The body and underlying mechanicals are the same as the Impreza and therefore very good, but the XV has been raised, giving it a useful 220mm of ground clearance, and gets funky alloys with big Geolander rubber plus cosmetic touches reminiscent of a G-Shock watch.
Visually it works and gives character to the rather anonymous Impreza donor.
On road, the changes to the suspension and wheels give it a harder ride and reduce grip during hard cornering and braking. The jiggly ride was a disappointment after the Impreza, but while less comfortable, it is not unbearable and somehow suits the ‘tougher’ image of the XV (‘tough’ is relative of course – this is no Hummer).
Our off-road test extended to a blast through the sand dunes and the XV acquitted itself here superbly, the light weight, good ground clearance and gnarly tires giving it good beach-buggy capability. It should do equally well on farm tracks and back-country lanes if the driver respects the fact that this is essentially a road car.
The CVT transmission is the only sour note with both the Impreza and XV. Though it is the best of its type we’ve encountered, these transmissions are all about efficiency and not driving enjoyment. A manual gearbox in both cars would restore some of the fun and character that the appliance-like CVT robs from the cars. Personal gripe, and one that many drivers will think is neither here nor there.
Prices for the XV start at $38,990.
