Subaru today confirmed the turbocharged return of All-Wheel Drive Liberty GT as part of its Model Year 2007 line-up.

The new variant will be powered by the award-winning 2.5 litre horizontally opposed boxer engine that recently received engineering accolades in Europe.

Subaru Managing Director Nick Senior has also confirmed that GT will, for the first time, be available as a spec.B variant – complementing the Liberty 3.0R spec.B and offering yet more customer choice.

Among the highlights of Liberty GT spec.B are 18-inch alloy wheels, Bilstein suspension pack, body kit and the choice of a six-speed STI-derived manual gearbox or five-speed Sportshift automatic.

Mr Senior said: "A significant part of our Liberty volume now comes from range-topping cars and our customer feedback indicates huge interest in the return of GT.

"The fact that spec.B will be available in both sedan and wagon will add extra appeal."

In Australia, the 2.5 litre turbocharged engine is already used in the Impreza WRX and Forester XT.

Full details of the 2007 Subaru Liberty GT will be announced in September. However, limited GT stock will be available this year, so customers are urged to register interest with their nearest Subaru dealer as soon as possible.

"There are a variety of refinements across the Liberty range and we’ll be announcing more details in the near future, leading up to the September launch of the revised Liberty and Outback," said Mr Senior.

He confirmed that all MY07 Libertys and Outbacks would maintain their five-star Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crashworthiness rating for occupant safety.

Liberty GT was previously available only as a 2.0 litre, in one specification. It has not been on sale since late 2005.

Liberty GT’s new 2.5-litre engine recently won the 2.0 to 2.5-litre class of the International Engine of the Year Awards.

It was the first time a horizontally opposed boxer engine was chosen in the prestigious annual awards, presented at the Engine Expo in Stuttgart, Germany.