Showing posts with label subaru. Show all posts
Showing posts with label subaru. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2013
2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek
Off-Road-Ready Looks
The XV Crosstrek has a raised stance, which gives it 8.7 inches of ground clearance. You can tell just from looking at it that it rides higher than the Impreza. Besides giving it greater off-road and snow capability, the extra height makes the XV Crosstrek easier to get in and out of: You dont fall into the drivers seat like you would in a lower-riding car or step up like with an SUV. Instead, you just step sideways into it.
Like the Outback, the XV Crosstrek gets full body-cladding treatment, which has become the design cue of choice — from Audi to Volvo — when differentiating off-road-oriented cars. Black cladding trims the side sills and surrounds the wheel arches, and theres also some on the front and rear bumpers. Our test cars black-painted, five-spoke alloy wheels complemented the cladding and lent a unique look.
How It Drives
Despite the Crosstreks elevated stance — which you can feel from the drivers seat — it still behaves like a car, offering a compliant ride and responsive handling. Its among the best-driving small crossovers available today, ranking among models like the Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5.
The XV Crosstrek keeps pace with city and highway traffic, but you have to be willing to rev its engine. It uses the same 148-horsepower, 2.0-liter horizontally opposed four-cylinder as the Impreza, and the engine teams with a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard.
Our test car had the CVT. It keeps engine rpm low when cruising on the highway but readily increases engine speed when you step on the gas; it doesnt take long to get from 60 to 70 mph. Significant engine noise accompanies acceleration, however.
Choosing the CVT brings steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles that step the transmission up or down to simulate gear changes. Many systems like this allow you to control shifts using the console gear selector, too, but the XV Crosstrek includes only paddles.
The CVT is the more efficient of the two transmissions; its rated 25/33 mpg city/highway — good numbers for a small crossover with all-wheel drive — versus the manuals 23/30 mpg.
Cabin Design & Roominess
The cabin isnt cluttered with extra buttons. The optional touch-screen navigation radio incorporates many functions in its central screen, but I wish there were a plain-old radio tuning knob integrated into the unit like in models without the navigation system. The climate control knobs are below the touch-screen, and thats it for center dash controls. The simple design is remarkable because many competitors are going the other direction — adding lots of buttons to their interiors but not necessarily making them easier to use. Subaru got it right on the usability front.
Front bucket seats and a second-row bench provide seating for up to five people. Cloth upholstery is standard, but the Limited model gets vinyl seats with leather-covered side bolsters. Front-seat comfort is good, and the seats have wide backrests that give you room to move.
The XV Crosstreks backseat space is a pleasant surprise. Despite compact exterior dimensions, the rear seating area is roomy and comfortable for adults.
The penalty you pay for passenger roominess is limited cargo room. Part of the problem is the high load floor, which is more than just a function of the elevated ride height: The spare tire underneath the floor further reduces vertical cargo space. The cargo area measures 22.3 cubic feet but grows to 51.9 with the backseat folded. The Forester, CR-V and Escape all offer more cargo room whether the backseat is upright or folded (see the specs , at the bottom of the page).
Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety deemed the 2013 XV Crosstrek a Top Safety Pick, reflecting top ratings of Good in frontal-offset and side-impact crash tests, a roof-strength test designed to gauge protection during a rollover and an assessment of neck protection during rear-impact collisions.
Standard safety features include antilock brakes and an electronic stability system, which are required on new vehicles as of the 2012 model year. Also standard are side-impact airbags for the front seats, side curtain airbags and a drivers knee airbag. A backup camera is optional.
For a full list of safety features, check out the Features & Specs page. To see how well child-safety seats fit in the XV Crosstrek, take a look at our Car Seat Check.
XV Crosstrek in the Market
The XV Crosstrek has all the makings of a hit for Subaru. It closely adheres to the formula of the Outback, the brands best-selling model, by providing the elevated stance and driving position many car shoppers crave while retaining a car-like driving experience. It also doesnt hurt that the XV Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive for less than the price of many front-wheel-drive competitors while still delivering competitive gas mileage estimates. The XV Crosstrek might steal some sales from Subarus Forester small crossover, but it also appears poised to bring new customers to the brand.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
New Car Review 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek
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| The 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek. |
I have only one complaint about the 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek.
The one they sent me was painted the same shade as Walter Whites Pontiac Aztek.
I really figured that color was something the studio made up to telegraph just how dull and drab ol Walts life was before he, you know, started cooking meth and killing people.
But, no. Subaru will sell you an XV Crosstrek in pretty much that same color. They call it "Desert Khaki". There are 7 other colors and youre free to make your own choice. I wouldnt pick "Desert Khaki", but if I were in the market, a Subaru XV Crosstrek would definitely be on my list.
As weve noted before, Subaru excels at the basics. Solid, reliable vehicles endowed with full-time four-wheel drive for not much money.
The XV we tested was the Premium model, which in this case, is the base model (the Limited is the step up). It starts at $21,995 with a 5-speed manual. Switch to a Continuously Variable Transmission like our tester and it jumps by a grand to $22.995.
For that, you get a nifty little crossover that has a raised suspension, 8.7 inches of ground clearance, 17-inch alloy wheels, larger fuel tank and brakes (compared to the Impreza wagon on which its based), and...with the CVT, one that gets an estimated 25 miles per gallon city, 33 highway (which our week of mixed driving suggests is entirely realistic).
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| The 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek interior. |
While were on winter stuff, theres been a remarkable cold snap at TireKicker World Headquarters in Arizona....and the Subarus heater was a godsend. 2 minutes tops and hot air was ours (this is not a given...two Lexuses weve had recently have needed 10 minutes before any discernable heat was generated).
You also get two 12 volt power outlets, an outside temperature gauge with road surface freeze indicator, and an audio system with Bluetooth, iPod control capability, USB and auxilary jacks and six speakers. The only other niggle: Whoever wrote the warning that appears on-screen when Bluetooth and your cell phone fail to connect doesnt speak English as a first language. I meant to write it down or snap a picture of it and neglected to. But youll get the idea, and it will remind you where Subaru comes from.
The only option on the tester was the Moonroof and Navigation package for $2,000...so with$795 for destination and delivery charges, the bottom line wound up $25,790. Thats not a bad price at all. Skip the Moonroof and Nav and youre at $23,790....for a spacious yet small crossover SUV with both bad weather and light off-road capabilities that gets 33 miles per gallon on the highway. In our book, that pegs the value meter.
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