Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

138 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

S

ubaru’s XV is the only compact
SUV with all-wheel drive as
standard, so it’s as capable and
confi dent on a dirt road as it is
on the bitumen. XV prices start
at $28,490 for the 2.0i. The 2.0i-L
is $30,860 and the Premium is
$32,670. The top-spec XV 2.0i S,
tested here, is $35,780.
Up front, the heated,
leather-upholstered driver’s
seat is properly bolstered and
supportive, the driving position
can be adjusted to suit anybody
and vision is clear around the car.
Subaru persists in using
three screens to display the
same infotainment and vehicle
information that other car makers
manage with one or two, so as a
layout the XV’s dash is far from
user-friendly and at times diffi cult
and distracting to operate.
That said, fi t, fi nish and
materials quality is excellent and
the S gets comprehensive touch-
screen infotainment. There’s no
digital radio, though.

XV rides as comfortably and

quietly as many larger wagons

thanks to well-controlled,

compliant, long-travel

suspension and sensibly tall tyres

on 18-inch wheels.

A fi rm, supportive back seat

has plenty of legroom, but no

adjustable backrest, air vents or

12-volt outlet. The boot is small.

As the fl agship model, XV

S gets Subaru’s Eyesight

camera-based system with

cruise control that keeps you

a safe distance from the car

in front, automatic emergency

braking and the ability to help

you stay in your lane if you get

distracted.

It’s supplemented with radar/

sonar-based Vision Assist,

which adds automatic braking

in reverse if it detects an object

or person behind the car, plus

rear-cross traffi c alert and blind

spot monitoring.

Toyota’s C-HR has most of

these safety features in the

$26,990 base model, whereas the

base XV 2.0i has none.

XV has the same drivetrain

as Impreza, with fractionally

shorter fi nal drive gearing, but

it’s still a sedate performer.

That said, its rivals are no

rockets either, and like them

XV is designed to work best in

everyday driving at moderate

revs with a light right foot.

That it does, in a smooth,

refi ned manner, with the bonus

of a modest thirst on regular

unleaded, but its continuously

variable automatic — which works

like a normal auto but without

individual gears — can take quite

a while to convert your desire for

speed into the real thing, so the

shift paddles, which dial up more

revs in a hurry, can be useful.

All-wheel drive adds extra grip

and security in the wet and the

inside wheels are automatically

braked in corners to help keep

you on track.

XVs dynamics are arguably

best in class, even with the

Impreza’s body raised by 90mm

to deliver 220mm of ground

clearance, suffi cient to allow

confi dent, easy progress on

pretty rugged bush tracks.

Again, XV’s ability here is hard

to beat, with its X-Mode off-

road system offering adjustable

traction control and accelerator

sensitivity for steep climbs,

loose or slippery surfaces,

plus effective automatic speed

control that takes the terror out

of steep descents.

If you want big SUV comfort,

safety, refi nement and equipment

in a compact wagon, with the

ability to go adventuring with

confi dence, Subaru’s Impreza

20i S is the pick of the compact

class. If you plan to stick to the

bitumen, test drive the Mazda

CX3 and Toyota C-HR as well.

SUBARU XV FROM $28,490 S

THINGS WE LIKE

 The only compact SUV with all-

wheel drive as standard

 Safe and solid

 Refi ned and comfortable

 Agile, enjoyable handling

 Good value across the range

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Tiny boot

Expensive servicing and short

warranty

It ain’t quick

Subarus can be temperamental

Complex, ineffi cient control layout

Space saver spare

SPEX (2.0i S)

2.0-litre four-cylinder/CVT/all-

wheel drive

115kW of power at 6000rpm/196Nm

of torque at 4000rpm

0-100km/h N/A

6.0L/100km highway; 8.8L/100km

city; 91 octane; CO² emissions are

159gkm; fuel tank is 63 litres

Max towing weight: 1400kg

Warranty: Five years/unlimited

kilometres

Standard: Seven airbags, stability

control, camera, tyre-pressure

monitoring, Bluetooth, Apple

CarPlay, Android Auto, voice

control, 2 x 12 volt and 3 x USB

outlets, navigation, heated

front seats, leather, Data Dots

identifi cation, Eyesight, Vision

Assist, 18-inch alloys, sunroof

Redbook future values: 3yr: 58%;

5yr: 45%

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS

compare with ...

Audi Q2, Honda HRV, Hyundai Kona,

Mazda CX3, Mitsubishi ASX, Suzuki

Vitara, Toyota C-HR