KGB144

Almost 2,500 miles covered in the last six weeks and so far I am very impressed. A lot more town driving over the past 10 days and average fuel consumption has dropped back a bit to 52.4 but still very good. We did some mild off-roading tonight and the car performed admirably. The car handles well, is light and easy to drive, comfortable and quiet. All in all very pleased. ft

Don't have a picture but a standard XV 2.0D SE in Grey! ft

Add me to the list of XV owners! ft

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.

Responses in red. 1) How reliable is the auto box? Very reliable 2) How reliable is the 4wd? Very reliable 3) Is it worth considering the 2.5 too or is 3.0 a much better engine? (2.5 has head gasket issues?) 3.0 is by far the best engine, had both and 2.5 is much more economical, 3.0 has more grunt but very smooth to drive. 4) Are there any known issues, such as electric windows fail after 80k miles or air-con tends to fail because of "x" part needing replacing? I had to recharge the aircon (£30) on my 3.0 at 9 years old so not a deal breaker. 5) Do they rust? Not unless damage is left untreated, like any motor. 6) What's parts availability like? Can you go to the local motor factors or is it dealer only? Many parts are dealer only but the main service items are easily avialable from third parties. They do not however break down often. 7) Can these be DIY serviced (oil, filters, gearbox and diff oil) easily with a jack, axle stands and a socket set? I am not mechanically gifted but routine maintenance is simple to do. Lots of good videos are available on You Tube. 8) I want DAB and Bluetooth so I will need to change the headunit. Is this easy to do? For DAB yes unless you use a separate DAB radio and connect by wire. My 2.5 had bluetooth for telephone installed. 9) What's the real world MPG? With the 3.0 I could get 35/36 on a careful long run but generally in the range 28-32. With the 2.5 I could get 42 on a careful long run but generally 32-36. 10) The 3.0 is a chain-driven engine isn't it? What about the 2.5? The 3.0 is chain driven but I believe the 2.5 is not, however I am not 100% sure. Hope this helps. ft Just to add I have had BMW straight 6, Saab v6s and the Subaru H6 knocks them all for smoothness and power delivery

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

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

Have seen a fix using some simple tubing from DIY store; check on You Tube for the videos. ft

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

34 mpg (US) = approx 41 mpg (UK). Difference in US/UK miles and gallons. However, even 41mpg is not great unless they use a different measure? ft

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

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. Happy motoring! ft