Subaru XV 2.0 SE ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

Little known to many Subaru have actually been making crossovers for a very long time. Actually before they were even cool. It all started in the early 90s with their Legacy estate which came with AWD and jacked up suspension for those living in more rural locations. 

Here we are testing the brand’s latest offering the rugged XV. Essentially a fourth generation Impreza hatchback with increased ground clearance and body cladding this compact Subaru is aimed squarely at Kia’s Sportage, Peugeot’s 3008 and Mitsubishi's ASX. With Subaru’s symmetrical permanent four wheel drive system and a five year warranty up it’s sleeve is the XV a better car to drive and own? Read on to find out

After a few shaky looking Impreza models over the past few years in our eyes the XV finally hits the right spot. Although its dimensions are relatively compact it has plenty of presence on the road. At the front Subaru’s prominent grill looks suitably aggressive with the chiseled headlights and butch body mouldings. The rest of the design is fairly inoffensive thanks to its simple shape but still managed to turn heads whilst with us.

The XVs interior is equally unlikely to raise any pulses but it also fails to disappoint. Cabin space is good for four adults with plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. The boot is a competitive size and cabin storage is good with lots of neat little placed to store odd and ends. The design itself is simple, everything falls nicely to hand and feels built to last although there is a decided lack of soft touch plastics on most surfaces. That said the seats offer plenty of adjustment and are supremely comfortable, we also love the red glow of the racy looking dials which are a welcome addition.

Equipment levels on our mid-level SE are fairly generous with standard fit digital climate control, 17 inch alloy wheels, HID headlamps with daytime running lights, heated front seats, CD player with bluetooth and USB input,cruise control, powerfold door mirror and a useful reversing camera. Interestingly our car also came with Auto Start Stop which although ambient temperatures were too low for it to operate is nice to see on a petrol car of this type. SE models also come with Subaru’s excellent Multi-Function Display which gives drivers an idea of how efficiently they are driving as well as vital information about the cars four-wheel-drive system.

Under the bonnet of our car is Subaru’s proven 1,998cc, 4 cylinder, Boxer petrol engine which produces around 150 bhp with maximum torque of 196 Nm available from 4,200 rpm. It’s a very easy engine to get on with enough pull for most situations. It's impressively hushed except under hard acceleration when the tasty, roarty engine note pitches in but is never intrusive. Unfortunately performance fell short of our expectations as a result of the XVs heavy all-wheel-drive system resulting in overtaking manoeuvres often requiring one or two down changes to make decent progress. We did however find the economy on offer over mixed driving deeply impressive returning 35 - 40 mpg.

If it’s driving pleasure you are looking for then this could be the crossover for you. The gearbox is wonderfully direct with a well-oiled precise action and perfectly spaced ratios. The steering also feels meaty with plenty of weight during cornering and just enough feel for most drivers. The ride too is well-judged considering the tall ride height and cleverly avoids the wallowy nature of some crossovers. Push the XV hard into a corner and although the body does roll it never gets out of control and always feels neutral giving the driver lots of confidence. Grip levels are another strongpoint thanks to the excellent four-wheel-drive system, decent choice of tyres, and electronic trickery. We were lucky enough to test the XV in the recent snow and found that it was pretty much unstoppable where others got stuck.

As an ownership proposition the XV we tested seems a little pricey at a shade over £24,000. For similar money buyers can park an Audi Q3 or BMW X1 on their driveway but neither is likely to be able to cope half as well as the XV in the rough stuff. Elsewhere in the range better value-for-money can be found. A base spec 1.6i S will set you back just over £21,000, also comes well equipment and has the same well sorted 4WD system. If it was our money however, we would probably trump for the diesel version which for the same outlay offers much stronger performance, even better economy and neatly falls into a lower VED Band

Tech Data

Price as tested: £24,295
Engine: 2.0 litre 16v 150bhp - 0-62 mph: 10.5 secs - Maximum Speed: 116 mph -
Economy: 32.1 mpg (urban) –47.9 mpg (extra-urban), 40.9mpg (combined) - Emissions: 160 g/km (Band G) - VED (12 months): £195
Dimensions: Length: 4450 mm - Width: 1780 mm - Height: 1570 mm - Wheelbase: 2635 mm

*data from Subaru UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

The Subaru XV may not be exciting to look at or sit in but it is well designed, inoffensive and spacious enough for most. On the road it drives very well with a good mix of ride, handling and refinement. Although we found the petrol engine in our car to be economical and characterful it does lack performance and requires too many down changes when overtaking. In the rough the XV is seriously talented compared to anything else in its class and for that reason it may be the only choice for more rural road-users. The list price of the XV is a little higher than we would have liked and we are sure that the boxer diesel engine is the pick of the bunch but for now Subaru can be proud that they have created a car that does a lot very well and very little badly. The XV is probably Subaru’s most complete crossover ever.

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob McSorley (info@DriverVIBE.co.uk).