Driving Sports TV - 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek Tropical Test and Review 

Glad you brought that up. Akihide Takeuchi is actually the Product General Manager for the Crosstrek and Impreza out of Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru parent) in Japan... not just a PR flack.

5:46 the details about stuff like the stiffened chassis that other automotive media ignored are why I've remained a longtime subscriber, Ryan. In fact, this video was what finally convinced me to get the Subaru XV. Years later, I've had an unimaginable amount of fun both on winding roads and off-road use.

The ride is a lot closer to the previous-generation Forester. After talking to Subaru about it, I think it was an intentional tip of the hat to buyers that don't like the larger, softer Forester.

As you probably know Subaru rarely makes a car that is, in fact "all new". The Outback Sport is based on technologies that were mostly introduced in 2008 or earlier - just reconfigured for this particular new model. So, I wouldn't be too concerned with working out any bugs.

if you had planned to put subtitles for the Japanese guy - then why not just ask him to speak in JAPANESE ??!! he would have been way more comfortable & articulate !

I was a fan of my co-workers '14, which led me to a '16 cvt, point A-B, but now much happier with the new '19 6spd hoot! With or without the turbo makes for a momentum daily drivers car.

Wow, you seem to have elaborated most on the mechanical aspect of the Subaru XV Crosstrek compared to all the other reviews that I've seen combined! Thanks so much for uploading, Ryan!

Great video Ryan, you guys have come a long way from the beginning of Driving Sports. Keep up the great work

No prob. Glad you liked!

My mom bought this car. I love it more than she does, haha. I've driven an STi, and an M3, but for some reason the Crosstrek makes me f*cking laugh whenever i accelerate

45,000 miles on our CVT so far its been a fantastic fix for the smaller Subaru engines. Very good AT choice for their cars. The MT have for some time suffered from tall gearing which makes technical off road work nearly impossible where the AT's and the CVT due to the torque converter tend to do better in this case. For driving fun the XV for sure MT is a good choice. Having the CVT in the OB - I would want a MT in the XV mainly due to the XV being a much better handling car where the MT ='s fun

I have the 2016 crosstrek with the same color from the video, there is a lot of people asking me about the color, people like it. I'm Subaru fan

The 2012 Forester 2.5XT has 8.9-inches of clearance, true. However, the 2012 2.5X model has 8.7-inches - just like the Crosstrek.

Mate...I just loved the video...not one of those boring auto-reviews... Great scenery and useful comments... This SUV in black or dark grey is fantastic... Fuel economy is great as well...

And I love the Khaki color

Thanks Joel!

Seriously - crazy beautiful!

1:50 Funny to hear that because now where I live in Australia they seem very popular with the elderly crowd.

DSG is... different. CVT keep the engine always in the optimal operating range for economy so it's preferred for high-mileage operations. DSG is more performance oriented, but Subaru doesn't have a twin-clutch system like DSG so it's really not relevant to the Crosstrek. We are not getting any diesel Subarus here in the States, so I don't know what combinations will be available internationally.

Once i read about the XV's I've been hooked!

We were at the Kualoa Ranch near the North Shore. It's open to tours, but I don't believe just anyone can drive around it.

200lb tongue weight limit same as the larger Outback. XV has the standard 1500lb towing capacity limit which is normal for this size vehicle. The Outback has 2700lbs max with a outside temp and climb limitation pending which transmission you have. 5spd AT in the 3.6 is 1500lbs max in 104+ temps and 5+ mile climb and the CVT is 1350 max same conditions. Related to the cooling capacity built into the system. Regardless of engine choice cooling capacity is your limiting factor not power.

I got it! The 2 cars in your Driveway should be this Crosstrek and the Subie BR-Z best of both worlds.

The CVT is better suited for steep inclines. The manual gear ratios weren't as good of a match.

aww, there's no where for locals to go on trails! haha but thanks for the response!! love the videos keep em coming!!

Nope, this is just for Driving Sports. We start shooting for Subiesport TV this month (August).

I was under the impression Jurassic Park was filmed on Kauai off the PowerlIne trail

Urban doesn't need to be just "summer city" driving. I live in a part of Canada that has snow 6 months of the year. AWD and that ground clearance is great after a fresh snowfall and before roads are cleared. Since I got my first Subaru, I no longer dread winter driving.

might have to get rid of my 2012 civic for this, miss driving my old 97 impreza outback sport so much fun in the snow with so much charcter

I have so much want for this car. I really wish that I could see one in person and pre-order one... with pre-order incentives of course! :)

It would have to be a really tiny boat. The Crosstrek XV only has a 1500 lbs towing capacity.

The Crosstrek is a lot more like the older Forester in terms of personality. The new Forester is larger, softer.

Finally another video

Correct.

Thank You, finally one thats NOT orange!!

@drivingsports- im on the fence between this and the 2013 legacy, reason being, this is a brand new vehicle and usually it takes car manufactures a couple years to work out the kinks. with that being said, its basically the same as the impreza which has been around forever and improved over the years. what are your thoughts? thanks!

Maybe the vid didn't really show it well, but I've done roads like that in my 2WD/FWD (one wheel drive, there was no traction control on that thing) '96 GTi with a 2.slo engine. I'd really like to see it crawl up some steep loose fireroads. I'll bet it can do it, too. I'm very interested in one of these.

thats a different cvt generation, notice that video shows an outback, this is the second generation cvt and doesnt have the torque issues the last one did.

Nice video! I am liking the car and the price point is great!

Yes i agree subarus dont have the best Int. But as lance says that is how they stay competitive in a tough market. They are 1 of the most reliable car out there. For my money or a car for my family its hard to beat the bang for your buck u get from a subaru. Not to mention the Fun u can have with cars like a Turbo Legacy or a WRX STI. In the north east they are great all year round. Dirt snow rain dry for your money few do so many things so well. Are there better cars yes but for the price no

33mph on highway according to the website. A 10 second search didn't yield the city, but I would guess it is around 23-25 city.

Im a fan of this car, and this guy:)

I just gone one and it is a little underpowered (I want a turbo upgrade,) but it is easy to drop down a gear with the paddle shifters. However it is noisy and full of crappy plastic inside. It also sucks that 'Isight' is not available, nor is blind spot monitoring which is strange for a company who goes on about safety.

Those wheels would look so much better without the silver part

Where on Oahu was the Off-Road Portion of this filmed?? and is it accessible to the public?

Hey! Thanks a lot for the video which is great. I love this car, it looks great. Just a question, as I'm a little bit irritated: They say that Subaru's diesel engine is great and superior to the normal petrol ones. I tend to buy a car with automatic gears and there is no XV in combination to an automatic, right? And they say that the CVT is not as good as the DSG which is used in VW cars for example. Is that right? What is the difference? Thanks a lot!

Awesome Car

Please make a review on uphill performance and on the snow, thank!

have a question, can i trust this brand (longevity performance, reliable) like a honda?

Why dont they put the 200hp 2L engine in it... 148hp is not enough. It needs to be an inch higher at least. Small aesthetic changes are needed to the front end for better approach angles. Make a sedan version and a 2 door coupe. A beefed up awd car 4x4 capability an off road car...youve got a winner. Like the 70s.

What is the song name? May I know it please? It's so good, good as the car. Great review btw :)

Excellent yellow subs. Merci beaucoup.

is this part of the Subiesport TV episode?

how's the road noise? i've noticed that the Forrester had noise like a honda, but the outback was a very quiet ride.

very nice video indeed. This car looks awesome :P

awesome

Its very similar to the outback , i drove both of the outback and xv and thats what i can tell you.

Great car. It need more power, and a better head unit and better fuel economy. Its on my list. But I might wait for version 2.

Nice small cross, I'd seriously look at buying it if they offered it with a diesel engine.

The whole cutting cost on interior thing is not true. Hyundai cuts cost on interiors. They also use cheap plastics but use unique colors and shapes to make the interior look more luxurious. Subaru is great but need to create a better looking interior

Okay, now we're talking. Do a search for a vid named "Subaru XV 2013 Offroad Test"

I know these two vehicles aren't in the same class but, would you rather have the Subaru XV Crosstrek or the Mazda CX-5 ???

okay, thanks! :)

These are good value second hand now the new model is out.

so when in the world are US dealers going to have them?

They reduce the power so as to increase mpg, that's correct. Would u drive really fast in those danger up and downs:-)

love it

My dream is XV STI

I couldn't finish the video with the Hawaiian music in the background.

how is the power during long duration of uphill driving? is it underpowered?

Here is my question ... Forrester or Crosstek?

I still want a manual transmission

So would you biy this obet the standard 5 dr impreza or even the elantra gt for urban driving?

I want one

Yeah he honestly didn't go anywhere any FWD car couldn't handle.

This is a much smaller car than the legacy so if interior space ie kids seating room etc is important then Legacy or Outback are the way to go much larger seating space. Legacy and Outback are more or less the same car. Impreza and XV are more or less the same car minus small changes and tweaks etc.

🙏🏼

Forester has 8.9 inches of ground clearences not 8.7 like the crosstrek

this subaru. have problem. oil consumption???

Subaru's interiors have never been that impressive. How do you think they keep the price down? You're getting an AWD car that competes on a pricing level as other 2WD and part time 4WD cars. Subaru is not a luxury car. If you want that then consider the Audi.

Kiitos

is it 1.6 litre

I can go with a golf easily on the off-road route he chose :-)

@seanmmlxvi mid October

Less scenery, most focus on the car!

Definitely a great looking and performing vehicle. Too bad they stole the ugly mirrors from an old lexus rx300 and plopped them on there.

ahh then it makes more sense :)

anyone else hating the hawaiian music?

That off-road route is a joke. There are too many of these videos that claim to "test" a vehicle off-road, and then they take it onto a road that a two-wheel drive could handle. Let's see it handle some real mud or something.

This wasn't a review it was an advertisement. Let's take this thing through some real "off" roading and see how it does. They didn't show a single thing my 10' impreza could do. Except I got 0-60 faster and get worse gas mileage. Oh, and CVT is horrible. Give me a stick.

3 commercials for a 12 minute video. Good job. Worse than cable

Ah i hate cvt should have given it a 6 speed auto.

Subaru makes nice looking front ends and side exteriors. They always make the rear look cheap and bland. They also have bland interiors full of hard plastic. Ugh come on subie step it up

WHERE IS OFF ROAD THIS WAY I CAN TAKE IN MY LEGACY EASY

The Isight is no fun. too many computers beeping at you for no reason.

Uyte

lol--laugh in a good way or a "oy vey" kind of way?

I kinda like it but ...why would I - the young prospective car buyer - decide to spend 30'000 Euro on this medium ugly, not at all innovative car? where is the gimmick that makes me want one? and 25 mpg in the city is like 9.4 l/100km ...and i guess thats the least you can possibly use not even what you'll really use

That's a very bad english for a public relation guy ;-)