Subaru XV - Owner Review

[Dogconker]

Well, I’ve done 5000 miles in my 2014 XV now so thought it about time I’d knock up a review for those interested.

 

What is an XV?

 

So first up, what is an XV. Well, the XV is the Outback’s baby brother, based on the Impreza hatch back it its been beefed up, given some big wheels with all season tyres and heavy duty plastic trim to protect the bodywork. The suspension has also been jacked up to provide around 9” (230mm) of ground clearance, the result is a mid sized Cross-over Utility Vehicle (CUV). Apparently the XV stands for cross-over vehicle, however, in America the XV is known as the Crosstrek. The idea behind the XV is to provide a daily use car with the option to go off road.

 

 

Video showing some XV off roading, its pretty surprising how capable this car really is.

(if you're in a hurry, skip to 8:30 to see the really rough stuff)

 

 

Now when I talk about off road I don’t mean mud bogging or rock crawling, you should be looking at Landrovers and the like if that’s your thing.  I am however, talking significantly more challenging than just a grassy field or a gravel track. The XV is surprisingly capable off road on some quite difficult terrain and in the snow you should feel pretty comfortable. There is even a display that highlights loss of traction etc to each of the wheels.

 

 

Drive train information screen highlighting direction and spinning of wheels

 

The XV is in general a good looking car, fairly classic lines nothing too outrageous, it has a presence however that many of its competitors can’t seem to match, its quite an imposing vehicle for its size. I’ve owned mine for several months now, and it certainly draws attention, whether people you drive past or pass you on the motorway many will look at this car, often wondering what it is.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve even come back to the car after leaving it in a car park to find people peering in the windows which usually leads to a rather embarrassing and uncomfortable moment when I ask if I can help them, often they walk off and get on one of the XV’s competitors. The reason for this; this car is rare, and I mean properly rare. My wife also has an XV and has owned hers since September 2013 in that time apart from mine we’ve only ever seen one other on the road. In fact to put this in perspective, apparently, Porsche sell more cars per year than Subaru, with Subaru only selling between 3000 - 4000 cars across the range in the UK, compare that to the circa 40,000 Nissan Qashqai sold each year. In some respects the Subaru is more exclusive than a Porsche, certainly more obtainable. 

 

The XV comes in 2 variants, a 2.0 litre normally aspirated boxer petrol, and a 2.0 litre boxer turbo diesel, both have two trim options, SE and SE Premium. The SE will be the best seller whilst the Premium has extras such as Satnav and leather seats. The petrol also has an option of the Lineartronic gearbox, not available on the diesel. The 1.6 versions have recently been dropped from the line up and there is  a rumour of a petrol hybrid being released in 2014.

 

I haven’t driven the petrol but I am aware that the diesel is more fuel efficient, has faster acceleration and has significantly more torque, but generally comes with a slightly higher price tag so you’ll need to weigh up what you will use the car for and likely annual mileage to decide on your engine type. This review will primarily apply to the diesel though much of it will cross over to both types. I own an XV 2.0D SE so in reality this is what I am reviewing.

 

Specification

 

The XV comes with a pretty high specification as standard. The SE version, which is what most people will buy and is effectively the base model (although in reality there isn't a base model), comes with the following:

• Heated Front seats
• Leather steering wheel and gear knob
• multifunction display
• Front fog lights (also running act as running lights)
• Windscreen wiper de-icer
• Roof rails
• Automatic Wipers
• Automatic on/off headlights
• HID headlights
• Headlight Washers
• Privacy glass
• Cruise control
• Hill Start Assist
• Dual Zone Climate Control
• Bluetooth Hands Free
• 2DIN 6 Speaker Audio unit
• Reversing camera
• Engine Stop/start (petrol only)

 

This is not an exhaustive list, but as you can see, even the SE comes with a pretty impressive specification, the Premium version adds the leather seats and Pioneer satnav/stereo. Few of the XV’s rivals boast such a high specification as standard.

 

Performance (as of Mar 2014)

 

2.0 Boxer Petrol (Normally Aspirated)  - £21,995 - £25,495

Max Power      – 150BHP @ 6200rpm

 

Max Torque     – 196Nm @ 4200

 

0 – 60              – 10.5 seconds (10.7 seconds for the Lineartronic)

 

Max speed      – 116mph

 

Fuel efficiency – Urban mpg – 32.1 (32.8 Lineartronic)

                           Extra Urban mpg – 48.0 (51.4 Lineartronic)

                           Combined mpg – 40.9 (42.8 Lineartronic)

 

2.0 Boxer diesel (turbocharged) - £23,995 - £25,995

Max Power      – 147BHP @ 3600rpm

 

Max Torque     – 350Nm @ 1600 - 2400

 

0 – 60              – 9.3 seconds

 

Max speed      – 120mph

 

Fuel efficiency – Urban mpg – 41.5

                           Extra Urban mpg – 56.5

                           Combined mpg – 50.4

 

The performance of the car is pretty good considering the weight of the vehicle , throttle response is very good on the Diesel (can't comment on the petrol), so much so that you can even blip the throttle during downshifting, a rarity in diesels.

 

There are some reports that the petrol is a little bit flat in performance and could have really done with a turbo to just lift it a bit, that’s something you’ll have to decide if you test drive, I’d certainly advise trying both the petrol and the diesel if you are unsure which is for you.

 

The XV has the ability to surprise when driven in different ways; drive the car carefully and smoothly with extensive use of the cruise control and you’ll be rewarded a very comfortable, easy drive with excellent fuel economy from a permanent AWD, I’ve managed over 71mpg on an extra urban run and consistently 59mpg averaged over a whole tank giving me a range on a full tank of around 700miles before the fuel light comes on, even then it says I have another 100 miles in the tank. The electronic display provides good info on the fuel usage and can show a really handy “swing-o-meter” telling you if you’re using more or less fuel than the average to date, this actively encourages economic driving.

 

 

Fuel economy "Swing-o-meter"

 

However if you’re feeling in the mood the diesel can be pretty spritely and feel quite sporty, and with the audible turbo noise makes it feel more sporty than it maybe should, the firm suspension and limited body roll all add to that sports feel. 0-60 in 9.3 seconds means it would only be 0.6sec slower than an Audi A3 Sportback Sport 2.0 TDI, and more than capable of leaving most in not all of its direct competitors behind, that's pretty impressive when you consider its around 1.4 tonne in weight.

 

Safety

 

One of the cars big selling points is its safety, it received a 5 star NCAP rating and scored highest in class for small child (<18 months) occupancy protection, it also comes with an apparently endless list of safety features (and I'm pretty sure I haven't listed everything below):

• Front passenger and driver airbags, front and rear curtain airbags, driver knee airbag
• Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control
• Integrated ring roll cage
• Retracting pedals
• Side door reinforcement beams
• ABS
• Brake system assist
• Child seat anchorages
• Luggage tie points
• Brake override
• Additional door anchorage to prevent opening on a roll

 

 

Video showing NCAP crash tests and airbag deployments

 

 

What’s the XV like to Drive?

 

OK, so its safe, it's well kitted out, and now you know the performance. But what is the XV actually like to drive. It's always difficult to put across in words what a car is lil ego drive because it's really subjective. I’ve nearly always had either sports cars or hatchbacks such as Honda Civics including the Type S, Opel Manta, Honda Prelude, Mazda 323 Sport so I’m used to firm suspension and a rigid chassis,

for me, the XV has both of these so suits me perfectly.

 

Now whilst I don't see the stiff suspension as a negative, id doesn't hide the fact that it is stiff, if you’re used to a nice smooth Mercedes or BMW that glides effortlessly across the tarmac as though it was riding on silk, then the ride of the XV may be a bit harsh for you. On poor or rough roads it can feel a but bumpy, but it doesn’t feel in anyway unstable in these circumstances. You certainly get a lot of feedback from the road which may be unwelcome if you’re of a more refined disposition, for me though, its just fun.

 

At high speed on long corners the wet XV can feel a little unsettled, but in fairness its never felt like its going to put a foot wrong, I think it’s a combination of tyre roll, the all season tyres and the ride height that make it feel a bit strange at first. However the car, despite its weight and height is very agile and shows a willingness to turn that is quite impressive, mainly due to the low centre of gravity of the flat 4 boxer engine and the 50/50 AWD system, flooring it around a roundabout won’t cause any drama either, even if you did manage to over do it, the Subaru Vehicle Dynamics System would soon pull you into line, just remember we’re talking about an SUV here not a super car.

 

As with all Subaru the interior is fairly plain with hard wearing plastics and minimal soft touch materials although the important bits that you lean on and hold are comfy enough. It has clearly been designed with a view that it should last rather than be all nice and spongy and wear out. It might not envelope you in endless soft touch, fluffy materials but it is very probable that how it looks new is how it will look in several years time. Its certainly pretty dog and child resistant, as it’s very easy to clean. Functional is probably the most accurate description, though I should point out that it doesn’t look cheap in anyway, just rugged. Its certainly one of the better interiors Subaru have done, but other car reviewers are extremely critical of its lack on refinement, I'm just not sure they really get what this car is.

 

 

Standard Black Interior (sorry about the cheap looking, dirty floor matts. £3 each from Halfords, sorry)

 

Seats are very comfortable, I have done some pretty long drives of 4-5hours with no issues regarding comfort, the adjustment available make it easy to set them to a position comfortable for your driving position even if your 6'3" as I am. Controls are well laid out and easily accessed and fairly intuitive.

 

 

View of instrument display

 

 

View of centre Console and 2Din Stereo

 

The Bluetooth phone system works well and you can hold a conversation easily, however it can be somewhat annoying as it does not show the name of the person calling or is calling you, only their number. This can make using the voice activated dialing a bit of a lottery, a couple of times I’ve phoned the wrong person because the Bluetooth misheard me and I couldn’t tell from the displayed number it was wrong.

 

Visibility is generally good with the mirrors positioned further back to free up the quarter light, rear visibility isn’t the best but a rear camera compensates and provides a very clear image of the rear even in low light, though judging the corners using the camera isn’t that easy and you certainly shouldn’t rely solely on the camera.

 

Thinking of Buying One?

 

So what about if you’re thinking of buying one, well there are a few things to consider, as with all cars there’s some stuff you won’t find out about until someone tells you or your footing the bill for it.

 

There are some costs that you'll need to plan for, the big one is the tyres, you’ll get around 30,000+ miles out of a set (unless you drive aggressively), but you’ll probably need to replace all four at once and you’ll be talking around £190 a corner, servicing is every 12,000 miles (or annually) for a general service at around £300. Road Tax is £140 a year on the diesel. On the up side you’ll get a 100,000 mile 5 year warranty with breakdown cover as standard. Its worth considering that the Subaru XV 2.0D SE is group 25 (from Parkers)

 

If you buy one, make sure you buy the rear bumper top protector, its about £90 and will make sure that shiny paint on rear bumper doesn’t let the look of the car down by getting scratched and worn and hold up the trade in value. Also worth knowing that the pearl white colour (same as vehicle in earlier pictures) is the free paint colour so will reduce your car cost by about £500. The bonnet trim shown on my car is also an optional extra and mainly improves the front appearance whilst protecting against stone chips, again its around £90, there are a lot of extras that you can fit from sump guards to roof racks and rails.

 

The Competition

 

If you are genuinely looking for this sort of car, you will almost certainly have looked at the many rivals. Well I did some comparisons with some of the XV’s main rivals. I took the base car of equivalent standard (ie 4x4, 2.0D 5 door, manual etc) I then matched the specification to the SE, where needed, I added the optional extras that the XV has as standard, including extended warranty, HID lights, Bluetooth, cruise control etc, the outcome is the cost of an equivalently specified alternative not the off the shelf cost, in most cases though the equivalent “off the shelf” car was still more expensive. All the prices are the on the road cost.

 

The figures below therefore are as best like for like as I can get, you should go onto the relevant sites and “build your own car” to see what the car will cost for what you want. I haven't just taken the base model of each and compared them as this isn't like for like, using the XV as the bench mark I've priced the other cars to match the specification of the XV.

 

It’s also worth considering that most of the XV’s rivals do not have permanent 4 wheel drive (most are front wheel drive with on demand rear wheel assist) and virtually none/if any, have the 50/50 power distribution of the Subaru and many of the cheaper ones are only 2WD and have much smaller engines than the XV. Subaru only do a 2.0 litre permanent AWD version (whether petrol or Diesel). So if you don't want or need AWD then in all honesty there are cheaper 2WD cars to be had of a similar size, but you'll have a 4x4 sized car with none of the benefits.

 

Only the Kia Sportage was comparable in price and specification, so in that sense would seem to be the XV’s main rival, which you choose will come down to how you feel about the looks or brand of the car or whether the extra 2 yrs the Kia gives is significant.

 

Skoda Yeti Outdoor SE 2.0 TDI CR 140PS - £25,110

 

Audi Q3 SE 2.0TDI Quattro - £29,830

 

Nissan Quashqai Acenta Premium-  £27,548 (1.6 engine with 3 yr Warranty)

 

BMW X1 xDrive 1.8D SE - £30,935

 

Kia Sportage– KX1 2.0 CRDi - £23995 (7yr 100,000mile warranty)

 

 

Subaru XV 2.0D SE - £23,995 with 5yr 100,000 mile warranty

 

I chose the XV over the other cars above because of the specification and the visual appearance of the car, it is also quite exclusive, unlike the Qashqai which you cannot drive anywhere without seeing one, it depends if you want to follow the crowd or stand out from it.

 

My personal thoughts on the car?

 

To me, it feels like a car that can, pretty much go anywhere, isn’t going to break down every 5 minutes, has a history and impeccable safety credentials particularly if you have smaller children.

 

It’s a great car to drive and feels like a car I want to drive, its not perfect, annoying Bluetooth, plain interior and a bit of road and wind noise might put off people looking at some of the XV's competitors, particularly with regards luxury. The XV however is very comfortable, spacious, has good boot space and comes kitted out with a lot of toys you’d only expect from a top end version. The great fuel economy and a sporty agile feel reward the driver unlike many other cars of this type I have driven and in most cases much cheaper than an equivalently specified alternative. It is also extremely capable off road as it uses the eminently capable Forester rolling chassis and legendary Subaru AWD system, although a low drive and diff-lock might be something that would improve its capability, particularly downhill.

 

In short; I love the car, with all its rugged charms and robust build quality, even with its little niggles, I feel good driving it.  I like the fact no one else has one (except my wife that is), and you never see them, I like the fact that if I want to go off road, I can, if a get to a flood, unless its of biblical proportions, I can ford it, no getting stuck in fields in heavy rain at events and snow becomes fun, not a nightmare.

 

I’m not going to tell you this is the car you must buy because I don’t know your needs or tastes, that’s a personal choice and that’s as it should be. You need to do your own comparisons and pick the car right for you not what some bloke writing a review says. What I will say however, is this, if you’re in the market for a mid sized SUV you really should take a good look at the XV, go see one, test drive it and see what you think, pound for pound it actually works out a fair price.

 

I hope this short review is useful for anyone, if someone is in the search for a medium SUV show them this.

 

I purchased the car in this review from Carstins Subaru in Coventry, if you want more information on the XV click HERE, this link will take you to the Subaru Dealer website and details of Carstins Dealership where I bought mine from as well as link to info on the XV itself.

 

Let me know if you have any questions on the XV

 

Thanks Dogcoker

[Scooby Pete]

Great write up. Have you sent that to any of the car review sites? Worthy of publishing :)

[Gambit]

I agree an excellent right up. I still can't understand why more of these have not been sold or have more members with them. I think they look great and sound great. I do think Subaru have under advertised this car :( 

[Dogconker]

Well, talking of under advertised, did you know that Subaru are bringing out a car to go onto the company car market, an impreza 1.6, they're hoping to take on ford for the mid size company car, only problem is they don't plan on telling anyone about it, if you could have a 1.6 company car what would you have a Subaru or a Ford? I know which I'd choose.

As for worthy of publishing, thanks for the kind words but I doubt its to their standard, plus I doubt they'd agree because its not an Audi, and I have in fact told them the Audi is over priced

[Gambit]

We all know Audi's are over priced driven by !Removed! and have a very bad break down record of late :) 

And I did know mate I was hoping it was going to be the start of a return to the WRC. But not looking like so as yet :( 

[Dug]

Great write up Dogconker

like you say these are rare on the road, I saw one last year in white and wondered what it was.

the only time I have seen one round here on the road is when I visited the local Subaru garage to go for a test drive.

loved it so much, I bought one

 

looks like this is going to be a very quiet forum though :-(

[Dogconker]

The XV bit will be quiet but the SOC forum as a whole is busy

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[tom_gr7]

nice motor mate, looks good :)

[Dogconker]

nice motor mate, looks good :)

Thanks, I am pretty pleased with it.

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[tom_gr7]

yea looks nice mate, i think there is a "mightymods" youtube video for the XV. Will try and dig it out.

 

correction, its for a Forester XT

 

on a different note, you could get a nice mesh grill

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281125032480?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Dogconker]

I actually don't like the mesh grille, I think it looks better with the Subaru bar and badge. I did think about the side window deflectors. But my wife said I should grow up else I'm going to be driving a car that looks like I've covered it in superglue and ram raided Halfords

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[tom_gr7]

I'm trying to convince the missus to get one of these. She drives a 1.6 Astra at the moment, however, she has recently started looking at a Nissan Cashqai... ewwwww

 

I tried to suggest an XV or a Forester... but she is adamant she doesn't want a Subaru.

 

Any ideas?

[Dogconker]

If she definitely doesn't want a subaru the Kia sportage gets pretty good reviews as does the skoda yeti as long as you don't look at them as they're both pretty ugly. If you want 4x4 you'll struggle with the Qashqai unless you buy a top end one. Plus pretty much everyone has a Qashqai which would concern resale value if the market is flooded with them. I'd possibly look at the Kia sportage, they do a 1.6 I think. The sportage is the better looking of the 3

Tell her to say Qashqai every time she sees one on the road and she'll realise they're as common as muck, might put her off

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[Dug]

tom_gr7

 

I had same sort of thoughts when I started looking for my new car

I first saw the new quashqai and thought it looked good, so went for a test drive. nice inside with lots of toys but not permanent 4 wheel drive and waiting time was months and months away. also it will be every other car on the road.

 

I also looked and tried kia sportage, skoda yeti, vw tiguan  all had good and bad points.

I would say the best of them for me was the Kia but when you got the awd version the fuel and road tax were not good.

 

I then saw and read about the XV and thought as the dealer was only a few mile away I should go and have a proper look

I am so glad I did, I loved it soon as I saw it so had to drive it.

I first drove the 2.0D SE. it felt so solid on the road with a great all round driving view. very comfy and well put together.

 

anyway to cut a story short I ended up getting the 2.0D se lux premium ex demo car, its a 2013 model but has a few more toys and had very low miles on the clock and I loved the colour.

 

I have had the car 1 month now and still love going out in it.

I can't get the fuel figures that Dogconker gets, I must drive it different :-) but it's averaged 48 mpg since I have had it most town driving for the first few weeks but I have had a couple of longer trips over the last week and saw mpg on a 400 mile trip of 54 so well happy with that.

 

the stability on country roads is amazing, I am so glad I choice the XV

 

I know we all have different wants and tastes from our cars but I think I am going to enjoy owning this car.

 

one last point I would say if you do look at the XV is look at different coloured versions, I saw several different colours at the showroom and it looks great in some colours and a very different car in others ( just my view )

[Dug]

Not to steal Dogconker's tread but a quick pic of mine :-)

[Dogconker]

Glad you found the XV, we stumbled across thenXV at a game fair. Now we have 2, a white and a dark grey, both SEs.

The reason you'll not get the economy I'm getting us you didn't run it in. Ex demo cars will not have been run in quite as diligently as a car you own that has 20 odd miles on it. If you run a car in with fuel economy in mind you can improve the long term economy. That and drafting lorries up the M6 helps, improves your fuel economy by upto 30%. I generally drive super economical on the outward journey and then have a bit of a play on the way back. Keeps the DPF clean, you get to play and you still keep good economy.

If you set up a fuelly.com account you can track your long term economy easily. You'll be in the top 3 or 4 XVs worldwide with the economy you're running. If you set up an account send me a friend request

I'll pop a short vid of mine on the way home yesterday through some tricky bends at pretty high speed. They're are surprisingly stable for a 1.4t vehicle with that ride height

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[Gambit]

Thanks for sharing mate looks good also.

[Dug]

lets see the video Dogconker :-)

 

I understand what you are saying about the fuel, that said my car was only used by the garage owner, that was another reason for getting this car.

 

will the fuel change over time to how I drive the car?

[Dogconker]

I have been told the XV has a "learning system" that adapts to how you drive, not sure if that alters the fuel economy or not. I think (though it could just be me) that how you run the car in can effect fuel economy and performance. certainly drafting wagons and maintaining 60mph will massively improve your fuel economy as the wind resistance is the big issue with a car this height. you won't get the best economy until its done 7 or 8k in mileage and possibly not until its had first service as it'll take a while for the engine to "loosen up" being a diesel.

 

just don't try to drive it economical all the time as you'll risk blocking up the particulate filters.

 

I have put the video up elsewhere on the forum but will pop it up here for ease, this was about 55 - 60mph though it doesn't look like it, it was very stable even at speed and over a yump on a bend.

 

[Dug]

Nice vid  :)

 

I don't drive economical all the time, but it's nice to know I can get 50+ mpg if I do :P

I love the way the car feels so solid and stable on the road

 

like I said I am loving this car so far and think I will enjoy owning it

if I had one gripe it would be the gearbox from 1st to 2nd is very clunky and not a smooth change at all strange as rest are quite good.

 

as I have started walking now I am happy I can go off the road with no issues into car parks or down tracks but I think I might look into getting a sump guard fitted for some protection

 

my other issue is having no spare wheel? I can't believe this for this type of car, I mean a tube of gunk is very bad and is no good apart from a small puncture. as the car is so rare I guess you can't find one on eBay or alike

will have to think of something though

[Dogconker]

Whatever you do, do not use the gunk. You'll end up buying a new tyre over a £15 puncture. I was advised to just call recovery and get it dropped off at a tyre place or phone a mobile tyre chap, much cheaper than the £190 for a new tyre, as the tyre centre won't clean out the gunk they'll just get you to have a new one.

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[Steeplechasing]

Superb review, Dogconker. Thanks