Subaru Exiga in seventh Heaven

SUBARU Australia will finally introduce a seventh seat to its Liberty Exiga people-mover range in July, replacing the six-seat configuration offered since launch in 2009.

The move comes as a result of a commitment from parent company Fuji Heavy Industries to produce a version of the vehicle fitted with proper lap-sash belts on all seven seats.

The Australian arm had until now decided against importing the seven-seat version available on the Japanese market because it came with an old-school lap-only seatbelt arrangement for the middle rear seat.

Subaru Australia corporate affairs manager David Rowley told GoAuto today that the company had waited until now because it did not wish to compromise the five-star safety rating achieved across its entire range.

According to Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior, head office was persuaded to make the necessary engineering changes by high levels of feedback indicating an extra seat would be desirable.

The decision should see the Exiga – which gained a suite of new features along with a slight price rise in January this year – better compete against rivals such as the Honda Odyssey.

The seven-seater line-up will still be available in base and Premium variants, with the latter picking up a new 17-inch wheel design. Both variants will also get new-look door mirrors.

As a result of the January update, entry-level Liberty Exiga 2.5i variants now have a reversing camera, automatic headlights, steering wheel controls for the Bluetooth phone and audio streaming system, voice command, and USB connectivity with an auxiliary jack.

Automatic headlights were also added to the Premium version, with both specification levels attracting $500 price rises.

Subaru Australia has yet to announce pricing for the Exiga seven-seat range, but the current pricing of $37,990 for the base model and $42,490 for the Premium is unlikely to change much.