SebP10

Welcome! I can't comment explicitly on the Outback, but the floor vents below the front seats on my 2016 Levorg and my wife's 2017 XV both blow A/C when set to feet. Neither car has any other vents in the rear so I can't confirm how they may work on an Outback, but, as Subaru interiors are not very sophisticated, if the Climate Control decides it needs to cool then all vents that are active will blow cool air. Hope this helps (although may just be another variable in your quest for the truth!)

Me too! I guess they have mellowed with age.

It was a job that I've needed to do for a long time, but without a spare wheel it's a pain in the whatnot! Not made easier with a sloping drive, either. I took it to work on the 24th and it didn't sound healthy when cranking in the morning. I left it idling for 5 mins or so to clear the fog (way more than mist) from the windscreen, but my commute, even taking the scenic / fun route, is under 9 miles so it still didn't get a good charge, so was still grumpy on the 28th. However the Optimate is now green, so 50-odd hours @ 530 mA (600 mA charge less the 70 mA drain) have topped it up nicely. I'll swap the cars over later so the Levorg can have some 100% renewable electricty too (well, it is according to the recent adverts for our energy supplier anyway!)

If anyone has an interest in the BTCC, this interview (and a couple of others that the YouTube algorithms will no doubt suggest) are worth watching...

After many, many months of general procrastination I finally got my BTM engaged and swapped the wheels from front to rear on both sides, despite a 3t jack failure (lifted enough to get it on stands but then refused to lift to remove the stands; new seals or skip for that, then!) After managing to get the height on a 2t jack (not easy with almost 9" of ground clearance) the car is now on charge for more elastictrickery as it's been a little sluggish starting recently.

If it has HIDs you will notice that after switching on they take a couple of seconds to reach full brightness. (FWIW, our 2017 XV has HID low beam but just a standard halogen high beam. The difference in colour is very noticeable, with the HIDs being white to the halogen's yellow.)

Welcome! It could be a parallel import (or something like that), where you could buy a UK spec car abroad and save thousands over buying one from a dealer over here. I remember them being touted as a cheaper way of getting a UK car around the time your car was delivered (a mate bought an MG TF that way around then to try to save a few bob. Turned out to be more hassle than it was worth!)

This came up on my FaceStalk feed earlier. Anyone on here? 😋

Managed to get an indicated 40 mph (60 limit) at the apex (no crossing of the white lines) on the only fun corner on my commute 😁 (it's a K-right, with a very, very slight camber.) Wasn't trying too hard, just thought I'd see what she could do. Still on the OE Geolanders. Only 3 mph less than the Levorg has managed, too 🤔

Found this info on a North American XV site: From the Service Manual: Front: Cambor: 0 degrees 10' +/- 30' Caster: 5 degrees 58' Steering Angle: Inner Wheel - 38.5 degrees +/- 1.5 degrees Outer Wheel - 34.0 degrees +/- 1.5 degrees Front Wheel Toe-in: 0 +/- 3mm Rear Wheel Toe-in: 3 +/- 3mm Thrust angle: 0 degrees +/- 30' Link here... https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/xv-crosstrek-oem-wheel-alignment-spec.1768/

Welcome! As Flat6 said, it is a very good car. In just over three years the only problem has been the tyre pressure sensors which required the dealer to reset them. This happened on the day I bought it and has been fine since (currently nudging 28,000 miles.) I find it handles well and sport mode certainly sharpens up the response. It's also an effortless and capable cruiser: we've just got back from a long weekend in Norfolk and the boot swallowed all the clobber that the wife and two daughters seem to think we'll need for a short break without going above the load cover! Managed 45 mpg there and 37 mpg return (strong headwind today) at a steady 65 mph on the A14 / A11. All new Subarus seem to have an issue with current draw on the security system, which is quite high at 70 mAh. If you're going to leave it for a couple of weeks or more it would be best to put it on a trickle charger or buy a jump pack. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine!

I think they've dropped the DERVs globally. Possibly a combination of not getting the boxer configuration to work reliably (main / big-end bearings seem to be the issue, from what I've read) and the backlash from the VW debacle. Honda and Toyota dropped diesels from their car range around the same time (at least here in the UK.)

Oh, and when it comes to servicing, I don't think they're any worse than other modern cars (boxer engine access may be an issue?), although I've read on here (somewhere) that coolant changes can be tricky. Not tried any servicing yet as ours are still under the 5 year drivetrain warranty (at least until next year...🤔)

Welcome! Tough choice between the two! The Outback is bigger, but the Forester is higher, with 20 mm more ground clearance. Either way, they are both solid cars with good safety ratings. I've also heard that the diesel is iffy (plus they don't sell them anymore, because???) They did do an Outback diesel with a CVT (auto) 'box until a couple of years ago (stopped around 67 or 18 reg), but beyond that you'll need a petrol to get the CVT. Since then most (possibly all?) have CVT as their Eyesight safety system only works with that gearbox. I've not seen wading depths listed but the air intake is on the bonnet slam panel, so quite high. (Whether it will float before then, I'm not sure!) I think the Outback has a greater towing weight, too. MPG sounds about right for the petrol. My wife's XV (2.0 petrol) gets low 30s pottering about but high 40s on a run. My Levorg (1.6T) gets high 20s and mid 40s respectively. I think either would suit your wife. Maybe the Outback is better for chucking a bike in the boot and towing, but the Forester has the ride-height. Your best bet is to take a trip to Stan Palmer's in Rosehill and have a look / test drive them. (Either way, make sure the one you get has Apple CarPlay / Android Auto, as the standard sat-nav is oblivious to traffic and expensive to update.) Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Our 2017 XV lost a lot of DAB channels a year or so ago, as did the Levorg and the portable DAB radio in the garage. I've tried rescanning several times and non of them pick up as many stations as they used to. It makes me wonder if it is a signal strength issue round my way rather than something specific to the cars? You could try driving somewhere open and high (whilst it's still allowed!) and trying a scan as it may be that once they're stored it will find them. Hope it works as R6 is the best station (IMO!)