What is it?

For the majority of people when they think of Subaru, images of the Impreza on a rally stage, or a Forrester working hard in a farmyard, comes to mind. Whichever pops up first, the fact is, Subaru is recognised as one of the best and most dependable all wheel drive car manufacturers. 

One of the many reasons for this is that a Subaru has been designed first and foremost to be an all wheel drive vehicle, not a 2wd car with a 4wd option.  With that in mind it’s often unfair to compare the two.

The XV has been around since 2012, and has gained itself quite a fan base, and this latest incarnation hopes to increase it even more by aiming at a younger demographic than their other SUVs in the range.  Subaru say that the new XV is ideal for the for the customer with an active, outdoor lifestyle. It has been designed with off-road capability in mind, and styling that has function, as well as being visually appealing. 

So, what’s new? 

Lots really, but the important bits are:

• A brand new platform that’s been engineered with two main objectives in mind - dynamic quality and safety performance.
• A new interior and exterior design.
• X-Mode and Hill Descent Control are now standard.

On the road

If you're nipping to the shops everyday you aren't really going to notice a huge difference between this and the outgoing XV, but if you enjoy driving you certainly will.  There's less body-roll thanks to a new stabiliser bar at the rear that connects directly to the body instead of the subframe, and a lighter and stiffer monocoque.  This in turn gives the XV a more accomplished and solid feel.

Tootling along the leafy lanes around Cirencester, the XV felt just as good to drive as the outgoing model, but it wasn’t until it was really pushed that I could tell a difference between new and old.

For this Subaru played a blinder, they had an outgoing model for us to test on a runway at Cirencester airport. Imagine the TopGear test track, only this was a bit smaller, with a lot more cones to negotiate. The aim wasn’t to get the fastest speed, rather to get a feel of the stiffer body, Torque Vectoring and other such safety additions.

The outgoing model preformed as it should and was as surefooted as any Subaru can be.  The difference between that and the new model was subtle, but noticeable. The stiffer frame and Torque Vectoring meant that driving within the cones at speed was tighter, in that the rear wheels felt on rails, especially when accelerating out from a tight, high speed 180 degree turn.

Driving back to the press tent gave me time to reflect on its performance.  In truth, I'm not going to drive any car in this manner on the road, but if I ever need to make an emergency manoeuvre at speed, I want to be in an XV, please.

Off road

Well, it’s a Subaru, so it’s bound to perform exceptionally well, and it did. In fact, the off-road course that Subaru had chosen to highlight it’s abilities was a breeze for the XV. If you have ever driven a Subaru off road, you’ll be to well aware of what they’re capable of.

New to the updated XV is Subaru’s X-Mode & Hill Descent Control, and it's now standard on all variants; it was previously only available on the Forester and Outback.

XV is already equipped with permanent Symmetrical All Wheel Drive for use in the majority of situations but X-Mode now provides added assistance if the driver encounters extreme driving conditions.  X-Mode takes control of the engine, transmission, Symmetrical AWD, brakes and other components to help safely navigate slippery surfaces, rough roads and climbing steep hills.

Unlike other manufacturers, who use cruise control settings to manage speed when using Hill Descent Contro, Subaru gets the driver to utilise the brakes, just a simple tap slows the XV, and maintains that speed, it's very effective.

Engines ‘n’ transmissions 

The new XV comes with two Boxer engines which are both petrol, and only one gearbox option. Subaru say that improvements have been made to help the Lineartronic ‘box to be sharper, but if you want more control the XV does come with flappy paddles.

1.6ltr - 114ps - 109mph - 0-60mph = 13.9 seconds - 44.1mpg combined - C02 = 145 g/km
2.0ltr - 156ps - 120mph - 0-60mph = 10.4 seconds - 40.9mpg combined - C02 = 155 g/km

Odds ’n’ sods

EyeSight is Subaru’s advanced driver assist technology, which is now standard throughout the range and acts as a second pair of eyes for the driver and includes adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist along with a host of other autonomous safety features.

The system cleverly uses two stereo cameras to capture three-dimensional colour images to recognise vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians and lane markings. Subaru say that it's more accurate than traditional camera and sensor technologies as it can distinguish objects as opposed to noticing that there is an unidentified obstacle.

EyeSight works incredibly well, and seamlessly does its job whilst you're doing yours.

Conclusion

If you want a proper AWD car that’s practical, well equipped, yet hard wearing then in fairness, any Subaru will do, but the XV offers it all in a neat, smart and good looking package and is available from £24,995.