Subaru XV News

Subaru Australia has announced its first petrol-electric XV small SUV will arrive in March next year, with the aptly named Hybrid to command a hefty $6340 premium over the petrol variant it is based upon.

Subaru's Forester and XV SUVs will be the brand's first hybrid vehicles, with both set to get mild-hybrid powertrain options in Q1, 2020.The vehicles were initially tipped to arrive toward the end of 2019, but their arrival has been pushed back slightly,

Subaru used the Geneva Motor Show overnight to reveal the Viziv Adrenaline concept car, which at first appears to preview a future XV, but that is not necessarily the case.The Viziv Adrenaline's chunky styling is a clear step beyond the current XV, featuring large wheel arches with black cladding, patterned LED front foglamps, front and rear skid plates and even two bonnet scoops.From the side, the Viziv Adrenaline uses a similar silhouette as the current XV with relatively short overhangs, which could be the biggest clue as to the brand’s intentions with the concept car.The rear of the Viziv Adrenaline uses the same foglamp pattern as the front, with small LED taillights and two rear spoilers that channel air away from the rear. It’s the first car to be designed under the brand’s new “BOLDER” design philosophy, which replaces the “Dynamic x Solid” look of previous Subaru products. Subaru Australia PR boss David Rowley told CarsGuide today that the Viziv Adrenaline concept could preview a number of products, though a more off-road focused XV may be most likely."Other than just showing new Subaru design, the Viziv Adrenaline concept points  more towards off-road ability than something like an XV WRX or STi" he said.This also sounds like it could be manifest as an XV version of the more off-road flavoured Forester Sport currently sold in the US, but that roofline also suggests it could be a coupe version of the Forester. We've seen a similar relationship before, between the Mazda CX-5 and CX-4 sold in China, but also the new Volkswagen T-Roc that's effectively a coupe version of the Tiguan. Whatever the case, here's hoping the production version looks closer to the concept than what we've seen with previous Viziv concepts. 

Subaru has launched a major 121,754-vehicle recall to fix a potential fault which can cause the brake lights to fail (though the brakes themselves will still work), with every Forester, WRX, Impreza and XV sold over a particular timeframe impacted.

If you've got a Subaru on backorder, be prepared to wait a little longer. Because one of the Japanese brand's two global production facilities has been frozen after a suspected faulty in a power-steering part was discovered.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued its latest round of safety recalls, led by American Special Vehicle’s converted Ram 2500 and 3500 pick-ups.

Subaru's plug-in hybrid XV (called the Crosstrek Hybrid in international markets) will make its debut at the LA Auto Show in November ahead of an international launch at the end of the year.

The Subaru XV 2019 range is set to see the inclusion of a new petrol-electric hybrid model, and it is set for inclusion in the brand's Australian model range by the end of 2020.

Holden's new Astra sedan and the imminent Subaru XV crossover have both been awarded five stars from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) in the latest round of crash testing.In handing down the latest scores, the crash safety watchdog took a swipe at Subaru for not offering autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard on the base variant, and Holden for not making the technology available on any Astra sedan.ANCAP chief executive officer James Goodwin warned that if car makers want a five-star rating for their cars, they must be fitted with AEB as standard from January 1 next year as the organisation brings its test protocols into line with Euro ANCAP."It is disappointing autonomous emergency braking is not available across the board on two new models, and we continue to encourage consumers to ask for, and brands to offer, this potentially life-saving technology," he said."As our requirements become more stringent next year, it will not be possible for new models to achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating without an effective AEB system fitted as standard."While the Astra sedan is not offered with AEB, even as an option, the hatch comes with AEB for city driving on all but the base R variant.The South Korean-built Astra sedan goes on sale next month and is based on the Chevrolet Cruze, but Holden has elected to dub it Astra to keep it in line with its new small hatch that was launched in December last year.Despite sharing the same GM Delta II platform as the hatch, ANCAP determined that the two models were different enough in structure, specification and manufacturing source to warrant a separate crash test for the sedan.The Astra sedan achieved an overall score of 34.94 points out of 37, with lower leg protection and driver chest protection rated as 'acceptable', as well as front-seat passenger chest protection. The pedestrian protection rating was also 'acceptable'.The Astra sedan performed better than its hatch stablemate that scored 32.86 points for adult protection – losing points for chest and lower leg impact – to also nab a five-star rating.While the Astra sedan is not offered with AEB, even as an option, the hatch comes with AEB for city driving on all but the base R variant.Lane support systems (LSS) which will also be mandatory come next year is offered as an option on the Astra sedan.The Subaru XV has AEB and LSS on higher-spec variants as options or standard equipment, but the base model has neither.ANCAP gave the Subaru XV its five-star rating based on the crash performance of its hatch and sedan twin under the skin, the Impreza, which was launched in December last year and shares the same underpinnings and sourcing.The Impreza achieved a five-star rating last November, scoring 35.8 points out of a possible 37 for adult occupant protection, only losing 1.2 points for 'acceptable' lower leg and driver chest protection in the frontal offset crash test. Pedestrian protection was rated as 'good'.All of the scores were carried over for the XV which rolls into showrooms in Australia next month. 

Subaru Australia has sliced up to $2400 off the price of its new-generation XV compact SUV.