Subaru XV (2012-2018) Review

From the first twist of the key, the Subaru DNA in the XV is clear with the thrum that you only get from a 'boxer' horizontally-opposed engine. There's a choice of three engines, with 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrols, though it's the 2.0-litre diesel (starting at £24,295) that will take the lion's share of sales. 

Just as well it's the pick of the bunch. It may not be the quickest turbodiesel on the market, but it does a good, steady job of powering the XV to 62mph in 9.3 seconds and onto a top speed of 123mph. It revs impressively freely for a diesel, has plenty of pull in the low and mid-ranges and feels very flexible. The combined fuel economy figure is 50.4mpg and CO2 emissions are 146g/km. 

As you’d expect from a car with all-wheel drive, traction is excellent and it can really do the business off-road, even without a low-ratio gearbox. That’s not something that can be said of all of its rivals. Muddy tracks are dispatched with ease and it makes light work of inclines too. There’s more ground clearance than a Forester and it benefits from good angles of ascent and descent.

Back on the road, the XV is badly let down by the way it rides. It's set up to be sporty, rather than comfortable. That means it crashes through even the smallest potholes and offers little comfort at lower speeds. It does redeem itself when it comes to cornering - with MacPherson struts at the front and wishbones at the rear and a low centre of gravity, there's little bodyroll through bends.

Inside, the cabin is roomy and bright, with room for five adults. But with a mere 380 litres of boot space on offer, the load area is noticeably small and doesn’t compare well with similar-size cars. The seats do fold to free up 1270 litres of room and there’s a useful false floor providing extra storage where there would otherwise be a spare wheel.

If you're looking for the newer version, you need our Subaru XV (2018-) review.

As a crossover, the XV is up against some pretty stiff competition. There's the excellent Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson, plus of course the ever popular Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Yeti. At the top end there's the BMW X1, Audi Q2 and Mercedes GLA.

The XV is a utilitarian car and can get away with the use of harder plastics here and there, but the cabin lacks the finesse of the Skoda Yeti and Ford Kuga (let alone the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, which it competes on price), though it looks well screwed together and is, for the large part, easy to use on the move.

None are quick. The diesel is the pick of the bunch, with 147PS helping it accelerate to 62mph in 9.3 seconds. The quickest petrol is the 2.0-litre petrol with the manual gearbox, which covers 0-62mph in 10.5 seconds. The 1.6 petrol takes 13.1 seconds to reach 62mph with the manual transmission (and a lumbering 13.8 seconds with the CVT gearbox).

If you’re expecting a sporty rally-car-like driving experience, you might be disappointed. But the Subaru XV provides a reassuring drive, albeit with quite a firm ride.