The Subaru XV has been with us for almost two months now. It hasn’t been on adventure yet, but that will happen soon enough.
So far it has mostly been used as family transport, which is more relevant, as that’s what most of these compact crossovers are used for anyway.
Lucky for me, the XV is very good as this kind of thing. It’s a deeply comfortable car that makes the day-to-day commute an absolute breeze. At first I was struggling with the lethargic responses from the petrol engine/CVT transmission combo, but I’ve since grown accustomed to its relaxed nature. It’s not a car that likes to be rushed and that’s maybe not such a bad thing after all.
I can tell you that we’ve grown to love it in my family. I was particularly happy to see it at the airport after a week spent driving on some of the worst gravel roads I’ve ever seen. Slipping in behind the wheel of the XV after that excursion was a bit like meeting up with an old friend.
It’s also during this week that I discovered why the XV refused to dip below the 9,0 l/100km mark. I’ve been struggling for two months to achieve a figure lower than that, but as it turns out there is an easy way to achieve this figure. You simply let your wife drive it to the airport and back.
I was stunned to see a figure of 8,5 l/100km when I got into the car. I asked her what she had done and she responded by stating that she had just driven it like she normally drives a car. So the fault lies with my driving style and me. If driven carefully, the XV can get close to Subaru’s claimed consumption figure.
Other than that, there’s not much to report. The XV is more than big enough for our small family of three. It is, however, worth stating that its boot can swallow a stroller, a bag full of baby stuff and a month’s worth of groceries all at the same time.
I also had the opportunity to drive it gravel for the first time since its delivery. At normal speeds it feels solid and composed, but when you switch the traction control off, you can really feel that Subaru DNA coming through.
Overall, the XV is still a welcome addition to our fleet. It’s by far the most comfortable car we have and it hasn’t put a wheel wrong so far.
Watch out for a more comprehensive update on the XV in the July edition, which should be on the shelves by next week.