Mk1 Liberty

Subaru’s first big car was the Legacy, a Toyota Camry-sized sedan and wagon available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive guises, powered by the company’s distinctive 100kW 2.2-litre ‘boxer’ 16-valve four-cylinder engine.

Renamed Liberty in Australia to appease the RSL, the new Subaru won big acclaim and sales here but struggled elsewhere.

It initially arrived in LX sedan and GX guises, with only the latter wagon available with the full-time 4WD option at first.

High demand prompted the release of the GX 4WD sedan in August ’90.

By then all models featured air-conditioning and power steering.

In October ’90 the luxury Heritage arrived with a sunroof, CD player and alloy wheels, while the wagon version was 4WD.

All gearbox choices were either a five-speed manual or four-speed auto.