Using the new more rigid, lower centre-of-gravity Subaru Global Platform, the XV is built around the Impreza's five-door hatch body and drivetrains.

There are more significant changes than the superficiality of an eye-catching paint job.Īll variants above the base XV have a standard expanded Eyesight suite of safety features with lane keeping assist (new to XV) to prevent drifting out of your lane, adaptive cruise control with brake light recognition to alert to dangers ahead, lane departure warning, impact avoidance pre collision braking when the system detects your vehicle closing on the one ahead, and more. To Subaru’s credit, Outback also carries a full-size alloy spare wheel.Arguably the best looking of the Subaru range, the XV looks hip enough, helped by some smart new colours. The hero orange colour of the first XV has been replaced by a different, brighter shade called sunshine orange.

A spacious luggage compartment puts most other SUVs to shame, and the simple seat-folding action extends the load capacity and creates a flat floor. Even so, the middle seat is not an ideal position, but it’s still better than in many vehicles. There’s a tendency to slide around on the leather and the seat base is short.įor a medium/large wagon, rear leg and head room is good, for extra comfort the rear seats recline, and all up there’s enough room here for three adults. The front seats provide a respectable level of comfort but are a touch firm and don’t have a lot of side bolstering. It is quite a busy presentation with lots of switches that take a little learning to make the most of what the car can do. For the driver, there are plenty of good features and a few quirks. There’s a classy new centre-dash layout and steering wheel for the 2018 Outback, and the car is smartly trimmed throughout our test car displayed an excellent standard of build, fit and finish.

Subaru navigation system review 2018