There is no notable mechanical difference between the 2. Differences are only in body and weight.

Better tires and upgrade the antisway bars.

 

aside from the higher center of gravity and extra 150 lbs. on the Outback?

That's all it takes.

 

Stiffer suspension (which isn't an option right now)..19 or 20mm rear sway bar and all season high performance tires (Michelin pilot sport AS 3) are just a start.

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If are upgrading the rear bar, also upgrade the front sway bar too. I had 2008 Legacy Wagon was sad when Subaru discontinued them


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I'm also looking forward to RS-R possibly releasing lowering springs for the outback which apparently are in development right now.

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I'm also looking forward to RS-R possibly releasing lowering springs for the outback which apparently are in development right now.

That would be a wonderful thing. Mine never goes off road. It has to cope with my driveway and the ski resort parking lot during mud month. With Nokians, I don't need ground clearance to bull my way through unplowed slop in the ski resort parking lot. I'd love to lower the car 3".

 

I upgraded the rear sway on my '11 right after I got it new. Made a measurable difference as far as I was concerned. I stayed with the stock rubber since I have always had a "toy" to play with, but I suppose changing the tires would mage a big difference too. But I can't bring myself to tossing new rubber to gain a slight improvement in adhesion. But that's me.

 

There is a difference in acceleration and handling between these two mechanically related vehicles. What factors account for the performance differences, aside from the higher center of gravity and extra 150 lbs. on the Outback?

Liberty (Legacy) also gets wider rims & lower profile different tyres.

Not relevant to the 3.6R models, but there is a final drive ratio difference between the 2.5i comparable models, on the Australian spec Liberty anyway.
On Subaru Australia’s website it lists the final drive ratio of the 2.5i Outback as 4.111 & the 2.5i Liberty as 3.9 (Outback & Liberty 3.6R models are both 4.111).

For other spec comparisons see below:
Outback specs
Liberty specs

 

Be sure you have a good understanding with what you want to "fix" before you start modifying it.

Upgrading the rear sway bar to a 19 or 20 mm will reduce body roll and under steer. I would not modify the front sway bar until you start seeing overseer. Thicker sway bars will reduce how far the shocks can travel separately and will worsen off-road performance, granted it's a mute point if you're only planning on driving it on paved roads but still should be considered.

Tires are generally the best thing to upgrade first but do it with a purpose. If you live somewhere that receive snow consider having two sets of tires; a winter tire and a either a summer-only tire for better dry and wet driving or a summer biased all season.

Larger rims and low profile tires will have less sidewall flex. Again, it's trading off-road performance for on-road manners. You can also get wider tires if you get new rims.


I've often considered upgrading my rear sway bar to the 19MM but am fine with how it handles. I do run a second set of winter tires (Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2) for the winter months and the factory tires the other seasons. I probably won't buy the OEM tires again.

If you're after a good all-round all season tire and do not want to swap tires between spring/summer/fall and winter, check out the Continental Extreme Contact DWS. If you are willing to swap tires; check out the Blizzaks or Micheline X-Ice for winter tires and Michelin Pilot Super Sport AS3+ for a summer biased all-season.

Hope this helps.

 

@15'Outback

Be sure you have a good understanding with what you want to "fix" before you start modifying it.

I don't think I'll be doing any after-market swaybar mods. I did that once to my Honda, and the crossmembers cracked. They were installed by a specialty Honda shop. And I'm not even an aggresive driver.

I was hoping to hear some votes for shocks. The Tokico shocks I put on the Honda did improve performance, and more importantly, did no damage.

Too bad we don't have a factory option for a Hydropneumatic suspension, a la Citroen.

 

I had a legacy for 11yrs. I bought it because I didnt like the heavy lethargic handling the OB has comparing to the OB.

Steering box ratio has been different between the two. Legacy has one less turn lock to lock. The legacy is dramatically stiffer than the flexy OB. Add lower cg and stiffer frame, stiffer rollbar etc they are very different vehicles structurally even though mechanically they are nearly identical.
By the way we towed boats for yrs with the Legacy. It handled the towing better than the OB.

 

@XT-sub

On your continent, you have the Subaru Levorg, I believe; which looks like a fun wagon. Any opinions on how the Levorg compares to your Liberty/Legacy?

 

I hope this isn’t too much off topic. If it is I can delete & move it to a new topic.

I haven’t driven a Levorg so I can’t comment how it compares on the road with our 2016 Liberty 3.6R. On a good road I expect it would out-handle the Liberty though, & having the same FA20DIT engine as in the WRX it should leave the Liberty behind. They should be a nice vehicle to drive except for the 2.0GT-S spec-B on certain roads (see below).

They are virtually a WRX wagon but I don’t know if the high torque CVT has the centre diff as in the WRX or if it is the same high torque CVT as in the 3.6R Liberty/Outback & SJ Foz XT. IMO, looking inside they look fairly plain & not as nice as the 2016 Australian spec Liberty 3.6R. The Liberty looks a bit more luxurious whereas the Levorg looks more like the Forester & the WRX inside.

They only get a space saver spare wheel which is ridiculous, whereas the Liberty, Outback & Forester all get a full size alloy spare which is important for rural Australia. They also don’t get an 8-way power passenger seat whereas the Liberty 3.6R does (driver & passenger) – two good fully adjustable seats are important for longer trips, & I don’t think there are a/c ducts for the rear passengers.

We get three models in Australia; 2.0GT, 2.0GT-S & 2.0GT-S spec-B. See Subaru Australia Levorg specs & details

The 2.0GT-S spec-B came in for criticism by one motoring writer for having too firm a suspension for some of our roads & this was confirmed by a dealer I spoke to who said it was harsher riding on poor quality bitumen roads than the 2015 WRX. He said in his opinion the suspension on the lower spec model was a better compromise. ‘Dazza910’ on whirlpool.net.au forum posted in the Subaru Levorg topic about the suspension of the spec-B; “On smooth roads and around corners its very good but over bumpy roads... Bad! In one instance around a right hand corner and hitting a bump the car nearly launched off the road and I had to back off and to the point of taking evasive action to control her.” See Levorg spec-B whirlpool forum

For me, the ride & handling of the 2016 Liberty 3.6R is a good compromise. I think if the mid spec Levorg had all of the nice bits that the Liberty 3.6R has, with firm but compliant suspension like the Liberty fitted with a 19mm rear sway bar, & priced like the Liberty 3.6R, it would be a good buy & probably sell well.

As far as the looks of the Levorg, I’m not too keen on the slope of the roof line towards the back, nor the rear view. I think they look better in the photos at certain angles compared to seeing one out on the road. We were led to believe they were to replace the gen4 Liberty GT spec-B wagon, but on the road I think they look pretty ordinary whereas every time I see a gen4 spec-B wagon I think they still look fantastic even though they are an old model. A 2015 WRX looks good from all angles whereas the Levorg only looks good from the front angle IMO.

After owning an SJ Forester XT (FA20DIT engine & CVT) I’m more than happy with our 3.6R Liberty. After having the smooth 3.6 H6 (with CVT) that revs/runs/idles without any fuss & extra maintenance, I’m not sure if I would like to go back to an FA20DIT engine if I decided on a Levorg. The only thing I miss about the FA20DIT engine & CVT combination is the bottom end torque when climbing a mountain.

Here is a brief article about testing the Levorg in Australia that may be of interest:
Testing Levorg in Australia

A few local reviews of the Levorg:
Levorg 2.0GT review
Levorg GTS spec-B review video
Levorg review & video
Levorg review

A review of the 2016 gen 6 Liberty 3.6R:
2016 Liberty 3.6R review

Here is a comparison between a gen4 3.0R spec-B Liberty sedan & a 2015 gen6 3.6R Liberty:
Liberty gen4 3.0R vs gen6 3.6R comparison

 

I swapped the stock rear bar for a 19mm one last week. Took about an hour or so to do and was VERY easy to do.

While I don't push this car very much, I have noticed a modest improvement in handling with a bit less roll. Have to wait until better weather to push it a little to see whetehr there really is real improvement. But since I've got a fun car, the OB is a great "run-around car for me.

 

Yes

Laughter is the key to happiness

 

You can so do a direct swap with legacy shocks and springs

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We have a 2016 Outback Limited and a 2016 Legacy Limited. Both 2.5. Both bought on same day. They perform exactly the same. Same acceleration. Same basic handling. The Outback of course is not quite as nimble in tight corners because it has a higher center of gravity but the difference is almost unnoticeable. Neither are sports cars or meant to be sports cars.