Subaru XV

This car is great. I have bought 2019 base model and still running well. I have travelled Brisbane and sunshine coast couple of times from Sydney. Its very convenient and easy to drive. One thing I don’t like about this car is it’s entertainment unit. I’m neat picking but. It seldom disconnects the apple carplay and fails to connect. Also while… Read more

using navigation and map, you need to change the volume and it darkout the screen with volume icon. Is this really needed instead of small notification that do not shut the entire map? Its already been more than 6 years and now i have slowly getting dust particles on the inner edge of the screen. Well apart from that, this car is wonderful and will keep driving.

Car is a lemon. Subaru Australia a bitter disappointment – Less than 97K on the clock, and the XV engine fails, requiring >$7000 in repairs. At the time of our previous service, we alerted the dealer that we were worried about the head gasket and were told *not* to worry; the Subaru service did not raise any concerns. Six months later, there's oil in the coolant and multiple failures and damage. The… Read more

local dealer made a "Goodwill claim" on our behalf to Subaru Australia. Readers of other posts won't be surprised that it was rejected, with no formal reason given other than "it's not a manufacturing defect". I've returned to the local dealer, who is reasonable and helpful, to ascertain the reasons behind the rejection. The Subaru Australia "Customer Relations Consultant" has been unforthcoming, other than they don't consider this to be a manufacturing issue. In sum, the dealership are doing the best they can. The Subaru cars are good, unless you get a lemon. We got a lemon. My experience of Subaru Australia has been awful. They seem to have biased their "Customer Relations" approach towards rejecting reasonable claims and reasonable requests for information and hoping you'll go away. To avoid future dramas, take Subaru off your shopping list.

Absolutely Brilliant – Our vehicle was purchased new in Feb 2021 and now has 25,000 kms on the clock. It has performed faultlessly over that time., we have just returned from a 2 week touring holiday and covered 2060 kms and obtained 6.6 litres per 100 kms. The vehicle drives perfectly and is very comfortable and has excellent vision when you are driving. It cruises… Read more ·  1

along the highway effortlessly and the suspension is brilliant over rough surfaces, the ride is top notch and is up there with far more expensive vehicles. The sensational CVT transmission has the vehicle doing 1800 rpm when cruising at 110 kph on the highway. We could not be happier with the vehicle, everything works as it should and is perfect for our needs.

Review submitted in Feb 2022 Our XV is now 12 months old with approx 9500 kms on the clock and we could not be happier with the vehicle. Everything works as it should, it is beautiful to drive and we can not fault the vehicle. It is very impressive on longer trips, comfort, visibility and fuel economy are all brilliant. A recent fuel economy check on a trip over 525 kms was 6.3 litres per 100 kms. It is booked in for its 12 month service this week, I will continue to submit a review on the vehicle every 12 months

Review submitted in April 2021: Purchased new 2 months ago we could not be happier with our XV, we knew it would be great and it has exceeded expectations in all areas. The vehicle has a very smooth ride is very comfortable and spacious inside and has great vision when driving. The CVT transmission is an absolute gem, two fuel economy checks have come in at 6.8 & 7.0 litres per 100 kms, a great result as the XV had less than 1500 kms on the clock. Performance is more than adequate for our purpose and when cruising at 110 kph in neutral conditions on the freeway that awesome CVT has the XV cruising along at a very low 1800 rpm. We live in Ballarat in regional Victoria and the XV is used for everyday driving and regular trips to Melbourne. The safety features are fantastic and the radar cruise control is brilliant. We plan to keep the XV for 8 - 10 years and I am very confident it will serve us well. We also own a BRZ which has provided us with 6 years of trouble free motoring.

4th Subaru and Wife (still) loves it. Expanded review at 70,000km – I have owned a 98 Impressa RX, 05 Forester X, Outback 2.5l Petrol and now my wife had an 2017 XV - S Premium. Bright Orange for safety and individuality this has the lot. Auto safety front and rear, leather, heated seats front, distinct interior styling, headlight that go around corners, etc. etc. RRP on road was over $40,000 AUD but we dealed… Read more ·  3

and secured a demonstrator actual show car , never registered with 800km for just on $37,000 drive away. However this was orecobid price rises.

WHAT WE LIKE pretty much everything. As my wife’s car it is sporty without being fast, very safe, very comfortable and easy to drive. It’s not fast or super economical but like all AWD Subaru it sticks to the ground like glue. And living in an area with snow, hail and black ice - that matters most.

THE GOOD - AWD, safety, heated seats, reversing camera incredible. Looks. Build quality. CVT. Auto front and rear braking. Sunroof. Headlights (led) and turn around corners. Interior quality APPLEPLAY. Keyless entry or locking * Full size spare. Runs happily on 91 Octane ULP. Wheel rims are not only stylish but with the tyre budge so you don’t scratch or scuff on gutters. Auto on/ off hi beam actually works. Auto rear mirror dipping. Safety everywhere.

THE NOT SO GOOD- tyre wear, poor sound in rear - hard to hear driver talking.

Subaru mapping is Tom Tom and cannot be updated easily after a few years. Using APPLE maps is better.

Keyless power off or off is vague, more than you should you exit to find engine is still on in fuel saver mode down mode, but that is me and I don’t drive often.

THE UGLY - dumb design.

The side rear view mirrors turn in like many cars but only on a button with power on. This means once you close the mirrors you are inside the car and blind when you open the drivers side door! A serious error Subaru! It should be turn in on locking the car. Out on unlocking. Clearly Subaru added as a last minute.

Take a phone call and an icon comes up telling you so, except it deletes the digital speed display.

No overhead rear boot light the design is low and sporty at the back so it frankly dark. One right side lights is there but if you have anything in the boot it obstructs the light.

No rear AC vents. Seriously? The back gets hot and if I had a baby in a seat I would be concerned. It’s stuffy and frankly poor design or Cousy cutting or both.

THE INCREDIBLE

THE REAR CAMERA is amazing. Yes it beeps and yes it has lines of your orientation and where you are going swings but it lights up night into day. Uber clear. Ok My outback was good, this is incredible. My hilux is rubbish.

X MODE and Hill ASSIST I have used these sparingly but a trip to Mt Buller in real snow, in a line of vehicles crawling nose to tail towards the car parks, well it gripped like you know what to a blanket. I could see much $$$$ 4wd like BMW struggling but the XV just engaged the park brake automatically each time we stopped on a grade. It never slipped up or sideways and was running std original road tyres.

NOTE ON THE BOOT it’s small. A family of three yes, we can holiday by soft bags only but I am not going to say it’s a fail because it is obvious. The outback boot was cavernous. Need a big boot - wrong car.

NOTE ON INSURANCE essential to have windscreen cover and good insurance. Replace windscreen is $2000 because of the need to fit. Front headlight 1 only is $2700 due to complex features. Be warned.

Paint is chipping in odd spots, is the paint ok? – I bought a brand new 2021 XV and had the car Permaguarded paint protected prior to collection in February (2022) this year, I have travelled just over 7,000 km. In the past few of weeks, tiny chips in the paint have started appearing, right down to the metal, the paint colour is Plasma Yellow Pearl. Is there anything wrong with the actual paint.… Read more ·  3

The chips are high up on front passenger door and in middle of boot, the spots seem out of the way for flying stones to hit ….. Otherwise, the car is terrific! I use the car for Highway / street driving, it is off street, in a carport overnight. The car is used at least three times per week and has it’s regular service checks.

Love my Subaru XV – I owned a 2012 model and then bought a 2022 model because I just really liked it. Was a good price point for me, I like the dash and the steering wheel feeling like it had weight (wasn't a fan of the sparse look of other cars). I really like the extra ride height. The only issue is space - sometimes I throw my bike in the back but it takes a bit… Read more ·  1

of working out in the new version. I usually commute just to work but have taken it on the occasional road trip and its done well so far.

Love the car, interior wearing prematurely – Daily drive, purchased new 2020. No mechanical issues serviced as per log book. Front drivers seat stitching starting to wear at 40k have purchased seat covers but this is my only issue. Show details ·  1

Subaru Australia Bad Experience – Nice Car but Paint Very low Quality , New Car in Pearl, Clear Coat Stained from Day 1. Subaru Australia would not support. Dealer and Accredited Spray painter agreed it was an Warranty Issue. Subaru Australia refused claim. Please everyone review Subaru Low quality Paint issues before buying Show details

Always raved about Subaru. Never again – Very disappointed. After owning two Subaru Outbacks, I puchased a brand new XV in late 2018. It drove so well, I was thrilled..until the very end of 2021 when my warranty ran out. Since then: all the warning lights come on every few thousand kms. It shudders and roughly idles. It loses power. I’ve had to get the engine cleaned and sludge… Read more

removed due to carbon build up numerous times. Today I was told by my local Subaru dealer that I need a whole new engine! At 60,000 kms. Never again.

I’m a single mum trying to make ends met, and I just want to get from A to B! So disheartened Subaru

Peeling Steering Wheel- Subaru Australia totally fobbed us – To clarify- my rating is for Subaru Australia's poor after sales service and warranty, the car is great. We purchased our XV new and take great care of it, the steering wheel started peeling a while back and was mentioned at each service with no warranty given at the dealership. we escalated to Subaru Australia who said point blank it's a… Read more

wearable item. I agree to a point that items are wearable but how many new cars have peeling steering wheels with a year or two of being purchased.

After a basic google search it's clear that this is a model and brand wide issue for Subaru, it's a faulty, not fit for purpose item which should be replaced or repaired under warranty.

I won't buy another Subaru.

Very nice car for family and to zoom around very spacious while being a small family car

Great car but Apple CarPlay connection is making me mad – It is my daily car to drive to work. Great car to drive but I have been frustrated with the Apple CarPlay which keeps cutting on and off on warm day. The worst time is the hot day in summer which it would take more than 15 minutes to connect to CarPlay. Talked to Subaru Service when I put my car in for service. Of course, no issue occurring… Read more

during service and they reckoned that my USB cable was no good. I have tried many new cables and the problem doesn’t go away.

Great car – Looks great and fits in with the best We had a good look around on most competitors This car ticks all boxes Enough power for around town and country travelling Very comfortable for 2 people,without having to use a ladder to get into Show details ·  1

Good car except for the poor fuel economy – I talked my parents into buying a new car. They ended up deciding on an XV. In general its a good car and suits their needs in terms of ride height and ease of entry and exit, compact size, active safety and my father who's in his 80s is happy with the way it drives. I drive it at least once per week. Personally I'm not a fan of the cvt. I find it… Read more

a little unpredictable depending on throttle input.

The main reason for giving the car only 3 stars is the fuel economy. Getting better fuel economy was one of the reasons I wanted my parents to get a new car. We mainly do suburban driving in Sydney. Over the first year of ownership, the XV has consistently averaged over 11.5 ltrs per 100kms over a tank of fuel. Its not uncommon to see the trip computer showing over 12 ltrs per 100kms. I consider this to be poor given the car's weight, the engine and the fact that we use premium 95 fuel. The car has now done over 5000 kms and there's no sign that the fuel economy is improving as the engine is run in. I get better fuel economy driving my Mazda in peak hour and it weighs 150kg more, has 60% more power and more than double the torque of the XV. When I took the XV in for its 12 month service the guy serving me tried to convince me that the fuel economy isn't excessive which I totally disagree with. They supposedly did a number of tests but couldn't find anything wrong with the car.

Extremely disappointing – We bought our Subaru XV new in 2016, our daughter also purchased one at the same time. A few months after warranty ran out my daughter and I had a conversation about the peeling of the faux leather on the steering wheel, which had been like this for a long time especially my daughters car. We both didn't realise it was happening to each others… Read more

car. I reported the problem to our Subaru dealer where we purchased the vehicles and they put in a report and claim on our behalf. Subaru Australia came back with a partial cover of the cost of replacing the steering wheel, which would leave us $100's of dollars out of pocket and we would have to pay for the labour. I contacted Subaru and tried to put my case forward that this must be a manufacturing problem with the steering wheels for it to happen to both our vehicles, but they couldn't care less. I reminded them this was our third purchase of a new Subaru, we've always been loyal to the brand, but they never even acknowledged this in their reply, which was very generic. We are due to purchase a new vehicle this year and it probably won't be a Subaru unfortunately.

This is the best car without doubt for safety and comfort in its range – I use this car family transport and transportin my golfing equipment. I use this car every day. I get this car serviced as per the service manual and have had no issues. Show details ·  1

Perfect car without a punch – Perfect for city drive and weekend getaway. But every time you stop in front of traffic light you’ll wish it’s a 2.5 or turbo version you can’t buy in Australia Show details ·  1

I Love my car – I bought my subaru xv in the top of the line petrol version in the pale blue or khaki grey colour. I love my car. Its a joy to drive. Its big enough for my 6.3 foot boyfriend to be comfortable in yet its small enough to park. When you put the seats down you can get a lot in it. The colour is stunning and its just a pleasure to drive. I hope hope hope it will be reliable. Haven't had it long enough to tell. Show details ·  1

CVT Transmission Solenoid – Like many posters here, bought this car used, recently had 'AT Oil Temp' light flashing, Subaru dealer says its CVT Transmission Solenoid & will cost ~$4000 to fix. Not the first issue I've had with this Subaru, and being hit with high repair/parts costs from Subaru. Definitely only a car that's good for 5-8 yrs after manufacture, after that it essentially becomes a lemon.  Show details

A DREAM CAR!!! but what about the seat covers – I purchased my first new car, this being my Subaru. It is an amazing car to drive, excellent on fuel. Got heaps of power I cannot fault the car. When I purchased the car I also ordered the Subaru XV seat covers. I couldn't be more disappointed. They are no more than the throw covers the mechanic uses when servicing your car. Every time you get out… Read more ·  1

you have to unfold the cover as it doesn't cover the sides of the seats so therefore as you sit it folds back on itself, the sides of the seats are completely open and offer no protection as is the whole back of the seat, so if you have someone in the back seat there is again no protection for the rear of your seats and with a price tag of $451 I expected a high quality durable seat cover that covered all of my seat and protected it. Sadly the seat covers a huge waste of money. I would like a refund so I could go and purchase a descent quality seat covers that will do the job one would expect seat covers to do.

The problem fixed with satisfaction – Subaru Xv 2016 which Starlink touch screen suddenly frozen, the car has no bluetooth, no GPS, no reverse camera, nothing now. rang Subaru Dealer and was told no service available. The Subaru dealer replaced the the whole radio set Free of charge after 1 month. All good now.  Show details ·  2

Comfortable and great off road , performance not that bad at all – No problem with our 2015 or our new xv. Very good handling , fun to drive off road and as a general commuter, Servicing a little more than 2wd cars but not that bad. Its not a fast car off the mark but considering the average speed limits and everyone saying slow down on the roads i do not see a problem with the power it has, its really ok with us.  Show details ·  1

Oil issues – Nice looking car but don't bother buying it. The XV will chew through oil as it gets older, and their service centre support is terrible (looking at you Subaru Parramatta).  Show details

Rust after only 7 years – Bought a 2013 XV brand new and have always had the car serviced, garaged and no damage with only 106,000 K’s on the clock. Raised the boot and noticed that just below the roof line around the spot weld that there was an amount of rust. This is a well protected area so no damage to the paint could possibly occur. I contacted a repairer who said… Read more

that there is no way that this rust should be there on a 7 year old car and that I should contact Subaru about it. I did so and was told to bring in my car and that they will take and send photos of the rust to Subaru to have them make a determination. A couple of days later I was contacted by the dealer service centre to bring in all my service records which I did. 2 days later I received a SMS message saying Subaru declined my request for them to repair the issue. I contacted Subaru direct asking why and the reply was that “presumed external factors” caused the rust and that I needed to prove there was a manufacturer fault for them to have another look into my claim. How can you prove a manufacturer fault on an area of the body that is well protected from any external factors. Would advise anyone with an XV to replace their car before warranty runs out as no goodwill will be shown. This was my second Subaru as the I had the previous one for 16 years and not a speck of rust.

Five year use by – Great car until 5 years are up. Bought new, fully serviced at Subaru. Took it in for a service, quoted $626 received a call to tell me there were issues. New service bill...$7000!!!!! The car has about 100 000km on it and usually only one driver. Rang customer service and they are looking in to it. The service centre offered me $6000 to buy my car from me. Less than the cost of the service. First and last Subaru I'll ever buy.  Show details

Great Car For The Money – I have owned a 2019 XV Since September 2019 and love it! The car is the top of the range unit that more than covers all our needs. I was skeptical about owning a Subaru due to never owning a Boxer motor or a CVT transmission. But I was pleasantly surprised at the performance (no race car though) and fuel economy of the vehicle. The eyesight… Read more ·  1

feature is excellent with adaptive cruise control and lane guidance.

The onboard navigation (TomTom Platform) updates itself via your home wifi which is great.

1 x recall so far and that was just an ECM update.

Being top of the range it would have been nice to have an auto tailgate as the top of the line Subaru Outback has.

The local Subaru dealer seems fine and does a good job so far.

We test drove Hyundai Kona, Honda HRV, and CRV, Ford Escape, Nissan x-trail among others before settling on the Subaru.

Subaru XV valve body failure – June 2018 - needed to replace the value body ($2500 for the genuine part) - transmission lights on including failure of cruise control etc. October 2020 - the same problem has represented. Around 30,000K since June 2018. In 2018 - Subaru not interested in the problem. Here we go again! Show details

Don’t bother unless you want a lemon – Purchased a 2014 XV with a full dealer service history 2 weeks out of warranty and 50,000kms on the clock, started experiencing issues within a month of purchase after visiting the dealer for the 36month service. Engine stalling and loosing power on the freeway at 100km per hour, multiple warning lights etc... each time Subaru could not ‘find the… Read more

problem’ and would tell me nothing was wrong with the car even after we turned up to the dealership with the car running and error codes on the dash!

Fast forward 2.5years later with 6 monthly (approx every 6,000km servicing) it has left us stranded multiple times on long trips - always with the same issues.

But the best part not yet hit 100,000kms, it is now un-drivable and now we finally get our ‘diagnosis’.... a short engine rebuild and full engine harness replacement due to an internal oil leak moving into the wiring, leaking into the actuators and heading for the ECM - a repair which is going to cost more than the car is worth (over $20,000)!

Subaru Australia refuses to come to the party to help with the $20,000+ repair or diagnosis costs (another $1,000) with absolutey no explanation given as to why not - apparently standard practice.

So here we are - having looked after this car meticulously for 3 years only driven it for 47,000kms we are now stuck with no family car and no recourse to turn to for support for a product which one would expect would last longer than less than 100,000kms.

Our problem was clearly internal to the engine from the start and says a lot about the quality of this engine - lemon. Spare yourself the heartache and money and don’t bother. Will never ever ever ever buy a Subaru again. No amount of spin can make up for a bad and defective product.

Very disappointed – Never again will I buy a Subaru. Two years old and undriveable. Subaru Australia are telling me it’s not a manufacturer fault so not covered under the 5 year warranty. Those warranties are advertising to get people to buy the cars. Show details

after my long history with Subaru it's now OVER – I have always owned Subarus from early eighties and all log book serviced. My current XV (Mizuno edition) is my seventh Subaru. I converted my dad from Holden, my ex from Mazda, my sister from Toyota and my partner from Ford. I should have been on commission! Have been enquiring about purchasing 2020 XV. My car developed a strange whirring noise a… Read more

few weeks ago, was told bearing in the clutch. Today at 119,000kms it all turned very ugly indeed. Not even game to drive my car to the dealership - loud screeching and clunking and almost non existant clutch. after reading some reviews here it would appear this is the new normal for Subaru. disgraceful - NEVER AGAIN.

CVT Transmission Solenoid – I’ve owned the vehicle since new (2015) and use it to commute to work. This is my third Subaru and they’ve never let me down. The AT temp light came on (along with all the other warning lights) at 115,000k. The local Subaru dealer informed me the transmission solenoid had failed and will cost $3400 for the part only (possibly a $4.5K to $5K job).… Read more

They also stated ‘we’ve been getting a few of these lately’. I’ve been told this is an emerging problem but no extended warranty or good will? The vehicle will be payed off in October, I was planning to purchase another.....

CVT Transmission issue and many more issue – Bought a new car Subaru XV in 2012, serviced regularly, it was ok for about five years after that too many problems. Some of the problems are touchscreen right side not functioning, key working intermittently. When servicing at Subaru asked them to fix the key, they charged 10 dollars and said there is nothing wrong with the key just battery was… Read more

placed wrong way. Key still has same issue and if battery was placed with wrong polarity, key will not work at all. Yesterday while driving suddenly lights started flashing on dashboard including ‘on oil temp’ red light. Today I took the car to local mechanic and he said the transmission has problem and would cost over 4000 to fix it. After I checked on google found out that this is the common issue with Subaru xv and in US Subaru is offering extended warranty for this issue but not in Australia. I bought Subaru thinking it’s a reliable car. Never going to buy Subaru again better go for cheaper brand even they will last for 7-8 years.