KGB144 Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hello from Ayshire, I was unaware of this forum until the weekend when looking for information on the Subaru XV. I am a long term Subaru owner from an Outback 3.0Rn then Legacy estate diesel followed by a petrol/lpg Forester then my current car a 2.5i Legacy estate. However, I have just ordered a new XV 2.0D SE in dark grey that is due for delivery in the next 7-10 days. With only mywife and myself, no dogs or children now, we were finding the Legacy too big for our needs and were looking for something smaller but stil practical and with four wheel drive. After much searching we finally came down to the new Suzuki Vitara 1.6D SZ5 All-grip and the Subaru XV. The new Suzuki Vitara is very nice; well finished, good size and goes well. A lot of car for the money and has a good pedigree in four wheel drive. The XV has mostly terrible reviews and, If not for my wy wife insisting, I would not have gone for a test drive. Yes the interior is not the best and some of the equipment is dated; no DAB radio or sat nag on a £23k car, no dytime running lights and no sun roof on the SE. However, it is a better drive (not by much but noticable) and has the better warranty and service package (5y v 3y and 3y v0 respectively). Throw in a much better trade-in for my car and it was the XV that won. High like the old Forester we had but without the sun roof. Looking forward to picking up the XV soon. ft 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB144 Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 First impressions. Well I picked up the car on Tuesday morning and today I drove to Dumfries and back for meetings. I have to say the car feels solid, planted and well connected to the road; it inspires confidence. As I noted above the reviews of the XV by so called "experts" are generally poor but I cannot understand how the critics came to their conclusions. The XV drives and handles very well, especially on fast A and B roads where I do a lot of my driving. On the motorway or dual carriageway it is relaxed and refined. The engine is quiet and flexible with plenty of torque to safely pass slower traffic :D . The reports noted the "clattery diesel" engine as noisy and intrusive. Utter nonsense. It is every bit as quiet as my 2.5l Legacy or 3.0l Outback and much quieter than my 2.0l Forester. The interior is much improved from the 2013 model I drove as a test drive. The cabin looks and feels like a quality car and the radio is now DAB which is an unexpected bonus. So, in summary, quick, quiet, refined and safe. After only a couple of hundred miles I am very satisfied. I just wish others who read the negative reports would give it a try. It is quite nice being fairly unrecognised on the road; I only saw two other XVs today and one was on a delivery trailer. Drive well. ft 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozyDave Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 hi mate welcome to the club the XV is a good choice, most owners on here give high praise and are more than pleased with them. most of the reviews are written by critics that will compare them to BMW/ Audi/Lexarse/etc that they have driven in the last couple of months (and twice the price) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay762 Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Wotcha and welcome - Yup as Dave says our members are very complimentary about them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB144 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Now approaching 800 miles on the clock and averaging 50mpg with mixed driving of town, motorway but primarily A and B roads. Very satisfied if that mpg continues. ft 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoozyDave Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 800 miles already, what do you think to the drive and feel of it? 50mpg is great, I don't get that many when I freewheel downhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB144 Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 It drives very well. Different to my previous Legacy, being taller it has a more roll, but still very Subaru - it grips in corners and in the wet. The steering is light but not overly sensitive and, although electronic, has reasonable weight. The gear box has taken a little getting used to. Having six manual gears and a diesel engine means some gears are fairly short but I am getting used to the spacing and change points. Overall very pleased and the average mpg is now 50.3 after a 100+ mile run earlier this afternoon. ft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieT Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Yes the XV is a typical Subaru and drives very well. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizmo Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Welcome to XV ownership. I have had mine a couple of months (petrol and CVT gearbox), and just made it to 1000 miles (must get out more!). Currently showing 30 mpg average, but mainly short journeys, with the odd trip down south, when it gets up to the mid 40s. Did you go for the spare wheel option, as that was my only regret (that it brings the boot floor up to level with the hatch opening, that is, rather than not having a spare). Have only seen one other around here, and that is a 13 reg white one - so all the other drivers are craning their necks to see what I am driving. Makes me feel really smug! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB144 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 After a holiday up north I am now approaching 1800 miles and averaging 52.8 since I got the car. Today on my 20 mile commute to Glasgow I got 67mpg which is great for B roads and motorway. I did not go for the spare wheel option and have the can of gunk as standard. I had this on my Legacy and after two punctures within 3 months bought a spare wheel and tyre and then never used it again! Typical! Yes the XV is relatively exclusive, there is one other in our town, although we did see some when up in Aberdeenshire/Perthshire. These areas are always Subaru rich so no real surprise. I tried a couple of forestry roads when on holiday and the XV drove remarkably well with no issues. I am not sure our friend's Nissan Duke would have the same result. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 It's good to read that you folks are enjoying your XV's, I've had Subarus on and off since 1984, For those who can remember that far back, I had a GLF hatch which was a great car back then. When I started to do 25k plus miles a year I was forced away from Subaru due to fuel prices and heavyish fuel consumption on the Outback I had at the time. I had several years with Diesel Toyota Ravs which were good cars and never let me down. I returned to Subaru with a 2011 Forester diesel which has served me very well. We're now about to add to that by swapping my good ladies Yaris for a new XV. I've been really impressed with the XV we have had on an extended road test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeplechasing Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 KGB, did you use S and S? I've just ordered an XV from them...got a good impression from those I dealt with but time will tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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