Crossing over:
Subaru is looking to broaden its market appeal
by entering the crossover* segment with its
new XV. All-wheel-drive and the best-in-class
ride height are some of the features that
distinguishes the XV from rivals like the Nissan
Qashqai and Kia Sportage.
W
ith its XV, Subaru opted not to rock the established design
boat too much to the extent that Nissan did with its unique
looking Juke. Instead, the Japanese carmaker went for the
station wagon on stilts design, resulting in a vehicle that looks capable
of tackling the great outdoors thanks to its raised ride height, and
toughened exterior elements the likes of chunkier bumpers and plastic
extenders for the wheel arches.
Helping our test car to get noticed is its bright orange colour, highlighted
even further due to the contrast between the body colour and the twotone 17" aluminium wheels. These mags feature silver spokes and black
surrounds, imparting the XV with a sporty appearance when parked.
32
On the interior, things look and feel very sturdy and well screwed together,
with the XV offering plenty of interior head- and legroom for both front
as well as rear passenge ???Q????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????UM???????? ??????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????()Q???M????aX???????????????????)?????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????)????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????????e??????????)???????????????????????????aX????????????????????????????)???????????????9?????M??????Q?????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????()=???????????Q???M????((