Subaru XV

It once occupied the gap between the Forester and the Impreza, but does it still? The key, finds Charlie Flindt, is in the suspension

- Charlie Flindt

XV 20.I SE PREMIUM E-BOXER LINEARTRONIC

♦ Engine: 1,995cc 4-cyl ‘boxer’/Lithium ion battery

♦ Power: 150PS

♦ Max speed: 120mph

♦ Performance, 0 to 62: 10.7 seconds

♦ Combined fuel economy: 35.7mpg

♦ Insurance group: 16

♦ Price: £33,655

SUBARU’S XV has always seemed to suffer from an identity crisis. Is it an SUV? A ‘crossover’? For most of its life it has been a five-door hatchback with raised suspension and four-wheel drive, occupying the clear blue water between the bigger Subaru’s (Forester and Legacy/Levorg) and the blue and gold delinquents of the Impreza range.

That clear blue water has drained somewhat now that Subaru has told the Impreza to grow up and stop being a spoiler-clad hooligan. It’s now a sensible, five-door hatchback with four-wheel drive. But where does that leave the XV?