Table of Contents Overview... 2 Dimensions... 3 Powertrain... 5 Chassis... 10 Safety... 12 Eyesight... 16 Audio Systems... 23 Other Features... 25
There have been many changes made to the MY15 Liberty and Outback range over the previous MY14 vehicle. Below is a list of the highlights of the new range: Improved 2.5 litre normally aspirated engine (Euro 6) Improved 3.6 litre normally aspirated engine (Euro 5) New 2.0 Direct Injection Turbocharged Diesel engine for Outback (Euro 6) Hi-torque Lineartronic CVT now fitted to 3.6 litre engine variants X Mode and Hill Descent Control (CVT Outback) Auto Stop Start (2.5 litre variants only) Upgraded Supplemental Restraint System Electric Power Steering on all variants New design Electric Park Brake 3 rd generation Eyesight ( selected petrol variants only) LED Headlamps on Premium variants Power Rear Tailgate (premium variants) Active Torque Vectoring New interior including steering wheel and instrument cluster New Audio systems (premium variants feature Sat Nav and Pandora compatibility)
My15 Liberty has the following changes to external dimensions: Length: +41mm Width: +20mm Height: -5mm Wheelbase remains the same as MY14 Liberty. MY15 Outback has the following changes to external dimensions: Length: +25mm Width: +20mm Height and wheelbase remain the same as MY14 Outback Internal Dimensions: The front windscreen has been moved forward by 50mm and space between front and rear seating positions has increased to enhance the overall feel of spaciousness. Outward vision has been improved by relocation of the rear view mirrors to the front doors, and the inclusion of a quarter window on each front door.
Improved internal space has been achieved by moving the front seats slightly further away from the vehicle centreline, and new thinner door trims increase the shoulder space for occupants.
There are many changes to the powertrain for MY15 Liberty and Outback. Better emission and fuel economy performance has been achieved, with 3.6 litre petrol engined variants achieving Euro 5 standard, and 2.5 litre petrol and 2.0 litre diesel variants rated at Euro 6. The addition of a Lineartronic CVT to 3.6 litre variants has improved fuel consumption, while providing the option of a sporty drive with the inclusion of SI Drive with 8 step manual control. 2.5 litre petrol versions now feature Auto Stop Start to improve fuel economy. Engine Emission Std Fuel Cons. City 2.5 NA Euro 6 3.6 NA Euro 5 Fuel Cons. Hwy Fuel Cons. Combined 2.0 Turbo Diesel Euro 6 (Man trans) 2.0 Turbo Diesel (CVT) Changes to engines: 2. 5 NA New lighter weight cylinder block New cylinder head design New lighter weight pistons Inlet manifold changes to improve flow and reduce weight Injector location changed to improve air / fuel mixing (efficiency and emissions) Revised accessory drive belt
arrangement to reduce NVH and weight 2.5 engine photo 3.6 NA New lighter weight conrods New inlet manifold to improve flow and reduce weight New accessory drive belt arrangement to reduce NVH and weight Revised battery charging system to improve fuel economy
3.6 engine photo 2.0 Turbocharged Diesel New lightweight cylinder block New design cylinder heads New pistons New chain driven High Pressure fuel pump Higher Fuel Pressure for better fuel atomisation (efficiency and emission improvements) New lighter weight turbocharger design New Glow Plug Control system for improved cold start emission performance New Low Pressure EGR system (MY15 now has 2 EGR systems) that significantly reduces harmful NOx emissions. Reduced size Diesel Particulate Filer
2.0 Diesel engine photo CVT Lineartronic CVT is now standard on all Liberty and Outback petrol models, and optional on diesel models. The adoption of CVT on 3.6 engined variants has improved fuel economy over the previous models, and the addition of Auto Stop Start on 2.5 engined variants has further improved fuel economy compared to previous models. 2.5 CVT version shown (electric oil pump is used for the operation of Auto Stop Start) Petrol variants have a 6 speed manual mode
Diesel variants have a 7 speed manual mode
There have been several changes to the chassis and steering system for MY15 Liberty and Outback, to improve ride, handling and steering response. Electric Power Steering (EPS) has been adopted across the entire range (was only fitted to Diesel variants in MY14). As the steering system no longer has an hydraulic pump, the load on the engine is significantly reduced. This load reduction improves fuel economy. To further reduce weight, a new light weight control unit is integrated into the steering rack assembly. The steering rack ratio has been reduced on Outback to 14:1, making it the same as Liberty models. Changes to suspension include: Stronger front control arms More rigid front strut design Front sway bar link is now directly mounted to the strut and control arm.
Rear suspension changes include: Revised shock absorber valving Stiffened sub-frame bushes Revisions to rear subframe mounting points Revised rear wheel alignment specifications
For MY15 Liberty and Outback, several improvements in the area of safety have been adopted. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) has some extra features, and the body structural strength has been increased. Supplemental Restraint System In addition to front Seat Belt Pre-tensioners, rear outer seat belt pre-tensioners have been added to all Liberty and Outback variants. Changes have been made to the front seat mounted side airbags. One bag is divided into a chest chamber and lumbar chamber. The high-pressure lumbar chamber securely contacts the hard hipbone and the low-pressure chest chamber safely contacts the ribs, which tend to be softer and more vulnerable upon impact. Curtain airbags have also undergone some changes. The inflator has moved from the rear of the assemble to the middle, improving the inflation process during a side collision. Curtain airbag deployment is more likely to occur in offset frontal collisions for MY15 models, to further improve occupant protection from the body pillars.
Front seat design now includes a 5 stage adjustable headrest. The Fuel Shut Off system used in MY15 WRX and BRZ is now fitted to MY15 Liberty and Outback. When a frontal collision occurs, the Airbag Control Unit sends a signal to the Engine Control Unit to disable the fuel pump. This prevents the engine from running after a collision for safety reasons. If the engine needs to be restarted, it can be after the ignition is cycled. A new feature of this system for MY15 Liberty and Outback is that the Fuel Shut Off system also works in the event of a rear end collision. VDC Adoption of a new-generation control unit The current Liberty and Outback adopted the conventional MK60A made by Continental, but the new Liberty and Outback has adopted the latest MK100 version to reduce size and weight. Also the EPB is controlled by the VDC control unit. The following features are new for MY15 Liberty and Outback Feature X Mode (CVT only) Active Torque Vectoring Pre-collision Steering Assist Note Feature is the same as Forester and includes Hill Descent Control (Outback) Feature is the same as MY 15 WRX and WRX STi New feature for Eyesight equipped vehicles. Brakes can be applied when an obstacle is detected and the driver steers to avoid this obstacle.
VDC Control Unit VDC Control Unit ATV (Active Torque Vectoring) Torque vectoring is a method to improve the vehicles turning performance by attributing a higher driving force to the outer wheels than to the inner wheels during turning. In Subaru vehicles, the VDC unit is used to apply a slight brake force to the front inner wheel, if understeer tendencies are detected by the lateral G-sensor, yaw rate sensor, vehicle speed or other sensors during turning. As result, a difference between the driving force of inner and outer wheels will occur with a higher driving force on the outer wheels, which will improve the turning performance of the vehicle. This system was first introduced with MY15 WRX and WRX STI. The system also prevents the inside front wheel from losing traction when cornering during spirited driving conditions. Red arrow = Brake force
Electric Parking Brake (EPB) Noise reduction and response performances have been improved by adopting an electric parking brake with built-in caliper for all models (on the current model, the brake is an electrical type with a special drum brake). Caliper with EPB By installing the EPB directly at the brake caliper, significant weight savings have been achieved, negating the need for cables and a separate EPB control unit. Moreover, the new EPB has the following features that are the same as those of the current EPB: Hill Holder function Auto release with accelerator pedal input. Stay stopped mode in Eyesight equipped vehicles
FHI introduced a collision avoidance technology called Eyesight in MY12 Liberty and Outback. Eyesight was only fitted to Premium variants with H6 engines, then MY13 this was changed to some lower specification variants, and included 2.5 normally aspirated and turbo engines as well. Some MY15 Liberty and Outback (2.5 and 3.6 engine, not diesel) models are fitted with the 3 rd generation Eyesight system, which introduces some new features, and changes to some features that carry over from Version 2. There are 8 main features of Eyesight Version 3 Pre-collision Braking* Pre-collision Brake Assist* Pre-collision Steering Assist** Pre-collision Throttle Management Adaptive Cruise Control* Lane Departure Warning* Lane Sway Warning* Lead Vehicle Start Alert * Functionality changed ** New feature New design cameras for MY15
Reduced profile of camera assembly allows the fitment of a sunglass holder. Just below the sunglass holder is the location of the seat belt warning lamps.
Hardware changes The stereo cameras in Eyesight Version 3 have changed from monochrome to colour, and are a much higher resolution (1.2 megapixel CMOS vs 0.3megapixel CCD). The new cameras have larger viewing angle, with an improvement of 40% in both distance and horizontal range. The camera change has also reduced the effect sunlight has on the Eyesight system. The software now includes recognition of Brake Lamps, due to the use of colour cameras. The control unit includes a more powerful processer, for faster image recognition. Benefits of new design cameras By improving the distance and angle by around 40%, Eyesight response times are reduced. Vehicles cutting into the lane in front, or crossing pedestrians are recognized earlier, therefore the Eyesight processor can better judge the situation. For example, pedestrians walking at a speed up to about 7kmh can now be recognized, as opposed to around 3kmh for Version 2. By having Brake Lamp recognition software, there is a large improvement in stopping distance, as the system can react before the vehicle being followed starts to slow down. (1) (2) (3) (1) (7) 15MY 13MY EyeSight (6) (4) (5) (1) EyeSight camera s field of view (5) Improvement of about 40%. (Horizontal field of view) (2) Crossing pedestrian (6) 13MY EyeSight (3) (4) Improvement of about 40%. (Distance performance) Vehicle cutting into your lane (7) 15MY EyeSight
Pre-collision steering assist (New) When collision possibility is high, EyeSight changes the characteristics of VDC and assists to avoid a collision if the driver steers away from the obstacle. This achieved by applying the brakes on the side the vehicle is turning towards (3) (1) Preview VDC (2) Normal VDC (3) Brakes to the turning inside Summary of changes to each function Feature Pre-collision Braking Pre-collision Brake Assist Pre-collision Steering Assist Pre-collision Throttle Management Adaptive Cruise Control Notes Collision avoidance now up to 50kmh* due to brake lamp recognition and faster processor Collision avoidance increased due to Brake Lamp recognition and faster processor New Feature. If the driver steers when an obstacle is detected the brakes on the side that the vehicle is steering toward will be applied by the VDC Control Module, to help avoid the obstacle Same as previous version New switch functionality Brake Lamp recognition Revised increments for speed adjustment (10kmh and 1 kmh Setting speed is now 30kmh or higher (was 40kmh and above) Retains last known distance setting
Lane Departure Warning Now works at speeds of 30 kmh and over (was 50 kmh) New graphic display Lane Sway Warning Now works at speeds of 38 kmh and over (was 60 kmh) New graphic display Lead Vehicle Start Alert Other Same as previous version New customising functions
Body Structure A new, stronger body shell has been used for MY15 Liberty and Outback. Extra High Strength Steel (HSS) in the B pillar and front bumper support areas for improved occupant protection. The bonnet is made from aluminium for better pedestrian impact protection. The external bonnet scoop for diesel variants has been deleted, and the air intake tract has been moved to the underside of the bonnet as in Forester turbo petrol and diesel models
Exterior Lighting Several new lighting features are available on MY15 Liberty and Outback. LED tail lamps are standard across the range, and premium variants are fitted with LED Headlamps for low beam. A Welcome Lamp system similar to MY15 WRX is adopted for Liberty and Outback. To use this feature, the ignition must be OFF, the driver s door open, and the high-beam is activated by the driver. The low beam lighting will stay on for 30 seconds, allowing an illuminated passage for the occupants when exiting the vehicle. The timing of this feature can be adjusted by a Subaru dealer.
There a 2 different audio units fitted to MY15 Liberty and Outback Base model audio unit with 6 touchscreen Premium model audio unit with 7 touchscreen Both audio units feature a new touchscreen interface, including pinch and swipe control similar to a mobile phone. Voice activation is standard on both units, and the premium model includes Satellite Navigation and Pandora radio integration via smart phone connection. The audio unit is now more integrated in the vehicle, as the voice activation function is compatible with the climate control system. The Satellite Navigation system now monitors the Low Fuel Warning, and offers to guide you to the nearest petrol station by touching the screen.
The location of the AUX and USB connections has been revised. These are now fitted at the front of the console, and premium vehicles feature 2 USB ports
Active Grille Shutter To improve fuel economy during driving, an active grille shutter had been adopted. Driving resistance is reduced by closing the shutter when driving and, at the same time, friction is reduced by warming-up the engine when it is cold. Both of these measures improve fuel economy. When temperature in the engine room becomes high and cooling is required, the shutter will open and allow cooling air to pass through. Grille shutter open Grille shutter closed
When the outside air temperature is less than 3, the AGS does not work.
Power Tailgate. Premium variants feature a Power Tailgate, which is similar to the one in Forester S and XT models. The main difference with this tailgate is that it is designed to be used as a powered unit at all times. The memory system is now set electronically instead of manually, otherwise the features are the same, including the pinch protection and auto reverse function. The power rear gate can open or close in less than 9 seconds.
Driver Controls The driver controls have all been redesigned for MY15 Liberty and Outback. The new steering wheel has different switch functions to the previous model, and the Eyesight switches have moved from the roof to the right hand side of the instrument panel.
New Eyesight switch location. Power Rear Gate switches are located here also (if fitted)
Instrument Cluster A new instrument cluster has been adopted for MY15 Liberty and Outback. The LCD multi-function display between the gauges is either 3.5 or 5 in size, and feature many new messages and warnings. The illumination rings around the speedo and tacho have a default colour of blue, but the driver can select from 10 different colours via the lower left control switches.