Subaru XV 2017 review

Eyes on the road

EyeSight also enables lane-keep assist and improved adaptive cruise control functionality. The enhanced camera lets EyeSight see more of the road, but a few times this had us slowing down when a vehicle drifted to the edge of an adjacent lane. And although a bit abrupt at times, the lane-keep assist worked well.

The interior styling of the XV is smart, with textured dashboard trim, coloured stitching and small carbon fibre-style panels on the doors. Front seats are comfortable, and the driver can adjust the steering for both tilt and reach, although it took a few attempts to get everything feeling right.

Comfort levels in the back row are also pleasing, with leg room surprisingly good given XV’s size; two adults could comfortably fit but three would be a squeeze. Child seats are simple to set up with ISOFIX anchorage points and easily accessible top tethers. The cargo area isn’t huge, partly due to the presence of a full-size (although still temporary-use) spare wheel, plus you lose a bit of space if you roll out the cargo blind.

The infotainment system works through an eight-inch touch-screen display with a user interface that looks like apps on a smartphone. Included is FM/AM radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, and a TomTom sat-nav system that remembers your home and work addresses, giving you an ETA without needing to enter an address. Below the main display are two USB and one AUX connection, and one 12-volt power source. Two USB and a 12-volt power source are also in the centre console.

Surprisingly capable off-roader

X-Mode is Subaru’s off-road driving set-up which enables XV to go further than most in its class. At under 40km/h the driver can engage X-Mode to alter throttle response and centralise control of systems such as brakes and all-wheel-drive torque vectoring. Below 20km/h, hill-descent control will maintain the XV at a constant speed without the driver needing to touch the brake or accelerator. Combining X-Mode, hill-descent control and a generous ride height made the XV a surprisingly capable off-roader for its size.

Subaru’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine develops 115kW and 196Nm, putting it in the ballpark of its competitors. Straight-line ability is not an issue around town, although as one of the heavier small SUVs it’s a little slow on the pick-up for passing manoeuvres and it needs to put in a bit of effort on steeper hills. 

Typical of Subaru and the Boxer engine, the XV uses a little more fuel than its competitors. The CVT transmission was for the most part smooth and responsive, which helps with fuel economy, but we did notice an audible transmission whine when under load.

Manoeuvres with ease

The XV is manoeuvred with ease, it is nimble and focused through tighter corners and feels stable on sweeping bends. There’s no doubting Subaru has its all-wheel-drive systems down pat; come into a corner a little hot and you feel the active torque vectoring spring into action as the system tightens up your line. Unpaved surfaces are equally as easy to handle, and if it weren’t for the stones hitting the underbody there’s not a great deal saying you have left the bitumen. The ride is pleasantly smooth, handling corrugations and bumps without putting much shock to the cabin, and the all-wheel drive helps manage wheel slip around corners.

XV comes in four grades – 2.0i, 2.0i-L, 2.0i Premium and 2.0i-S. We tested the 2.0i Premium ($32,140 plus on-road costs), but if you don’t feel the need for a sunroof or sat-nav you can save $1800 and pick up a 2.0i-L. Going the other way, the top-grade 2.0i-S ($35,240) includes a few cosmetic enhancements, leather-appointed powered seats, steering-responsive auto LED headlights and auto wipers. The 2.0i-S also has an expanded list of Vision Assist features including reverse autonomous emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist and high-beam assist. The cheapest of the bunch, at $27,990 before on-roads, is the 2.0i, which gets a smaller infotainment screen and misses out on dual-zone
climate control, leather steering wheel and, most significantly, the EyeSight driver assistance technologies.

Subaru is extending service intervals from six months to 12, almost halving the XV’s three-year servicing costs for those that travel less than 12,500 kilometres a year. Under Subaru’s capped-price servicing, you can pre-purchase three years/37,500 kilometres worth of servicing for $1298.19.

The verdict

Being slightly larger than the average small SUV, and with all-wheel drive and X-Mode as standard, the XV will go further than most of its rivals, but this comes with a cost to fuel consumption and a less punchy throttle.