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!)

The service booklet states to inspect the auxiliary drive belt(s) annually and replace at 100,000 miles.

Don't know if you've made a decision yet, but Tyre Reviews has just posted a new video on all-season tyres... May be worth a watch if you haven't taken the plunge.

As above for All-Season tyres, but look at the TyreReviews website or on his YouTube channel for some interesting tests. I've had Vredstein Quattrac Pro tyres on the Levorg since Dec last year and they are very good in the cold and wet. We didn't have much of a winter down south last year but they came 2nd in an AutoBild All-Season tyre test (See TyreReviews) to the Michelin CrossClimates, which seem to be the class leader. I only went for the Vredsteins over the CrossClimates (and Conti / Goodyear / Nokian) as they are asymmetric, which makes wheel rotation easier. They are also 3PMSF stamped. MPG dropped slightly, but grip is more important. But any All-Season tyre from one of the top brands should be fine.

Hey Ned! I haven't replaced them (still under drive-train warranty, so avoiding doing anything to affect that yet), but the videos just popped up on YouTube suggestions, and the extra lift on the bonnet seemed like a good tip (nowt in the handbook, obviously.) The two I watched both did them without messing around with engine mounts, they just took the battery out for the N/S and the airbox for the O/S (links below...) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLet3J2KAT0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuAv2ZcjN-I&t=376s It looks a bit fiddly but straightforward. There is no need to mess around with engine mounts, and the second video completed the job in 30 mins-ish. I'm not so concerned about working on it now (once the warranty expires.)

Found out (from watching a YouTube video on spark plug replacement) that there's an extra hole in the bonnet for the stay. This puts the bonnet practically vertical (and gets the stay lower) for better access when working on the off-side cylinders. Probably not recommended when it's windy!

My wife took the XV to Aylesbury today to have the front brakes replaced. The car was cleaned inside and out and she paid for it to be bombed too. They also checked the sat nav for updates as the car is coming to the end of the three year free period (something I have had to do myself up to now.) All in all she was very impressed by the service. There is no doubt that we will use them again in the future.

I saw that too. However, given that manufacturers are charged €95 for every 1 g/km of CO2 they emit over 95 g/km, I doubt it will be coming anywhere near Europe.

No, we use Northampton, although the XV is going to Aylesbury on Friday for front discs and pads. I saw that they got the Customer Care award last year in the Subaru magazine, so we'll see what they're like. Well, the Mrs will as the Levorg is in for its 4th service. Front and rear diff oil change this year. ££££! The service history is electronic now, but the dealer should print it off for you if you ask. I just keep the service receipts in the folder as a record.

As you've got directional tyres the numbers suggest that they have been swapped F-R. The handbook has rotation details for directional and assymetric, so as I swapped the fronts a couple of months ago I'm going for F-R, which will put the former NSF on the OSR, so (theoretically) least wear. This is not quite following the handbook, but I'm more concerned about getting the rears on the front to balance the wear. I've looked for a spare wheel but the prices seem to be a bit OTT, or I'm timing it wrong. (And then something else comes along to swallow funds; for example, the oven packed up at the weekend and initial investigations indicate it may be terminal / not economic; typical!)

It does sound like Bozzybear had a duff battery... However, it's becoming clear that new Subarus have a battery drain issue. (Interesting to hear that a dealer believes it is the alarm / immobiliser that is fitted when imported.) From some rudimentary checks the alarm only seems to draw 4 mA (locked with key so alarm off) so the rest (above unlocked state) must be the immobiliser? Both our cars draw 71 mA when parked and locked, For the standard 62 A battery this will drain it in only 35 days, so it probably won't have enough "umph" to start it after only a couple of weeks. I have bought a 4.8 W AA solar panel which does ok for us as one car can get 9 hours of sunlight at the moment (clouds permitting.) Did anyone else get the Subaru email at the start of lockdown recommending that the battery be disconnected if the car was to idle for a length of time? Seemed interesting to me that they would recommend that (albeit with a caveat that your insurance should be checked / informed.)