When the brand Subaru comes to mind, we often think of Colin McRae, rumbling Boxer notes and punchy all-wheel drive (AWD), turbocharged performance.
So much so that we sometimes forget Subaru makes fun, family-friendly soft-roaders as well - and quite nicely in fact.
The recently facelifted Subaru XV 1.6i-S is no WRX by any stretch of one's imagination and neither will it thrill you with an exhilarating driving experience. But once you look past that, the XV makes sense considering the urban and active lifestyle that most of us lead.
Apart from looking sharper and driving better, the facelifted XV is also equipped with much needed cabin refinement.Up close and Personal
While changes to the car's exterior aren't obvious to the untrained eye, Subaru has furnished the XV with a spiffed up front bumper made up of sharper contoured lines, a fresh set of C-shaped head lights, new rear combination lamps, a stylish hexagon grille and a distinct set of 17-inch rims.
Alone, these new differences may not count for much but when parked next to the older car, it's obvious which one of the two is better dressed.
While the XV's cabin was built using lots of hard plastic that didn't look and feel very entrancing before, Subaru has also upped the ante with the newer model's cabin that you see here.
So much so that we sometimes forget Subaru makes fun, family-friendly soft-roaders as well - and quite nicely in fact.
The recently facelifted Subaru XV 1.6i-S is no WRX by any stretch of one's imagination and neither will it thrill you with an exhilarating driving experience. But once you look past that, the XV makes sense considering the urban and active lifestyle that most of us lead.
Apart from looking sharper and driving better, the facelifted XV is also equipped with much needed cabin refinement.Up close and Personal
While changes to the car's exterior aren't obvious to the untrained eye, Subaru has furnished the XV with a spiffed up front bumper made up of sharper contoured lines, a fresh set of C-shaped head lights, new rear combination lamps, a stylish hexagon grille and a distinct set of 17-inch rims.
Alone, these new differences may not count for much but when parked next to the older car, it's obvious which one of the two is better dressed.
While the XV's cabin was built using lots of hard plastic that didn't look and feel very entrancing before, Subaru has also upped the ante with the newer model's cabin that you see here.
Other improvements that add a premium touch to the XV's cabin include an improved multi-function display, a leather shift boot (a must-have these days), better quality leather wrapping around the seats and a splendidly redesigned steering wheel - all of which are finished in frisky orange stitching.
And with Subaru's PIN Code Access feature, you can leave the keys in the car, and lock or unlock the vehicle using an access code, entered into a button on the trunk lid. This, in our opinion, is a rather useful feature that removes the burden of having to carry your keys around, while attempting wet and wild sports.
Plus, the XV still has a proper manual parking brake - something we do miss quite a fair bit.
And with Subaru's PIN Code Access feature, you can leave the keys in the car, and lock or unlock the vehicle using an access code, entered into a button on the trunk lid. This, in our opinion, is a rather useful feature that removes the burden of having to carry your keys around, while attempting wet and wild sports.
Plus, the XV still has a proper manual parking brake - something we do miss quite a fair bit.
The Drive
If there is one aspect where the XV disappoints, it would be its lacklustre powertrain. The facelifted car uses the same 1.6-litre Horizontally-Opposed Boxer unit as before, although we were hoping that the Levorg's turbocharged motor would be summoned as a replacement.
Behind the wheel, the XV's 112bhp and 150Nm of four-wheeled twisting force seem feeble for its 1,410kg curb weight. Even with such unfavourable power-to-weight ratios, the car doesn't exactly struggle in overtaking but you'd really have to put your foot down for the engine to come to life.
Part of the powertrain's lifelessness comes from the Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
Although we do miss Subaru's traditional four-speed gearbox, the CVT's employment reasons become clear when the fuel economy gauge showed, in kilometres travelled, two digits instead of one per litre used - 12 to be exact, with a lighter foot.
Power quibs aside, Subaru has done two things that noticeably improve the XV's ride quality.
If there is one aspect where the XV disappoints, it would be its lacklustre powertrain. The facelifted car uses the same 1.6-litre Horizontally-Opposed Boxer unit as before, although we were hoping that the Levorg's turbocharged motor would be summoned as a replacement.
Behind the wheel, the XV's 112bhp and 150Nm of four-wheeled twisting force seem feeble for its 1,410kg curb weight. Even with such unfavourable power-to-weight ratios, the car doesn't exactly struggle in overtaking but you'd really have to put your foot down for the engine to come to life.
Part of the powertrain's lifelessness comes from the Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
Although we do miss Subaru's traditional four-speed gearbox, the CVT's employment reasons become clear when the fuel economy gauge showed, in kilometres travelled, two digits instead of one per litre used - 12 to be exact, with a lighter foot.
Power quibs aside, Subaru has done two things that noticeably improve the XV's ride quality.
Firstly, wind and road noise have been reduced with the adoption of sound-absorbent materials throughout the car. On long stretches of highways, the car regains lost points with a quiet and comfortable drive, even when the rain poured mercilessly.
Secondly, the dampers for both front and rear suspension have also had their pitch rate lowered, improving both stability and smoothness. And with Symmetrical AWD working alongside Subaru's Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) system, the car's handling remains swift and steady.
As we said earlier, the XV is in no way a WRX, with a steering that's lacking feedback but it manages to stay planted in corners better than most of its rivals will.
Conclusion
In the jam-packed compact crossover segment today, competition is stiffer than the dampers on an STI but with these added creature comforts and a suave face, the $98,800 (as of 8th March 2016) Subaru XV seems like a proper family crossover with a decent price.
All it really needs now is a sizeable snail under the hood.
Secondly, the dampers for both front and rear suspension have also had their pitch rate lowered, improving both stability and smoothness. And with Symmetrical AWD working alongside Subaru's Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) system, the car's handling remains swift and steady.
As we said earlier, the XV is in no way a WRX, with a steering that's lacking feedback but it manages to stay planted in corners better than most of its rivals will.
Conclusion
In the jam-packed compact crossover segment today, competition is stiffer than the dampers on an STI but with these added creature comforts and a suave face, the $98,800 (as of 8th March 2016) Subaru XV seems like a proper family crossover with a decent price.
All it really needs now is a sizeable snail under the hood.
