WHEN ice masks every inch of tarmac and plummeting temperatures ensure its stay, indoors is the place to be. Warm, friendly surroundings. Add a blazing fire and it couldn’t be more of the English ideal.
But it is precisely these conditions which can prove to be the most fun for the giddy car enthusiast. Is there a better feeling than overcoming that treacherous stretch of road that has left dozens of cars stricken at the wayside? Not really.
And it is this feeling that Subaru’s new XV, surprisingly, gives over and over again.
Equipped with the Japanese brand’s infamous all-wheel-drive system, and a bunch on new kit, the Beast from the East had met its match: The Beast from the Far East.
Living off the beaten track can have its downsides, especially in weather such as this. Skidding uncontrollably sideways whilst attempting to tackle a pretty innocuous hill, just so you can grab some supplies, is a memory that sits well. But no such repeat was in store with the XV. Whatever the weather – and clearly I do mean, whatever – the nifty saloon finds heaps of grip. But if things do become a little iffy, switch on X-Mode, the car’s go anyway, nothing can stop me button and an automated system will control your speed on the decent. Easy. The only downside is you become the household delivery service.
Heading onto the main roads and the XV goes from rugged off-roader to practical family saloon. Soft suspension makes for a beautifully forgiving ride, whilst deep seats keep you comfortable. Heavy steering is one of only a few gripes, along with the Lineartronic automatic transmission - that is a bit thirsty and hold onto a gear a tad too long. Nevertheless. monstrous rear legroom, coupled with a rather un-Subaru-like premium interior, makes for a comfortable driving experience. Soft suspension helps the XV glide over ever bump and crack, with sometimes even the most-evil of potholes not distracting from a pleasant drive.
The many errands that needed running that day – for the driver of the only car that could get out – included picking up several boxes from the ‘local’ shop – a nice 45 mile round trip to test out the capabilities of the XV. With enough torque pushed out from the 2.0-litre boxer engine to push comfortably along, motorway driving is a breeze. Add the additions of adaptive cruise control and lane departure assist and there really is little need for the driver to anything but steer. Strangely unnerving.
Arriving at the so called ‘local’ shop – as named by my mother – I was tasked with fitting these rather bulky storage boxes into the boot - the part of the car I had yet to really explore fully. After purchasing the three, I headed back to the car, holding my breath as I opened the XV’s rear hatch. But the capacity was well more than I could have imagined. All three slid in side-by-side, with enough room to still slide and crash about on the journey home.
Although not a cheap machine, the XV has a ruggedness that many of its fellow competitors, including the Ford Focus, cannot match. Pair this with its go-anywhere attitude and family-sized flexibility and the £30,035 price tag (although ours was in premium spec) seems more and more like a worthwhile investment. It is easy to count the number of things the car can’t do, rather than can. That’s its biggest trait. The promise of getting anywhere with whatever you need.
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