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31/01/2012
REVIEW by EWAN KENNEDY
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Subaru’s Australian chief, Nick Senior, has coined a new phrase to describe many SUVs sold in Australia; “Faux four-wheel drives.” All macho angles on the surface, but underneath little more than passenger cars, the faux 4WDs will never tackle anything more than very mild unsealed roads.
Since the early 1980s, Subaru has been building vehicles – wagons, hatches, sedans and utes – that can be used as family transport during the week, then taken into surprisingly rough areas at weekends.
Subaru began with standard models with the traction advantages of all-wheel-drive, then later expanded into the Outback and Forester dedicated SUV ranges. It has built vehicles with the XV tag before, but the all-new model, which has just gone on sale in Australia, takes off-road ability much further than previously.
The latest Subaru XV is based on the upcoming new Impreza hatch, but with lower body styling changes, particularly at the front, that give it plenty of character. The dark-grey lower bumper areas and wheel-arch protection mouldings are there not only to add toughness to the XV’s appearance, but also to provide protection when used in off-road conditions.
As well, the suspension has been modified for greater ground clearance. Indeed, with clearance of 220 millimetres, the new Subaru sits further off the ground than many real 4WDs, let alone those that only pretend to be 4WDs.
Even better from a safety point of view, the windscreen pillars are slim enough to give good visibility around them, while at the same time providing the strength to put the Subaru XV high into the five-star range when tested to Australasian New Car Safety Program (ANCAP) standards.
Interior space is good for four people, with room for a third person in the back without the trio there being overcrowded. Headroom is good, even when a sunroof is fitted. Boot space is also good, though not to the same level as that in the Subaru Forester due to the latter’s squared off rear end.
It’s unlikely that the new XV will affect Forester sales as the two are complementary rather than competitors. In the same way that Land Rover Freelander and Range Rover Evoque can live happily side by side in the showroom, so can the two Subarus. And may we point out that the Subarus cost considerably less than their British competitors?
Subaru XV is powered by the company’s latest design of 2.0-litre boxer engine. In this vehicle it produces 110 kW of power, and 196 Nm of torque. The latter comes in at a rather high 4200 rpm, but there’s a reasonable spread across the rev range.
On our introductory 200-kilometre drive program out of Launceston, Tasmania, we found the engine has enough performance with two people on board although it felt it might struggle at times with a heavy load. Good design work has kept the weight of the XV down to about 1400 kg but it’s still a relatively heavy vehicle as it’s designed to work in harsh conditions at times. May we suggest taking the whole family along for your own test drive and that you find a steep hill or two to see what you think?
On the positive side, the engine is tuned for economy and low emissions and Subaru Australia is proud of the fact it has lower official consumption figures than some of its diesel engined competitors.
The 2.0-litre engine is smooth and quiet, with the typical flat-four beat that Subaru owners love.
A handy way of getting extra engine performance would be to add the turbo-diesel boxer engine used in some European Subaru models. However, at this stage there are no such plans.
We tried both the six-speed manual and continuously variable automatic transmission (the latter has six preset ratios if you want to use it as a semi-manual). Both work well, with the manual being the unit of choice for us. It has a reasonably light and positive movement, though it’s one of those units that’s happier working at its own pace rather than at the speed chosen by the driver.
As a long time player in the Australian market Subaru is well aware of the need for specific suspension testing and modification for our country. We were most impressed with the excellent suspension comfort and quietness, even over poor quality back roads that would have upset many a European car.
Despite the Subaru XV’s high ride height its handling is as almost as good as that on a conventional passenger car. It has plenty of road grip, provides good feel through the steering wheel and will please the most demanding of SUV drivers.
Subaru’s new XV will make a fine suburban runabout, but its biggest difference between it and other compact SUVs is its ability to tackle mild to medium off-road conditions with an adventurous family on board at the weekend. |
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