Subaru XV Car Review

Dimensionally, the XV is an impressive story; it’s just 1615mm high, which is only 200mm taller than a standard Impreza hatch, and exactly the same height as a Mitsubishi ASX. Yet, with a staggering 220mm of ground clearance, the XV betters Mazda’s BT-50 (220mm Vs 200mm). Lift up the tailgate and there’s 310 litres of boot space, which is less than you get in the back of a Nissan Dualis, but it’s more than capable of swallowing a full-size pram (the load lip is flat, too). Drop the 60/40 split-fold rear seats and bootspace grows to around 1200 litres. There’s a full-size spare wheel under the boot floor, which can be easily accessed. And because the door openings are nice and wide getting in and out of the XV is an cinch, even for taller passengers.

Build & Quality 

Rugged and well built

Subaru has a long history of building rugged cars, and does plenty of testing here in Australia to ensure its cars will stand up to our unique conditions. Subaru’s are generally very well built and reliable, indeed the brand recently topped the Australian JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. Inside, the XV is a big step up in improvement over previous Subaru models and while some of the plastics still feel a little cheap, the thing is very well screwed together. And, as an, for instance, the soon-to-be-replaced Impreza rated 7/10 for Build and Finish in Australia’s Best Cars scoring: the XV is a step-up in quality from that car.

The XV comes with an impressive selection of safety equipment, like: seven airbags, ABS and traction control, hill-start assist (manual model only), retractable pedal box, and a five-star ANCAP safety rating (it scored an impressive 14.33/16 in the offset crash test). In terms of security, the XV is equipped with DataDot, engine immobiliser,
remote central locking, and a cargo security blind.

Ownership

We’d choose the petrol and manual combination

Subaru claims a combined figure of 7.0L/100km for the CVT and 7.3L/100km for the six-speed manual model. Against other non-diesel rivals the consumption is on the money, but it’s no match for the VW Tiguan 103TDI which returns 6.0-6.2L/100km. That said, the XV’s 60-litre tank offers a theoretical range of around 850km, and is recommended to run on 91RON. In terms of running costs, using the previous generation XV as an example, the new model should prove cheaper (if you take cost of servicing into account), each week than the Tiguan, but it’ll be more expensive to fill up. As far as transmissions go, the CVT is the more fuel-efficient option, marginally so, but it is an extra-cost option, and it’s noisy, needs a decent shove to respond, and dulls the drive experience, so we’d go for the six-speed manual. The other thing worth considering is the cost of tyres, the XV runs on Yokohama Geolanders, which, while being very good aren’t the cheapest to replace.

Price & Equipment

Subaru XV has found the pricing sweet spot; reversing camera is standard

The Subaru XV is available in three model grades: 2.0i; 2.0i-L; and 2.0i-S and is priced from $28,490 (+ORC) for a 2.0i with six-speed manual, stretching to $36,990 for a 2.0i-S with Lineartronic CVT. In terms of equipment, the XV is well specced with things like Bluetooth and iPod connectivity standard. You also get:  reversing camera, hill-start assist for manual models, auto air-con, cruise control, reach and rake on the steering wheel, 17-inch alloys (with a 17-inch steel spare wheel), front driving lights, and a three-year unlimited kilometre warranty. Move up into the mid-spec model (2.0i-L from $31,990 – six-speed manual) and you get sat-nav with voice activation, rear privacy glass, and dual-zone climate control, plus more. Go for the full-fruit 2.0i-S ($36,990 – this model is slightly more expensive than our current Australia’s Best Cars Best SUVs Under $40k) and you get added extras like full leather interior, heated front seats and electronic adjustable driver’s seat.

Verdict

Inpressive new entrant into the sub-compact SUV segment

Subaru’s XV is a real cat amongst the sub-compact SUV pigeons. With impressive standard equipment levels and reasonable pricing, as well as good ride and handling, it might just be the shot in the arm the Japanese car maker needs.

The Rivals

Mitsubishi ASX (AWD/auto): $32,490; 110kW; 197Nm; 7.7-7.9L/100km

The Mitsubishi ASX offers attractive, inner-city styling with reasonable ground clearance. This is the mid-spec ASX, which costs more than the equivalent XV and it isn’t as good to drive.

Nissan Dualis Series 2 AWD: $31,890; 102kW; 198Nm; 8.5L/100km

The Dualis couple rugged good looks with decent interior space. But it loses out to XV in terms of ride and handling; it tends to lean in corners and the engine needs to be worked hard.

Volkswagen Tiguan 103TDI: $35,990; 103kW; 320Nm; 6.0-6.2L/100km

This is the current Australia’s Best Cars Best SUV Under $40k and the materials used in the interior are miles better than the XV’s cheaper plastics. But, in terms of ride and handling the XV might be a smidgen more sporting and compliant.