Anyone got Subaru XV experience?

[heiri007]

Feels like a nice solid ride with a pleasant looks and interior, yet bit of an asthmatic engine.

 

Can anyone share Subaru XV experience? Fuel economy, reliability, other observations?

[fertilizer]

Mrs bought a new Subaru XV 3 years ago. Done 50.000 km by now. Satisfied in all aspects and nice to drive. As we have had no problems no need of spareparts - understand this might be problematic.

 

Fuel economy around 0.8 l/10 km (mostly local trips).

[Katipo]

There was a recent article in Thai comparing the XV vs. the Mazda CX-30 vs. Corolla Cross. 

It went something like this, but I can't find the article sadly:

 

Best handling and driver experience went to XV and Mazda.

Safest Onroad: XV

Nicest Interior: Mazda

Engine performance: Mazda

Offroad and weekend warrior: XV

Fuel Economy: Corolla

Family Vehicle: Toyota (although XV had the most space

 

What surprised me was how often the XV was at the top considering it's age. Of course having full time 4wd and the best ground clearance was always going to be an advantage in in some areas.

 

My own experience driving Subarus in NZ is that they stick to the road like glue and are very reliable. Being Thailand I wouldn't want to live to far from a dealership though. it can make even getting an oil change quite an inconvenient affair.

I will  be looking to see if the face-lift 2021 version is in Thailand when I change my vehicle next year. https://www.subaru.com/2021-crosstrek

[heiri007]

1 hour ago, Katipo said:

There was a recent article in Thai comparing the XV vs. the Mazda CX-30 vs. Corolla Cross. 

It went something like this, but I can't find the article sadly:

 

Best handling and driver experience went to XV and Mazda.

Safest Onroad: XV

Nicest Interior: Mazda

Engine performance: Mazda

Offroad and weekend warrior: XV

Fuel Economy: Corolla

Family Vehicle: Toyota (although XV had the most space

 

What surprised me was how often the XV was at the top considering it's age. Of course having full time 4wd and the best ground clearance was always going to be an advantage in in some areas.

 

My own experience driving Subarus in NZ is that they stick to the road like glue and are very reliable. Being Thailand I wouldn't want to live to far from a dealership though. it can make even getting an oil change quite an inconvenient affair.

I will  be looking to see if the face-lift 2021 version is in Thailand when I change my vehicle next year. https://www.subaru.com/2021-crosstrek

Great feedback, thanks.

 

Point with the current XV Thai models is they lack EyeSight safety system - a real letdown since it's one of the best driver assistant technologies available.

 

They're currently offering substantial cash discounts at Bangkok showrooms - could it be to make way for the 2021 face-lift, including EyeSight? A Subaru without this tech is a no-go.

[Katipo]

3 hours ago, heiri007 said:

Great feedback, thanks.

 

Point with the current XV Thai models is they lack EyeSight safety system - a real letdown since it's one of the best driver assistant technologies available.

 

They're currently offering substantial cash discounts at Bangkok showrooms - could it be to make way for the 2021 face-lift, including EyeSight? A Subaru without this tech is a no-go.

Have you considered the Forester then? It's had a facelift for 2020, and only costs slighty more than the XV. https://www.subaru.asia/th/en/vehicles/forester/

 

They have an eyesight variation for 1.13m THB.

 

Given that it's notably bigger as well, it is the better value proposition, 

[JoePai]

Looked at the new Forester at the Motor Show - very impressed and the best value out there at present

[heiri007]

2 hours ago, Katipo said:

Have you considered the Forester then? It's had a facelift for 2020, and only costs slighty more than the XV. https://www.subaru.asia/th/en/vehicles/forester/

 

They have an eyesight variation for 1.13m THB.

 

Given that it's notably bigger as well, it is the better value proposition, 

That price seems to be without excise tax - see here for the XV, looks like Subaru is publishing lower than real prices... 

[heiri007]

1 hour ago, JoePai said:

Looked at the new Forester at the Motor Show - very impressed and the best value out there at present

 

Much bigger than XV which would be perfect, also Forester doesn't look pecularly well... when's the next motor show in town?

[fredge45]

Checked out both, XV and Forester, a couple years ago ended up buying a Forester.

 

XV is OK if you are a shorter person.  I'm 185 cm tall and had to bend more ways than I wanted for getting in and out.

 

Engine the same for both 2 liter I believe.

 

I opted for a simpler version, 2.01p, rather than the top end with all the bells and whistles like air con adjustable individually for driver or front pax etc etc.  Just more to potentially go wrong IMO.

 

Sales people were really poor on product knowledge.  Service to date further convinces me of the shade tree mentality of local wrench twister.  Never the same service people in evidence any time I need to drop in - which isn't that often.

 

Had a Subie back in 'merica and loved it.  This one is working well and I hope for many more years with it.

[DavisH]

8 hours ago, heiri007 said:

Great feedback, thanks.

 

Point with the current XV Thai models is they lack EyeSight safety system - a real letdown since it's one of the best driver assistant technologies available.

 

They're currently offering substantial cash discounts at Bangkok showrooms - could it be to make way for the 2021 face-lift, including EyeSight? A Subaru without this tech is a no-go.

Can the eyesight be turned off? I just watched a review of the xv from the US just today. The system is very sensitive and will beep a lot if one gets too close to the center line. 

Watch out for poor resale and relatively high maintenance cost in Thailand. 

Perhaps find a low mileage second-hand one? 

https://www.one2car.com/รถมือสอง-สำหรับ-ขาย/subaru/xv/(ปี 17-21)

 

The 4wd system and good ground clearance are it's main stengths. If you don't need those, the mazdas have good fuel economy and performance (and a conventional auto gearbox). 

 

[DavisH]

3 hours ago, heiri007 said:

 

Much bigger than XV which would be perfect, also Forester doesn't look pecularly well... when's the next motor show in town?

Late November, I think....went to their booth with the wife last time...she got straight in the brz lol

[John435]

Loved my XV in the U.K.  Turbo diesel model had plenty of oomph and it handled well. At the time it had the highest ground clearance and lowest centre of gravity of any crossover, which was a clever combination. The boxer engine no doubt. Love seeing them about in Thailand but I always assumed it would be much more expensive to own one here, compared to the common brands. 

[denkiblue555]

As many have mentioned here already, great small car - best in class IMHO. But full disclosure, I sold them for a couple of months a few years ago so drove them a lot, but have only had a Legacy GT and Forester GT myself.

 

Motor Image imports Subarus here in Thailand I believe, and the specs have differed significantly from the Inchcape models received in Australia for example (Japan vs Malaysia production may be part of it?). That said, from MY2019 onwards I think the specs seem to have caught up are at least closer to foreign markets.

 

The XV is Subaru's entry-level car, and for that 'small SUV' segment, it is fairly over-engineered; full-time AWD, flat-four engine (2 x valve trains and cam sets) etc... This does come at a cost though, and AWD will always eat more fuel than 2WD - but this is a small cost toward active safety. Full-time AWD and 4WD are absolutely magic in bad conditions - the best thing a car can have to avoid accidents IMHO. All this means Subaru spent more money on things that matter safety/performance wise and less on shiny interiors. 

The FB20-series engine seems like it has had a reasonable amount of investment and is fairly important to Subaru, and while the it could use a small turbo in the XV I don't think it is 'underpowered'. It also seems that the number of Subaru dealerships have been growing a lot in Thailand over the past 2-3 years - or I could just be noticing them more. While the the dealers and staff may be less knowledgable than other more established brands, reliability is one of Subaru's strongpoints.

 

With the local factory up and running now for a year or so?, I think the situation here can only get better from a value-for-money point of view. It is certainly much better now than 10 years ago, for example. I'm not in the market for an XV, however I am trying to steer the wife from a dual cab 4WD to a Forester. The new MY21 looks the goods and are hard to beat bang-for-buck wise in Thailand (US spec shown below):


 

[heiri007]

10 hours ago, denkiblue555 said:

As many have mentioned here already, great small car - best in class IMHO. But full disclosure, I sold them for a couple of months a few years ago so drove them a lot, but have only had a Legacy GT and Forester GT myself.

 

Motor Image imports Subarus here in Thailand I believe, and the specs have differed significantly from the Inchcape models received in Australia for example (Japan vs Malaysia production may be part of it?). That said, from MY2019 onwards I think the specs seem to have caught up are at least closer to foreign markets.

 

The XV is Subaru's entry-level car, and for that 'small SUV' segment, it is fairly over-engineered; full-time AWD, flat-four engine (2 x valve trains and cam sets) etc... This does come at a cost though, and AWD will always eat more fuel than 2WD - but this is a small cost toward active safety. Full-time AWD and 4WD are absolutely magic in bad conditions - the best thing a car can have to avoid accidents IMHO. All this means Subaru spent more money on things that matter safety/performance wise and less on shiny interiors. 

The FB20-series engine seems like it has had a reasonable amount of investment and is fairly important to Subaru, and while the it could use a small turbo in the XV I don't think it is 'underpowered'. It also seems that the number of Subaru dealerships have been growing a lot in Thailand over the past 2-3 years - or I could just be noticing them more. While the the dealers and staff may be less knowledgable than other more established brands, reliability is one of Subaru's strongpoints.

 

With the local factory up and running now for a year or so?, I think the situation here can only get better from a value-for-money point of view. It is certainly much better now than 10 years ago, for example. I'm not in the market for an XV, however I am trying to steer the wife from a dual cab 4WD to a Forester. The new MY21 looks the goods and are hard to beat bang-for-buck wise in Thailand (US spec shown below):
 

Bangkok Post reported last year that the Subaru Lat Krabang factory will start producing XV, so that they're no longer imported from Malaysia. The report also said Subaru expects to launch four SUVs by 2021. Any idea if the XV is on the local production schedule?

[eppic]

On 9/24/2020 at 10:29 AM, heiri007 said:

 

 

They're currently offering substantial cash discounts at Bangkok showrooms - could it be to make way for the 2021 face-lift, including EyeSight? A Subaru without this tech is a no-go.

Any chance you could share approximate discounts on offer?

 

I see nearly new (18-20) XV units on offer for just under 900k, but wanted to compare to the new price after discounts.

 

As another poster mentioned, it seems Subaru may be advertising false prices (excl excise) that have also been picked up on many 3rd party sites.

 

I can visit Bangkok dealers but my experience buying a new Honda was great difficulty finding even basic English ability.

 

Also, I would expect the warranty would transfer on newly near cars, although my Honda dealer denied this (again, severe language issues).  Can someone confirm this?

 

We are in the unfortunate situation of having dumped our HRV at fire sale price in anticipation of relocating, but we are now stuck here indefinitely because of Covid situation (Philippines) so need a comparable replacement, maybe XV, Forester or X-Trail.

 

TIA

[heiri007]

3 hours ago, eppic said:

Any chance you could share approximate discounts on offer?

 

I see nearly new (18-20) XV units on offer for just under 900k, but wanted to compare to the new price after discounts.

 

As another poster mentioned, it seems Subaru may be advertising false prices (excl excise) that have also been picked up on many 3rd party sites.

Discounts of some 10%, maybe more, plus can ask for extras. 

 

First thought was they're trying to make way for a new XV release. Didn't ask whether Forester gets same discounts.

[denkiblue555]

On 9/29/2020 at 12:26 PM, heiri007 said:

Any idea if the XV is on the local production schedule?

Have done a bit of googling from time to time over the past year or so, and despite the fact that the XV is the entry-level car (which I assumed to be first-in-line for local production) I can't find any news reports confirming its local assembly, unlike the Forester which is regularly mentioned in older news reports. As the Forester starts now about 1.03M THB (I didn't know about the excise advertising price issue) as a locally assembled product, it should mean that the xv starts closer to 900k than 1M, however it still starts at 970,000. For reference, (despite different spec levels) in Australia the XV starts at AU$29,240 (B660,000), while the Forester starts at AU$34,240 (B784,000). Hardly comparing apples and apples, but this could mean that the XV should be around B875,500 if it were sold at 85% of a Forester's price (as is the case in Australia).

So, long answer short - no idea unfortunately.

[heiri007]

7 hours ago, denkiblue555 said:

Have done a bit of googling from time to time over the past year or so, and despite the fact that the XV is the entry-level car (which I assumed to be first-in-line for local production) I can't find any news reports confirming its local assembly, unlike the Forester which is regularly mentioned in older news reports. As the Forester starts now about 1.03M THB (I didn't know about the excise advertising price issue) as a locally assembled product, it should mean that the xv starts closer to 900k than 1M, however it still starts at 970,000. For reference, (despite different spec levels) in Australia the XV starts at AU$29,240 (B660,000), while the Forester starts at AU$34,240 (B784,000). Hardly comparing apples and apples, but this could mean that the XV should be around B875,500 if it were sold at 85% of a Forester's price (as is the case in Australia).

So, long answer short - no idea unfortunately.

Again, these prices exclude the local excise tax. No clue how Subaru gets by like this. Sounds illegal to advertise tax-less car sales prices.

[DavisH]

On 9/30/2020 at 5:27 PM, eppic said:

Any chance you could share approximate discounts on offer?

 

I see nearly new (18-20) XV units on offer for just under 900k, but wanted to compare to the new price after discounts.

 

As another poster mentioned, it seems Subaru may be advertising false prices (excl excise) that have also been picked up on many 3rd party sites.

 

I can visit Bangkok dealers but my experience buying a new Honda was great difficulty finding even basic English ability.

 

Also, I would expect the warranty would transfer on newly near cars, although my Honda dealer denied this (again, severe language issues).  Can someone confirm this?

 

We are in the unfortunate situation of having dumped our HRV at fire sale price in anticipation of relocating, but we are now stuck here indefinitely because of Covid situation (Philippines) so need a comparable replacement, maybe XV, Forester or X-Trail.

 

TIA

If you are here just a couple of years, the xv nearly new is pretty cheap second hand. Or possibly look at mazda cx-5 second hand also. No need to buy new. I have a crv diesel. I like the torque and fuel economy the most. And its traditional auto gearbox. 

[madhav]

A few months back I picked up a 2014 XV with about 80k km on the odometer and proper logbook service history for 400k baht. (Found it on Facebook marketplace) It was the ‘luxury’ model with the TVs in the rear of the driver headrests. I had it inspected prior to purchase and there were no issues whatsoever.

 

So far my impressions are the car is very stable, handles well, feels safe, quite solid and tough, traction and 4WD system is great. We live on a steep hill and the driveway has bad angles. Frequently the car has to reverse up on 3 wheels. The car adapts and will redirect traction to accommodate. 
 

I never seem to worry less about getting it dirty, denting it etc. It feels like a car you can live with and not worry too much about. Different to Euro cars which I was frequently concerned about the paint and interior being damaged.