Subaru XV still a handsome SUV
The Subaru XV Premium is still a mainstay, writes Nile Bijoux.
Subaru has updated the ever-popular XV as we (finally) look towards the end of 2020. The changes aren’t huge but they do add to the overall appeal of Subaru’s small SUV/jacked up hatchback. Figure a redesigned front bumper and fog light shape, a new front grille design, front and side view cameras, new-look wheels (17 inches for standard XVs and the e-Boxer Hybrid, 18 for the Premium), a dual-function X-Mode for deep snow or mud (another Premiumonly extra) and Subaru’s SI Drive.
There’s also a new colour, Plasma Yellow Pearl, shown here, but those new drive modes are the major additions to XV’s palette. Subaru has also included its full EyeSight driving assist suite, including active cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and autonomous emergency braking.
Being a lowly Aucklander in the early days of summer, I didn’t get a chance to test the deep mud and snow X-Modes. But, given it’s the same system as found on the Forester, I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say it works pretty damn well.
The XV has the same ground clearance as the Forester and when we first drove the rehashed version of the latter back in 2018, we said ‘‘it’ll go much further into the rough than most owners would be willing to take it’’. A pretty ringing endorsement, then.
Meanwhile, the SI Drive is Subaru’s version of typical drive modes. SI stands for Subaru Intelligent and it’s not the clearest system with regard to which mode does what. ‘‘S’’ also means Sport, which tells the CVT transmission to drop several steps and put the engine more into the power band, liven up the throttle response and hasten the CVT’s reactions.
Intelligent mode, on the other hand, really means Economic, offering a more gradual throttle for smoother acceleration and fuel mapping designed to lower fuel consumption. This is what the XV settles in most of the time, resulting in decent economy figures of between 7 and 8L/100km.
Result: a small SUV that’s happy cruising on the motorway at low rpm to save fuel and, at the press of a button, an eager little thing to get the kids to the bach a little faster.
The engine is untouched, meaning the 2.0-litre boxer four still makes 115kW of power and 196Nm of torque. It won’t set your world on fire but it’s honest enough and while you can bemoan the rise of the CVT all you want, Subaru’s is one of the best, especially for the price, beaten only by Toyota’s physicalfirst-gear CVT.
Being essentially an Impreza on stilts, the XV is comfy, too. There’s no more body roll than you’d expect and the suspension hasn’t been overly stiffened to compensate. Permanent allwheel-drive is included, as you’d expect, so the XV pulls through bends well, aided by well-tuned steering. And, with the aforementioned addition of the dual-function X-Mode, you can expect to do a bit of bouncing around on the farm without getting stuck.
Stylistic changes for next year aren’t massive, but the XV is still a handsome car. The front end is slightly more aggressive, with body-colour fangs extending into the bumper and a chunky bash plate under the grille. Refreshingly, Subaru has resisted the urge to make the grille as large as possible.
The XV’s interior is starting to show its age though, with the button-laden centre console, rocker switch heated seat controls and chintzy blue infotainment screen. Competition like Mazda’s CX-30 has really stepped the game up in cabin design so the next generation XV needs to be a decent jump to keep pace in this area.
I still love the Subaru steering wheel though. I honestly think it’s one of the nicest on the market. The boot isn’t huge, thanks to a full-size spare wheel, but there’s good legroom in the rear and the seats are supportive.
XV has always suffered from a bit of an identity crisis, as it’s a lifted Impreza. It straddles an awkward fence between the hatchback and the larger Forester, as well as fighting off cousin Levorg. However, at least in the case of the new Premium model, that crisis has been solved, thanks to the X-Mode addition. Remember, lesser models don’t get the dualfunction X-Mode.
The XV is the most SUV-ish of the lifted hatch segment, compared with other offerings like Mazda’s CX-30 and Honda’s HR-V. The closest competition is really the Suzuki Vitara, which is larger and can be turbocharged but asks similar money and also offers AWD.
There’s also a case to be made for the Forester, which, in base form, costs exactly the same as the XV Premium but has a larger engine and more space, at the cost of less kit.