Test drive Subaru XV in Iceland
Disappearing asphalt, a very angry policeman, a blogger who plowed a geyser, as well as monstrous fines, crazy waterfalls, the ocean, hot springs - it seems that Iceland is on another planet
“When I visit my friends in St. Petersburg, I feel like an oligarch. I can close a restaurant account for the whole company, I don’t look at prices in a shoe store, and I don’t even require a taxi. If you think that I am the richest Icelander, then you are not. I am an ordinary pensioner, ”Ulfganger Larusson told me, it seems, all about Iceland in five hours of flight.
But the longest we talked about was money. He warned that it was very expensive in Iceland, but to the last I did not believe that it was that much. Complex car wash - $ 130 at the exchange rate, a bottle of the cheapest drinking water - $ 3.5, Snickers - $ 5, and so on.
The reason is complete isolation: the country is cut off from the outside world by the piercingly cold Atlantic. Even in Iceland, almost nothing grows due to the infertile soil and harsh climate. Logistics is very bad: there is no railway transport on the island, and outside Reykjavik, asphalt is generally a rarity.
We drove all over Iceland in a Subaru - the Russian office delivered a batch of cars from Moscow to the island for the sake of a four-day expedition. Most of the route passed along gravel roads with a large difference in elevation. And there were a lot of fords on the way - all the more surprising it was to call into mountain rivers in a Subaru XV. Water flooded the hood, and it seemed that just a little more - and the car would be ripped off by the current. But the compact and lightweight XV held on as if nothing was happening.
It was the XV in a smart version of Tokyo - it was introduced just a month ago. It differs from an ordinary crossover with decorative elements: overlays on bumpers and sills, Tokyo nameplates and classy Harman acoustics. There are no differences in technique: a 2,0-liter boxer for 150 forces, an honest four-wheel drive and a variator. But when there are huge stones under the wheels, deep fords and a track, you think first of all about the clearance. Here, under the bottom of 220 mm, and thanks to the short overhangs in Iceland, he felt almost as at ease as the "Foresters" and "Outbacks".
She did not have a staff in her hands, let alone a weapon - she simply stopped her Land Cruiser on the side of the road, gracefully jumped to the ground, slamming the door hard. An Icelandic police girl stopped our convoy with an outstretched hand. After a moment, she smiled slyly, straightened her collar and waved to her partner. The cop was clearly not in the mood for friendly communication: “Do you have any rights? What did you do yesterday? What are these numbers anyway? Off-road test? It's forbidden here! "
The reaction to Russian license plates and the word "off-road" is no coincidence: a month ago, the monstrous act of a blogger from Rybinsk was discussed throughout Iceland. For some reason he plowed geysers on the rented Prado, and then complained about huge fines: $ 3600 for off-road driving, $ 1200 for evacuation, and the landowner sued him for another $ 15 for damage to property.
The police admitted that the locals told them about the strange Russian - someone called the police station and complained about the Prado driver. Icelanders are so respectful of their natural heritage that it is common to complain here.
Especially often, locals report to the police about speeding and walking in mosses and mountains in places where this cannot be done. There are only 350 thousand Icelanders, but be sure that somewhere far from Reykjavik, high in the mountains, when for tens of kilometers around there is nothing but stones and sand, you are also being watched.
Ulfganger Larusson said that there is only one phenomenon in Iceland that no one pays attention to - the weather. A piercing cold wind can be replaced by complete calm in just 15 minutes. The clear sky will be covered with leaden clouds faster than you cross the road, and the downpour will stop before you get your umbrella. Therefore, there is a life hack: you need to dress in several layers and, depending on the weather, reduce or, conversely, increase the amount of clothes. This is the only way to feel more or less comfortable in conditions when it is either blowing hard or monstrously pouring.
By the way, the culture of keeping an eye on each other (especially for tourists) has made Iceland one of the safest countries in the world. On average, 0,3 murders per 100 thousand people occur here per year - and this is the best indicator on the planet. In second place is Japan (0,4), and the third is shared by Norway and Austria (0,6 each).
There is a prison in Iceland, and half of the prisoners are tourists. Typically, about 50 newcomers break the law every year and receive real prison sentences. For example, you can go to jail even for high speeding or drunk driving.
Some fines in Iceland:
- Exceeding the speed limit up to 20 km / h - 400 euros;
- Exceeding the speed limit by 30–50 km / h - 500–600 euros + revocation;
- Exceeding the speed limit by 50 km / h and more - 1000 euros + deprivation of rights + court proceedings;
- Non-pedestrian pass - 100 euros;
- The allowed alcohol level is 0 ppm.
Driving in Iceland is generally very expensive. Moreover, gasoline (about 140 rubles per liter) is not the main item of expenditure. Terribly expensive insurance, expensive service and other operating costs, where a car wash costs $ 130, turn a personal car into a heavy burden. But there is no other way to survive here: there are no railways, and public transport is very poorly developed.
But judging by the car fleet, Icelanders are very fond of cars. The roads are full of fresh European models, and not only compact hatches like the Renault Clio, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa. There are many Japanese crossovers and SUVs here: Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Pajero, Toyotal Land Cruiser Prado, Nissan Pathfinder. In 2018, sales of new cars in Iceland decreased by almost 16%, to 17,9 thousand cars. But even this is a lot for the population of Iceland. That is, there is one new car for 19 people. For comparison: in Russia in 2018 every 78th resident bought a new car.
Ulfganger Larusson, hearing that I was flying to Iceland on an off-road expedition, warned: “I hope you will not be driving all the time, otherwise you will miss a lot. Iceland is clearly not a country worth exploring through a narrow window. "
