Test drive Subaru XV
Test Drive

Test drive Subaru XV

Multi-colored Subaru XV one by one disappear into the forest thicket - a trail after the Land Rover Defender. Suddenly, he abruptly turns off the track and, throwing up pillars of snow, rushes even deeper into the forest.

Multi-colored Subaru XV one by one disappear into the forest thicket - a trail after the Land Rover Defender. Suddenly, he abruptly turns off the track and, throwing up pillars of snow, rushes even deeper into the forest. We are far from the Defe, but there is nothing left but to follow him. All-wheel drive XV obediently grinds snow porridge and gets into the beaten track. Directly on the course is a section with liquid mud, which we slip through and take off on steep hills - we are not far behind the Defender, although it seemed that this route was only strong for him and the tanks. Puddles with hard ice fragments, crossing the river on logs, prancing through snowdrifts - armored vehicles are being tested at this training ground in the Leningrad Region, not far from the city of Sertolovo.

The XV was created by Subaru to blur the lines between the brand's loyal and fanatical narrow audiences and the rest of the world. Child of compromise? Perhaps, but at the same time, the XV retained the main values ​​of the brand, which once amazed everyone with a massive all-wheel drive model of a passenger car, and, when updated, greatly increased the comfort when driving in civilian conditions. And off-road, the XV, thanks to its effective electronic assistants, allows even an inexperienced driver to feel confident in the same place where the tanks drive. The XV is equipped with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Dynamic Stability Control (VDC) and Hill Start Assist. Off-road confidence will cost you a minimum of $ 21. “Not a mass market anymore, but also not a premium” - this is how the Japanese brand positions itself.

 

Test drive Subaru XV



Outwardly, it has not changed as much as it has grown in price. The restyled XV could be the hero of the game "find the five differences": just a new bumper, grille and a different design of the lights. But this is just the case when appearance is not the main thing. Subaru has now become much more comfortable and modern inside: it has received a new multimedia system with touch controls and Siri support, and the arrangement of instruments has been changed on the steering wheel. By the way, the leather steering wheel of the crossover got from the Subaru Outback - with switches for the audio system and cruise control. And the orange stitching colors the interior of the XV now in the basic version - here it migrated from the Active Edition trim level.

In Subaru's understanding, the XV is synonymous with an active lifestyle, although a bicycle will not fit into its trunk. And this is another compromise: on the other hand, the XV is not bloated in length and width, it is compact and understandable in the city. In our case - in St. Petersburg, where we passed a series of tests in the genre of urban quest. Narrow arches, courtyards-wells - in search of good shots, it seems that we simply had to update the bumpers of the crossover, but they are very comfortable to operate in such conditions - excellent visibility due to narrow front struts, small blind zones, and an adequate image is transmitted to the screen from cameras.

 

Test drive Subaru XV

The XV also coped with the St. Petersburg cobblestones due to the energy-intensive suspension, but there is an even more serious obstacle ahead. The route of the quest takes us to the laminated plastics factory, which is adjacent to the street art museum. The industrial landscape makes it possible to fully appreciate the ride comfort of the car. There is practically no asphalt on the territory, Subaru jumps over shallow holes, every now and then running over gravel rubble and pieces of bricks. A tour of the factory is like a rally site - there may be an unexpected dead end around the bend, and on the way there are pipes, buried in the ground, bumps and potholes. The crossover passes obstacles boldly and clearly, but most importantly - quietly. Engineers have added vibration damping materials, more effective seals to the front doors and even increased the thickness of the glass, resulting in almost inaudible operation of the variator, and the hum of the engine and the surrounding world is very muted.

The new XV has become more technologically advanced - the start-stop system, the new logic of the electric power steering - the system continues to function even when the engine is turned off. But even in the maximum configuration of the XV, there are no such functions as heating the wiper zone, heated steering wheel and windshield.

 

Test drive Subaru XV



As before, the XV is equipped with a two-liter aspirated gasoline engine that produces 150 horsepower. You look at it in the corporate orange color or in the new aquamarine Hyper Blue and you expect a cheerful disposition, dynamic acceleration and a sharp steering wheel from a car with such an appearance. Already after the first kilometers of management - cognitive dissonance. The XV is not assertive, not sporty and not at all evil, with this smooth CVT it is reasonable and reliable, and all attempts to jump off the spot or abruptly overtake a neighbor on the stream look rather ridiculous. A turbocharged engine would be here ... But if the city of XV is slightly lacking in temperament, then on the track it runs firmly and confidently.

So who is this crossover made for? Subaru is juggling with two answers at once: potential buyers are both young people 25-35 years old with or without children, and an audience aged 45-58 years old, often choosing the XV as the second car in the family. This car, like the Legacy Outback once, is designed to combine two opposite realities - urban and off-road. And if in the city limits he will have fierce competition with a dozen rivals, then where tanks, XV is a clear favorite.

 

Test drive Subaru XV

Photo: Subaru

 

 

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