More is more

Small in size, but big on character, the fun and funky Subaru Justy offers space, style, value and equipment combined with class-leading performance, fuel economy and emissions balance.

Built for today's environment-conscious consumer, the Justy is stylish, practical and has a host of comforts rarely experienced in a car this size.

Standard specs on the Justy 1.0E include ABS with EBD, air-conditioning, driver, passenger and side airbags, radio/CD player, electric windows, electric door mirrors, colour-coded exterior bumpers, door handles and mirrors, remote central-locking and electric power-steering. The sporty Justy 1.0S features alloy wheels, curtain airbags, rear speakers, driver's seat height adjustment, chrome interior door handle, a front passenger seat back pocket, sportier front headlamps and rear lamps and an auxiliary audio input jack for portable music players.

It comes loaded with safety features too: anti-lock ventilated front disc and rear drum brakes (ABS), aided with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD). This optimises braking force according to the weight distribution of passengers and luggage. Its front seatbelts provide pretensioners and force-limiters and the three rear seatbelts all boast three-point location plus ISOFIX for the outer belts that better hold child safety seats. There are also five height-adjustable head-restraints and innovative features like reclining rear seats that provide optimum comfort for all passengers.

The confident wide-stance styling features strong wheel-arch flares which give a ground-hugging look and mask the taller-than-average build which is part of the secret to its remarkable roominess. Its funky interior offers countless cubbies and storage areas plus tactile-grained plastics, large easy-to-use controls.

All models have a 60/40 split-folding rear seat with an unusual feature. The seat cushions rise, hinge forward and then drop into the footwell. This provides a soft carrying area for delicate items immediately behind the front seats. It also means when folded, the backrest creates a flat floor considerably deeper than would otherwise be possible.

The new Justy has a generous occupant legroom and headroom from the next-size-up. Its interior width of 1,400 mm and a 590 mm seat height allows easy entry and exit aided by wide-opening doors. The rear doors, for example, open to 80 degrees. Luggage space is also impressive, and with both rear seats up, it measures 225 litres (VDA). However, with the seats folded, this rises to 630 litres of flat space.

The Subaru Justy was designed and developed for European tastes and much of the chassis-tuning was done on European roads resulting in especially long-travel suspension matched to firm damping and stout front and rear anti-roll bars. The front suspension employs MacPherson struts and coil springs while the rear uses the equally popular and well-proven semi-independent torsion bar system with separate coil springs. Combined with one of the widest tracks in its class, the new Justy has an especially secure feel on the road with an absorbent ride yet strong straight-line stability. This is aided by power-steering which - despite being fully electric - has impressive feel with good self-centring. Despite having one of the widest tracks and bodies in its sector, the new Justy boasts a class-beating turning circle of 4.3 metres. Coupled with excellent visibility and a seating position higher than the norm, parking is made that much easier.

The new Justy 1.0 litre's performance, fuel economy and low emissions are difficult to beat: it has a top speed of 160 km/h and goes from 0 to 100 km in 13.9 seconds yet returns 64.2 m/pg on the extra-urban cycle (4.4 L/100km) and has the lowest CO2 emissions in its class at 118 g/km (combined cycle). This is thanks to one of the world's most efficient 1.0 petrol engine, combining strong drivability with ultra-low fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

The remarkable three cylinder, 12-valve, twin-overhead camshaft (DOHC), Euro4-compliant engine with Dynamic Variable Valve Timing (DVVT) generates a maximum power of 69.3 PS (51 KW) at 6,000 rpm - exceptionally high for its size.

The new Justy comes with a three-year warranty and an eight-year unlimited mileage anti-perforation warranty. Subaru is represented by Liaco Limited of Mosta Road, Lija (www.subaru.com.mt).