Subaru's blitzin' Liberty Blitzen

As strange as it sounds, Subaru's latest design has been named the Blitzen.

This German word, roughly translated, means 'faster than light'. Quite apt, really, considering the kind of hardware Subaru's latest top flight luxury car hides beneath its shiny exterior.

As the STi WRX is to the majority of Imprezas, the new RSK Blitzen is the same to other Libertys - it's the top of the line, go fast, good looking, make you smile car.

The full title of the car is the Subaru Liberty B4 RSK Blitzen (known as a Legacy in other territories, such as Japan). This sexy new top-flight car looks set to take on the HSVs of this world, with some seriously impressive performance statistics.

One of the most interesting facts behind the creation of the new Liberty Blitzen is the design philosy. Subaru went to industrial design specialists Porsche Design for help in designing much of the bodywork for the Blitzen. Perhaps it's also where the German naming came from, too.

The Liberty comes with Subaru's award-winning all-wheel drive system as well as a new VCD system. Vehicle Dynamics Control works in a similar way to ABS in that it controls the brakes, in conjunction with the engine, to maintain stability during cornering.

This comes in handy when unexpected maneuvering is the only option, such as when changing lanes, cornering on wet roads or even avoiding fluffy bunny rabbits.

The styling cues for the new Subaru are much more aggressive (and pleasing) compared to the usual WRX Imprezas and RX 2.5 Libertys that roll out from the manufacturing lines.

The new 'mean' look, courtesy of Porsche Design, includes a revised front apron giving the car more style. The bonnet scoop gives away the car's tubrocharged nature and lower, exaggerated aero side-skirts help reduce the car's drag co-efficient, meaning improved fuel economy.

The rear apron (bumper) is very classy, with moulded lower struts to make room for the chrome exhaust pipe. The spoiler is also rather flashy, taking a leaf out of the Porsche 911 GT2's book.

What about the engine?

Well, it's nothing to be sneezed at, that's for sure. Subaru has gone all out to create this 205kW (280bhp) machine, which, interestingly, has a capacity of only 2.0-litres.

If you were to compare it to Mitsubishi's top-line sportster, the Magna VR-X, which has a 3.5-litre engine and 163kWs of power, you begin to realise that the Blitzen is a serious car for serious drivers.

That said, the Magna doesn't have twin-turbos.

This setup calls for the inclusion of that tasty WRX-esque bonnet scoop and the extra air inlets on the front apron - otherwise the engine would overheat very frequently running two turbochargers.

The trademark horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, 1,994cc engine churns out 205kW @ 6,500rpm, whereas maximum torque is a whopping 343Nm @ 5,000rpm. The four-stroke engine has quad-cams, 16-valves and, of course, the 'stage-2' twin turbos.

Combine this lethal engine to an all-wheel drive powertrain layout and you have one very eager and very sure-footed vehicle. Top speed is electronically limited to 180km/h, though without this the car could probably reach 250km/h without protest.

0-100km/h from standstill is a round 6 seconds, putting this ahead of the fan boy racer favourite - the WRX. The new Bliztzen's amazing performance is matched by a rather tasty feature list, including fast mirrors and windows, leather upholstery, 17-inch alloy wheels, 16-inch ventilated disk brakes up front and 15-inch ventilated disks at the rear.

The new Liberty is a limited edition model and is a glimpse into the future of the direction Subaru is taking with its luxury car line-up. Perhaps more Porsche/Subaru co-developed projects will appear in future as both companies share a passion of 'boxer' configured engines.

The Liberty B4 RSK Blitzen is one very polished piece of machinery, but is unlikely to see the light of day Down Under. The car is only available in Japan at this stage, and Subaru Australia has neither denied or acknowledged that the car will be arriving on local shores. For a similar model, check out the $55k Liberty B4. There is always hope...