Midi-SUVs are undergoing something of a renaissance. For the longest time, they were slightly over-glazed alternatives to MPVs. Practical, sensible and good for the rough logistics of moving stuff from A to B. but you definitely wouldn’t choose to go via ‘C’.
But now these mid-sized SUVs are moving more mainstream, as socially acceptable as a traditional car, and with far more kudos than mere, common sedans. Not that the fundamentals have changed: they’re still roomy and full of space to grow and stow your family and possessions. But they’re also in grave danger of being fashionable.
Check it out in a middle-class road near you: the large saloon tide is on the turn, and small to mid-size soft roaders are coming out to take their place. It seems people have finally cottoned on that – in a world of chronically overpriced cars, the practicality of an SUV boot is one of the few options that make any sort of financial sense.
Okay, so there were always some SUVs out there with prestige – Honda never lost the faith at the top end of the market. But for Subaru, with a brand new entry like the Subaru XV here, this is an unmarked and wholly unknown territory, especially in Malaysia. Can it kick it as a bona fide alternative to the market dominating CR-V? I find out in a press drive in Bali, Indonesia.
Subaru is never going to be accused of being a premium brand, at least not outside of Shinjuku. But, uniquely among the volume manufacturers, it has managed to make a decent success of the ‘large, stylish but not really executive’ segment with the Forester range. Which, appropriate to its mild success, has had its abilities filtered down to this young upstart.
Despite having a supreme leader in Toyota, a direct competitor to Honda, the Subaru XV takes a very different route to a common goal of making the ideal 150-ish horsepower 2.0 litre family SUV.
The CR-V uses the traditionally accepted route of an on-demand 4×4 drivetrain powered by a conventional inline-four engine mated to an automatic gearbox. Subaru on the other hand, has chosen to stick to its guns and offer a symmetrical permanent all-wheel drive system connected to a flat-four motor and a CVT transmission.
Dynamically they’re very different, but the closeness of the price tags (RM148,800 for the Honda CR-V, RM145,070 for the Subaru XV, both prices on-the-road with insurance), makes them competitors. The real question is whether the Subaru entry has the class to challenge the Honda in the want-in stakes.
As an aesthetic prospect, form follows function in the XV. Remembering of course, that the primary function of the XV treads the fine line of looking good while being able to shift stuff around. It makes a good hash of it, I’d say, looking far more promising in the metal than through pictures.
The Subaru XV is far more than a lifted-up conversion of a small hatchback, and the company is suitably disparaging about comments of it being a simple add-on variant of the latest Impreza. And fair-play to Subaru, for the XV gets unique SUV looks from the heavily bolstered bumper claddings and wheels. That’s a pretty large financial commitment for a company of Subaru’s modest size.
And it certainly looks decent enough; indeed, the consensus seemed to be that the proportions sit slightly easier on the eye than the slightly awkward hatchback, the dramatically increased ride height and plastic add-ons filling out the bottom of the car suitably.
Whereas the XV shies away from absolute beauty, up close it appears well hewn and purposeful. The standard 17-inch alloys for instance, manage to fill the arches far better than on its rivals. That’s got far more to do with the XV’s comparatively smaller overall size than design ingenuity, but what’s apparent to the public counts more than pedantic details.
It’s inside the new Subaru that it falls back from its premium aspirations, the very aspect that the CR-V is at its strongest. The materials are fine, and fit and finish is close to greatness, but it’s the fine details that betray Subaru’s apparent budget constraints. Some bits and pieces bear a close resemblance to the items the automaker used in the 90s, which are really jarring.
Dubious details aside though, the calm and reassuring soft-feel grey plastics are at least on par with the class best. The controls are all laid out super logically in the centre, with nicely tactile buttons and easy to comprehend displays.
The same goes for the seats. They are perfectly comfortable items and lumbar support is good despite their feature-less appearance. There’s more space inside than you’d imagine too, the roomy rear cabin especially being a nice surprise. It’s a nice enough place to be in, just that for pure showroom appeal, others with their more glitzy dashboards have got the XV beat.
The fact of the matter is, on first sight the XV doesn’t shout class of flair. Subaru people, even those in the design department, are charmingly up front about this. The company obsesses on the engineering detail while after-thoughting the visuals inside and out.
They also say that it’s changed slightly from the drab Subarus of old, and yes, compared to the outgoing Forester and last-gen Impreza, the XV is far cleaner and more authoritative in its design. But it’s no Kia Sportage outside, nor does it ever come close to the Mazda CX-5 inside.
Thankfully, if first impressions don’t excite much hope, the first few metres of driving impressions will, as you’ll feel good about how this rig is set up.
The horizontally-opposed flat-four 2.0 litre engine with its 150 hp and 196 Nm of torque doesn’t exactly set your heart on fire, and the acceleration on offer here is far from scintillating. The top-heavy power delivery, hefty kerb weight and tall CVT gear ratios don’t help either, and the XV feels surprisingly lumbering for an SUV.
It didn’t leave me wanting for a bigger engine though, although the thought of a turbocharged version did whet my appetite more than it should. It’s not a WRX, but it drives well. In part, this can be attributed to the great driver confidence it instils, of which more later, but it’s mostly a vindication of Subaru’s technical prowess.
The engine is so smooth that revving it doesn’t feel anywhere near as taxing as it does in other comparable rivals. Subaru is known for its manic blown engines perhaps more than anything else, but the ultra-smooth flat-four base is still a technical tour de force, and it works just as well on an SUV as it does elsewhere.
Which is excellent news, because in the XV, they’ve got it just right. Only the slight low-rev lethargy in the throttle response gives the game away. Well, that and the billowing thrum that’s not unlike the one heard in go-faster Subarus. Foot flat to the floor, the XV’s natural pace is fairly rapid if compared to, say, the CR-V’s languid power delivery.
Breaking further away from the conventional pack is the XV’s chassis set-up. It strays away from the class’ old-school way of shamelessly soft damping, wallowing out undulations and pitching good-naturedly around corners at squeaky angles. Which is not without its fun of course, in a ’70s cop show’ kind of way, but such an approach ultimately discourages press-on driving.
No, the XV has been tightened up considerably from the class norm. Low frequency oscillations often felt in similar vehicles over rough roads is now non-existent. Instead of floating over contours, the Subaru feels planted and willing to turn in and meet ‘n’ greet corners.
But the trade-off seems to be an entirely class-uncharacteristic high-frequency bumps, a constant niggling jittering, even over smooth road surfaces. It’s not particularly noticeable, concentrated somewhere between the buttocks and lower back, but once you have noticed it, it’s like a leaky tap: impossible to ignore.
Slight underdamping would be the prime suspect, maybe even the relative newness of my test car. But the 17-inch alloys might also be to blame, which would be a shame considering how good they look. Ride quality isn’t the XV’s best quality, though it is surely the most planted vehicle of its class I’ve encountered yet, and by a considerable margin.
Crests gets crushed, cambers filled, and corners taken with an impressive lack of drama thanks to the impeccable grip of the tyres. It’s not fun per se; there are no ragged-edge moments, and absolutely no throttle adjustability even at the limit. Safe and sound, then.
The control sets the scene for a fine performance in curves. All-wheel drive traction is there in spades, of course, but with it a feedback and delicious, subtle delicacy of control that delights. Simply put, no midi-SUV comes close to this kind of driver/car connection – the CX-5 edges the closest, but with a slightly aloof steering the gap is significant.
On the whole the Subaru XV is technically brilliant. It’s safe, dependable, well screwed together and practical. It’s not going to set your pulse racing like other Subarus will, but it’ll cheerfully adapt itself around different combinations of families and cargo. Apart from the imperfect ride and transmission, it’s the sort of car you could live with for some serious mileage.
It scored very highly on the objective front, in other words. But is it a car that you could imagine buying willingly over a similarly-priced Honda or even Mazda? That is a question only a buyer can answer. I for one would lean towards ‘yes’, though categorically I’d still prefer a CX-5 on my driveway.
Subaru is one of those manufacturers that does middle ground best. Full on Subarus – those fitted with 200 hp-plus high-output turbo engines – are chronically overpowered and sometimes unpleasant to drive. But it’s down in the mid-range that Subaru makes its bargains. This is the company’s best mainstream offering yet for a long, long time, but it does so without following the class conventions.
And that’s precisely the Subaru XV’s secret: its effective combination of disparate elements. It’s executive enough to be special, roomy enough to be practical, and Subaru enough to be different. That it provides a good steer is the biggest weapon in its artillery, but sadly that doesn’t feature in the XV’s ho-hum showroom appeal. It does to you and me, but not to those who’d put pen to paper and buy a car in this class.
So that’s it then. The XV is genuinely capable enough to play with the big boys. Had it arrived two years ago before Honda, Mazda, Kia and Hyundai all upped their SUV games significantly, it would have been fresh and contemporary too. As it didn’t, it isn’t, but it’s still worth considering if you want to be a little bit different.
My friend let me drive his Aussie-spec XV 2.0i CVT during my visit last week and I must it say it has very pleasing sensations. I drove it only for a short stint, but what I felt generally agrees with your article. Great review, bro!
I think this car is great, exterior simple yet clean design, interior is a bit dull but acceptable… for me Subaru and Mazda r good but Nissan is not bad too… other ‘ T & H r terrible ‘
I own a Subbie – forester turbo . It’s a great car (minus the look), Handles well on tarmac,dirt road and so reliable (no breakdown/stalling for eight years. Something is unique about the engineering, yes its form follow function. I have reservation about the styling of Subbie, but XV is different. Thinking of getting another Subbie.
Can I know top speed of this car?
Top speed is 187 km/h.
“Even my small little Myvi can reach that speed!”
– spoke on behalf of some…
Myvi going downhill perhaps..
I doubt so Myvi can reach that speed. Even so if it does, try twitching the steering a little and see the Myvi flip through the air. Its more than speed that we are looking for…if it is only speed, you can get a motorcycle, they can reach that speed too……
“so you are the stupid one driving myvi like hell!!.. the road is for racing meh??” tell the person you spoke on behalf
please dont bother to comment . – go to your own myvi link.
i drove the car. the torque quite slow, yet the handling is okay.
Hi Hafiz,
Maybe a story for you to write would be on how Subaru can sell the WRX STI in Bali when the fuel required to run the car is unavailable?!?! Pinging all day everyday with a dealer recommendation to go to the hardware store and buy octane boost. I have written to the CEO of motor image and Subaru FHI on more than 3 occasions with out a reply.
The car is tuned to run on 98 RON and 95 in emergencies however 95 is the best we can get in Bali. When the car was delivered i was instructed to run the car on Pertamax which as i found out is 92 RON…
Ordering a new car with factory sat nav and the standard safety features of bluetooth seems to not be so straight forward either. The navigation system installed from the ‘factory’ doesn’t support BT voice dial and the button on the steering wheel with the image of a person talking is as informed from the del ear, a button to press when you want to talk in the car to other passengers and mute the radio volume!! No its not the Kenwood or Pioneer head unit shipped in all cars around the world, its a low spec unit worth $500…isn’t that a nice finish on a car that cost $70,000 here in Bali!
Just an idea for a good story!
Bali Expat
why u want to know the top speed for? so are you going to drive at 187km/h ? bollocks.
Love the navigation and rear seat entertainment system but sorry to see it ain’t coming over to our local XV. Adding HID/xenon lights would further enhance its value too.
I have test driven the car twice before putting down my order. Main competitors are CRV, Sportage, Tucson & CX5 as there are all 2.0L SUVs in a similar price bracket. Looking at the specs of these cars, XV is the lightest @ 1,430kg & the rest are all over 1,500kg. The CX5 / AWD weighs as much as 1,590kg. XV has the best power to weight ratio & IMHO the best looking of the lot. What impressed me most is the handling & very car like. It doesn’t drive like a SUV. Finishing is just like any other Jap cars. Expect acres of plastic in the dashboard area.
our test driver failed to mention the car is lighter, also fail to mention the fuel consumption,road holding in wet road where we are facing it everyday in our climate. i hope he knows the car is selling at 129k.
Apologies for not having all the detail you mentioned in the article, as I prefer to stick to those that I know and experienced from the drive.
The test route in Bali consisted of windy roads, heavy traffic at times and many many stops, so any fuel consumption readings I had would not be representative of real-world figures. In any case, I thought the car’s economy through the drive was decent – not particularly outstanding but wasn’t bad either for its size and performance. In any case, Subaru quotes 6.6 litres per 100 km or 15.1 km/L for the CVT, slightly better than if equipped with a manual transmission.
It didn’t rain during the test so I couldn’t possibly comment on the car’s wet road handling. As for the weight, I didn’t think that it was that strong a detail to point out but yes, the XV is around 100kg lighter than its bigger rivals.
Also, the price quoted above is the official selling price of the car, and as per normal practice here I didn’t take into account any discounts or special offers given by the dealers.
Subaru coming to this category really at a wrong time. Right now the market are buzzing with CX-5 and rightly so they are one hot car today. CRV? Forget it, new ugly shell on a old body.
Can not decide which to choose from : between Subaru XV and Mazda CX 5 on the following technicality grounds: –
A) Petrol Consumption – Sub reads at 7.7lit/100klm versus CX5 at 6.0lit/100klm,
B) specifications wise – Sub reads at 1,430kg versus CX5 at 1, 590kg by Kerb weight,
Care to share more with me to help decide ? TQ
hi henry actly im a sales advsr frm subaru…y noy u go for test drive 1st..coz in technology wise we r more advanced n we more to safety features which vry imprtnt for u n ur family….pls test it n u will decide with happy heart. tq bro hve a nc day
whatever it is, the reason this car can’t sell in m’sia is becoz it has a puny boot!! even a mouse feel cramped in that pathetic size of a boot.
this car is more suited for those who has a lot of money and want a 2nd car to go into the jungle.
i like the go into the jungle part. feels like tarzan man. hahahaha.
Was at Paradigm Mall today and different make of cars were on exhibit including the XV. The discounted price is now RM129,800.00 and promotion is valid until 31st May 2013! RM16000.00 discount would seal the deal for me if I was in the market for one! Apparantly its the 10%excise duty exemption.
I was suprise also with the price, it is the cheapest among CRV CX5 Sportage..but to my very suprise, for Malaysian spec, they pull off 4airbags and left only with 3airbags, but for export spec all equip with 7airbags standard, I really2 disappointed with motorimages.
even a lamp at the lower middle part of the rear bumper is replaced with a bloody blank…
I was in a jb subaru haunted showroom 2 week ago. I bet with the sales guy that price will come down but he said will go up after May. I told him if what he said is true then this G/T guy must be a retard…
I saw a Subaru XV and Legacy 2.5 few days ago in a shopping mall. Tried sit in this 2 cars and the driver seat is very spot on, especially the Legacy, like sitting in a 86/BR-Z. But it does not caught people attention so much as a Nissan Leaf is also showed at the main entrance. Subaru should improve their marketing and design and it will stand at the same level with Mazda.
Yep, while the exterior looks is much improved, the interior styling is still not so modern. I don’t like the look of the steering wheel.
But the engineering is impressive as always.
Test driver also fail to tell the top speed. FC, top speed is important in many car reviews.
top speed? the xv is no lambo..no ferrari..not even impreza wrx. why need top speed? for normal car, fc and acceleration is important. typical msian driver, always looking for top speed for bragging rights, no use if ur top speed is 200 but take centuries to reach that speed.
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
Kancil top speed is enough for Malaysia road. Tell me which highway can exceed 130 km/h?
Apologies again. Figured subjective feel is more important and relevant in a review than raw numbers.
The top speed is 187 km/h and 0-100 km/h time is 10.7 seconds (official figures – there were no highways to test either in Bali).
Fuel consumption, I’ve explained in my reply above. Claimed at 6.6 litres per 100 km or 15.1 km/L.
Thank you Hafriz for your quick respond.
so what are u going to do now that the top speed is 187? very happy? going to buy? or just want to lansi with everyone? bollocks. pathetic.
U and your top speed *sigh*
What’s your problem? If you don’t want to know the speed, it’s your problem. It’s not your question.
Very nice review Hafriz.
I think it’d be super interesting if we can have a head to head review of this segment : Honda, Mazda, Subaru and Hyundai/Kia offering…
Malaysian specs is preferred (as some of the distributors tend to maximise profit).
the price n the spec is bang for bucks.
but however it hold our buying decision due to poor after sales service n spare parts.
good review & comments tq.
I must say that Hafriz’s style of review writing makes an enjoyable read. Keep it up!
Do you think the high frequency bump and ride quality you commented may be due to the local spec Continental tyres? A number of CKD cars suffer from this due to poor matching of tyres because of localisation.
Did the car you test have auto start/stop?
sadly no… :(
I owned a Subaru in USA, and own a Forester XT in MY. Subaru engineering is very superior and its cars can be very reliable if properly serviced. Subaru drivers are technically savvy people and would prefer for engineering competence over stylish appearance. In North America, Subaru competence has attracted many buyers. Second hand values are very high. Forester alone has sold 1 million units in America and 2 millions worldwide. My point is Subaru owners in MY care very much for high level service support. In my view, without manifest skill and competent in service at the Subaru dealers would definitely affect sales of Subaru in MY.
This type of “non manstream” car depend very much on good service and not too expensive spare parts for 2nd hand value..At the moment neither are true.
Why can’t Tan Chong take over on the after sales service since they own both Nissan and Subaru dealerships in MY? They provided good service for my Nissan. Wish Glen Tan read this comment…
It intrigued me when i first saw it on tv. The exterior resembles Tucson a lot. You were right, it arrived 2 years late.
Have test driven the XV and find it very smooth while cruising. If you are looking for more power go for the forester Xt. 240 horses with 350 torque. More unique compared with T & H.
Hey Guys,
so, should i buy the car or not???Confused…
Something different.When I read about the so called “plastic materials” I am a bit put off for the price one is getting.And then consider resale value if you are into the habit of car changing once every 5 years.
hi Guy, should i buy the car??
Go for Subaru forester XT instead if possible. or at least wait till raya promotion.
Thanks Bro.Bty,u mean Forester 2.0X right? Not the 2.5X….
guys..how abt kuga 1.6 Ecoboost? More power n roadtax rm90 only..ford some more
suggetion plz : subaru xv 2.0( 2013)or CRV-V 2.0 (2013)
after 5 year market?
service cost ?
subaru xv RM127k, crv RM142k – thats rm15k difference
service cost almost the same with 10k intervals
Hi, i was told the boxer engine will give problem on the piston, is this happening often?
its a nice crosstour but people tend to buy hyundai tucson because of more n better equipped. Motorimage should take notice
i own an XV… and so glad i bought it..
Subaru claimed FC is 6.6L per 100km…
but i get an average of 5.8L per 100km..
mixed city highway driving.. avrging at 90-110km/h..
cargo space might be small, but cargo space cannot save me money in the long run..hehe…
best part,it’s a Full time AWD.. not “on demand” like most SUV in the market.. couple with a firm ride, its safe to say XV has the best handling during emergency manouvering, cornering or slippery road…
You must be driving like an uncle to get that sort of mileage. Extra urban drive claimed to be 33mpg which is about 7l/100km.
When some one searches for his essential thing, so he/she needs to be available that in detail, thus that
thing is maintained over here.
If you are in the market for an SUV,should you want to worry about RM10K difference.Fuel consumption is dependent on many factors.This you know.Does it really matter it is whether it is 3 0r 5 or 7 airbags.Unless itis a very bad accident, you will never to see the airbags.Unless you want to keep it for the next 10 years, then resale value is irrelevant.The XV is slightly overpriced.Value for money,good resale value,say after 5 years,I would go for CRV or CX-5.Or wait fot the X-Trail 2015 Nissan.
Guys,
Seek for further comment about Subaru XV vs Mazda CX5.
I’m currently searching for material factors to differentiate between these two car overall performance comparison.
Anyone can give me further information?
Thanks.
Furthermore, I more particular in several major features.
1. Fuel Consumption
2. Resale Value
3. Service/Maintenance Cost
4. Parts’ cost
Subaru XV vs Mazda CX5
today xv price is far cheaper than cx-5. If u wanna buy cx-5 go for 2.5 version. Other options maybe you can testdrive hrv. But in my opinion at RM120k the xv looks awesome with sport bodykit
I drove the following back to back on the same route when test driving on behalf of my gf, the route consisted of rough patches, uphill, down/up hill w curves and straights:
1. Xv
2. Cx5 2.0 & 2.5
3. X3
4. Q3
I was most satisfied w the XV, it felt nimble, sure footed and I felt power to weight ratio was great, it is a very light X-over. The XV felt like it had a bigger engine.
The cx5 was good, but due to its weight, 2.5 felt better.
X3, the salesman was a lil irritating, he kept asking me to push the car, we were in sports mode for the first loop and overdrive, I did push the car, but on the 2nd loop told him that normal people don’t drive on sports mode everyday. Lol.
Q3 was so-so, factory tires are so so only, this was the only one I had tires screeching.
If u want something of a nimble suv, go for the xv, boot space is just sad though. If you are going for super FC and interior space go for cx5. Q3 is just small overall. X3 is a whole different budget level, it was your typical bmW.
and the adress please
Jus got a XV for a month.
So far, everything is good except for the fact that the car couldn’t be on high speed for long.
Did 170km/h++ for like 15 mins and the “AT Oil Temp” light came abrupt.
Went to the service center and they said maybe its the Japanese configuration that dun wan u to run this fast.
A lil disappointing for sports car manufacturer.
Proton Inspira comes with a external cooler for its transmission oil. The original Lancer did not have it installed. Good if you could check an Inspira for reference.
just drove it. it cannot seat 3 people at the back.the center passenger will have a tough time due to the tunnel.also notice that the arm rest box is encroaching the rear making it worse. can the box be removed?