Subaru XV vs Honda Civic

What's the difference?

Subaru has always been a good fit for Australia.

Since the '90s, when the brand made a big splash with its rally derived Impreza and Liberty, Subaru’s rugged appeal has suited Australia’s tough conditions and recreationally adventurous buyers.

Cars like the Forester and Outback solidified the brand’s place amongst SUVs before SUVs were really a thing, and the XV is the logical progression of the Impreza range, slotting nicely into the brand's offerings of lifted all-wheel-drive wagons.

It’s been a few years since the XV launched, however, so can its latest 2021 update keep it in the fight in a quickly evolving and notoriously competitive segment against many newer rivals? We’ve taken a look at the whole range to find out.

I’m just going to cut to the chase here. This Honda Civic hybrid is a good car. A great one, even.

But for some reason, nobody is really buying it. And it’s not just because it’s not an SUV – it has been outsold in its segment this year by the the BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes A-Class, the MG4 EV, and the VW Golf. Premium and non-premium alike, they’ve all got the little Honda licked.

So, what’s going on? A CarsGuide investigation is required. Stick around and we’ll try to figure this out together.