The New Subaru XV
The new Subaru XV is a new type of crossover by the Japanese manufacturer and directed to rival Nissan Qashqai, although the high end variants have not much of a difference in price from premium brands like Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Subaru gives the option of three engines in XV, two petrols- 1.6l and 2.0l and one 2.0l diesel with manual and CVT transmission. The engines are also called as ‚¬”Boxer‚¬ engines as they have horizontally-opposed cylinders. Though the Subaru is mainly aimed for the urban use all of the variants are all-wheel drive that enables a firm road grip in bad conditions and off road ability to a certain extent.
The XV handles very well- like all other Subaru cars- while on the road. Despite of being a tall car and having a light steering, it feels sharp and have an excellent body control. The new CVT transmission is a bit noisy and does not respond well to the accelerator but has a maximum efficiency, the manual gearbox gives more smooth and satisfying shifting. The 1.6l and 2.0l petrols return 112bhp and 148bhp and the diesel is 2.0l 148bhp (best option in our opinion). The 2.0l diesel returns the economy of 50.4mpg and carbon emissions of 146g/km which is same to its rivals. For someone who travels a lot, diesel version is the best option in the long run.
XV has a very spacious interior with plenty of leg room at the back, thanks to the concave shaped front seats. High seats allow an excellent view for the driver and passengers. The plastics and other materials are also very well put together. The safety features include seven airbags, traction control, ABS brakes and collapsing wheel column. It has a five star Euro NCAP rating. XV supports a 380-litres of boot space which increases to 1,270-litres, 410-litres more than rival Qashqai, when rear seats are folded. There is also an out of sight sub trunk of 15-litres for valuable items. The boot floor can be lifted up and hooked with the tailgate act as a ramp which means the loading has never been so easier. Compared to its rivals, the XV is easy to access making it a perfect family car. The permanent four wheel drive gives XV the edge over other family hatchbacks during bad weather conditions.
The entry level model costs around ‚21,000, which is a little higher than its rivals Qashqai and Mitsubishi ASX. The diesel version costs around ‚24000, that can buy you a basic Audi Q3 2.0 TDI which is a premium car with great interior and smoother drive. Subaru is hoping that XV will become its best-selling model very soon, apart from the price there is nothing else that can stop it from achieving that.
