arrive at a later date, as one is offered in Japan. The transmission is basically the same unit introduced with the third generation model year 1999 Liberty, at which time it received a number of strengthening and refinement upgrades. The B4's transmission is equipped with a close ratio "S type" gear set in place of the wider spaced "R type" gear set in the Liberty RX. Both cars run the same final drive ratio, but the B4 has taller gearing right through the gearbox than the RX, which effectively means Subaru has sacrificed outright acceleration to give the B4 a higher top speed and more relaxed running.