When I look at Subaru's small 4x4, I can't work out how much I like it. A bit like the first time I saw the actress/model Lily Cole, I don't know if it's very pretty or very not. It has big wheels, good ground clearance and permanent four-wheel-drive, but it has scowling road-car headlamps, a steeply raked windscreen and a sleek profile. It's not as mad or confusing as a BMW X6 or a Porsche Cayenne, but it's on the same road.I've been driving a middle of the range, two-litre 148bhp petrol SE version with a six-speed manual gearbox. The muck up the flanks bears testament to 900 miles of assorted roads. The underlying geology is chalk from a wet and rutted farm track to a Neolithic long-barrow on the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire. The middle stratum is motorway grime from a rapid run down to the south-west of England. The topsoil is pure Cornish lane-loam, selflessly donated by dozens of tractormen rumbling from field to sodden field.After twelve days virtually living in the thing, I can say it's a very competent compromise car which, with the exception of a few things, I'd be happy to have and to hold from this day forth.Small SUVs are being made competently by almost everyone, but the XV stands alone, and not only for its opinion-dividing appearance. It has a low centre of gravity thanks to the flat-four boxer engine and road-car-like seating. Despite this it has one of the highest ground clearances in the class, it has full-time four-wheel drive and its also been given a top five-star crash rating in the Euro NCAP tests.Subaru claims this car is capable of an average fuel consumption of over 40mpg but according to the onboard trip computer, my test run average has been just over 36mpg.I'll say right now, this engine is disappointingly asthmatic. It's easy to get caught with nowhere near enough revs to pull away, and in sixth gear it doesn't take much of an uphill to leave it gasping. The official sprint time of 0-62mph is 10.5 seconds and while it's a smooth engine when it's up at operating speeds, it has to work hard to get there.Apart from the uninspiring engine, the driving experience is excellent. The suspension is firm, the steering is fairly light without being too twitchy at speed and there is plenty of feel to the brakes. The gearshift feels a bit mechanical and notchy, but every gate comes and goes easily and the audible clicks with every cog location are soon ignored once you've got used to them.The accommodation inside is adequate rather than capacious. In the front, the seats are still comfortable after four hours of almost non-stop driving. In the back. a friend of mine, well over six foot, said he was comfortable for headroom but his knees were brushing the seat in front.The XV is well-equipped with a good sound system, dual climate control, heated seats, ambient lighting and all sorts of stuff. Dominating the dash is a multifunction trip computer which looks like it's telling you lots of stuff. But as you scroll through the bewildering pages you'll find it mostly uses graphs and charts to tell you the time and how economically you're driving. I've just selected a simple analogue clock display with outside temperature and an average fuel consumption figure and left it at that.The full-colour rear-view parking camera I found useful, even though it wasn't aided by an audible distance sensor. Visibility out the back of the car is okay on the move, but rather limited when you're parking in a tight spot. You need all the help you can get.One annoying feature about the XV is its enthusiasm for telling the driver he's an idiot. It does it using loud bleeps. Indicate right as you enter a roundabout, then sweep the indicator stem to the left as you reach your exit and the car thinks you've accidentally overswept the neutral "off" position and bleeps at you.Worse is the nagging you get when you put the hazard warning lights on. There's a bleep every single time the lights flash. I stopped near Warwick on a dark back road in the rain to check a map but couldn't bear to leave the lights flashing because it was so loud. Why? If you've left the car to go for help, there's no-one there to hear it bleeping. If you're sheltering inside with the family as you wait for the AA, it'll drive you all mad. Subaru, if you're listening, it's not funny and it's not clever.With Christmas coming, you should just about be able to get a tree in the boot. Open the rising hatch and the luggage hold is actually wider than it's deep, but it can be made bigger by pulling a toggle and dropping the back seats forward. The resulting cargo bay doesn't quite have a flat bed – there's a ramped step up of a few inches – but everything sits level. Sadly, it's just a tyre repair and inflation kit under the floor of the boot, but I guess a spare 17" alloy wheel would be an intrusion on the already limited space.The build quality throughout looks strong and functional, despite the insistent squeak from my driver's seat and the distant rattle of something small under the dash. Those may just be on this car which will have been used and abused by a file of the nation's motoring journalists, of which I'm only the latest.If this article reads as if I don't like the car, I'm giving the wrong impression. I enjoy its quirky looks and even if it isn't a very exciting drive, it feels secure and comfortable. Along the dark and mud-spattered lanes of a Cornish autumn, with winds thrashing the hedges as the ditches, streams and rivers gush with water, I've felt warm and safe in this agile little car. On the one occasion I needed to ford a stream, it did so without a blink.For someone like me, living remotely and watching the skies for the first sign of winter's snow, the XV should be a serious consideration. One critical factor however, is the price. At £24,295 it's up there with the big boys from all over the world. There's a lot of choice out there if you're looking for a small SUV, and while the XV runs a strong race, picking it as a winner will depend on your own personal requirements. Engine 1995cc, 4 cylinders Power 148bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 40.9mpg / 160g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.5 seconds Top speed 116mph Price £24,295 Details correct at publication date
Our Rating
