1990 DACIALiberta 1.6L 5MT (75 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The Dacia 1325 gained its “Liberta” (Freedom) name after the 1989 Romanian Revolution. It was the first genuine hatchback developed by Dacia.

In the last communist years, the Romanian carmaker Dacia tried to improve its lineup with limited resources. The design and engineering team made two new bodies named CN1 and CN2, respectively. While the CN1 sported a longer back, the CN2 featured a fresh design with a higher rear end and shorter tailgate. It was a much more appealing-looking vehicle than the older, rebadged Renault 12 still produced and sold after three decades under the Dacia 1410 nameplate.

The front of the car featured squared headlights and a plastic grille with horizontal slats between them. A black, wrapped-around plastic bumper with an apron was standard, and there was no option for a body-colored one. Dacia used the same black plastic for the flush door handles and the door mirrors. In the back, the sloped tailgate’s abrupt cut mimicked the Audi Avant models, but in East-European style.

Inside, there was a new dashboard with a taller center stack. Unlike the previous Dacia models, it sported more vents and a bigger glove-compartment. Its instrument cluster displayed all sorts of information regarding oil pressure, ammeter, and oil temperature, apart from the regular speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, and coolant temperature. Its rear bench was folding in one piece.

Under the hood, Dacia installed the same old 1.4-liter engine based on the even older Renault’s 1.3-liter engine with carburetor and on-head valves. Compared to the regular sedan version, the Liberta featured stabilizer bars front and rear.