2018 Subaru XV vs Mazda CX-5

What's the difference?

Subaru has always been the little brand that could and it’s always fit well into the Australian motoring landscape thanks to slightly unusual designs and particularly practical features. 

The company has moved more into the mainstream by eliminating things like manual transmissions but the quirk is still strong, and the XV is a great example of a small, practical, compact SUV that has just a little bit more, particularly when it comes to off-road ability. It's no LandCruiser, sure, but it will certainly get you further than many of its contemporaries and it'll have a great time doing it.

Is the Subaru XV the standout small SUV, or is it too quirky for its own good? Tell us in the comments below.

The CX-5 GT is a triumph of style and substance. The range is generally a tremendous value-for-money line-up and this upper-echelon offering is no different because a GT buyer will want for nothing – except perhaps Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and if we can live without those, you can too. More of a city-friendly SUV than a rough-and-ready off-roader, the GT is still capable of getting you to where you want to go, as long as you have a realistic notion of AWD-suitable terrain: think formed trails, well-maintained National Parks tracks and perhaps even, at a stretch, very firm sand.

Is the CX-5 a legitimate Adventure vehicle, or should it stay in the suburbs? Tell us what you think the comments below.

This is the latest XV, which was released in 2016 although you wouldn't know it if you owned the old one. When viewed side-on, in fact, both cars look absolutely identical. Even the wheel designs are similar. It's only when you get to the front and rear bumpers that you notice the difference in the tail lights and headlights as well as the signature Subaru grill. 

Well, when you're on a good thing ... If anything, the XV has grown into its design over the years. When it was first released in 2012, a lot of people really didn't know what to make of the XV, but it's since grown in stature - and sales - to become one of the Subaru's most popular cars. 

That external design really points to the XV's quirky yet practical nature with low overhangs at the rear and front, a decent ride height, and black plastic trim to help protect its extremities. The external language carries on through into the interior, which has been lifted from the all new Impreza, which shares its platform with the XV. Funky vertical vents in the centre while the outer vents mimic the design for the air intakes at the front. 

The interior also echoes that of the new Impreza, with sweeping lines, well disguised cheaper plastics and a large multimedia touch screen, that's the heart of the car. This top-shelf version comes with leather seats which are offset with a well executed orange contrast stitch. Alternative stitching doesn't always work in more affordable cars, but in this case, it really gives the XV's cabin a lift.

People who know me, know that I put more stock in what’s under the bonnet than appearance but, having said that, I am still capable of appreciating attractive things. The previous version of the CX-5 looked good; this new one looks damn good. Everything is simply neater, sleeker and more streamlined than before, inside and outside.

Fit and finish is tighter and all materials and designs complement, rather than clash with, each other. That bright white leather – adding a real overall touch of class – doesn’t hurt either.

This CX-5 looks and feels like it sits more comfortably in the realm of sports cars than that of family-friendly SUVs – but I spend zero time in sport cars, so what do I know?

Based on a medium-sized sedan, the small five-seat XV isn't the biggest car inside, but neither is it the smallest. Up front, the driver and passenger are well looked after with nicely bolstered leather seats that perhaps could drop a little bit lower in the car. 

However, a cleverly designed head lining that incorporates the sunroof means there's plenty of space up top, and a steering wheel with a great deal of reach adjustment also helps taller drivers get comfortable. 

Our drivers of shorter stature are well catered for as well, thanks to a good deal of vertical adjustment in the front seat, which allow them to get close to the wheel without having to arch their ankles too far to get back to the brake and accelerator. 

Despite the addition of a large, simple-to-use and attractive touchscreen multimedia system, Subaru still insists on scattering buttons in and around the driver's area almost at random. The steering wheel, in particular, has 15 buttons - and that doesn't include the horn - and there are more controls down toward the driver's right hand as well as on the centre console. 

Front seaters have access to two USB ports, an auxiliary port and a 12-volt socket as well as two cup holders side by side and bottle holders in the doors with dividers

Moving into the rear seat again, that clever head-lining means that the sunroof doesn't steal too much headroom away from taller rear passengers. The 60/40 split-fold rear seat also features an armrest with two cup holders, and small bottle holders also exist in the doors. Unfortunately, there are no vents for rear-seat passengers, nor are there any provisions for charging devices. 

The cargo floor sits very high in the XV, which our less tall testers quite liked; they felt they didn't have to reach in and down to lower bags of shopping or suitcases into the XV. At 310 litres, it does compromise on total volume of space although with the seats down, it offers 765 litres, which is enough to swallow a couple of larger mountain bikes with the front wheels removed. 

There are no levers to flip down the front seats, but it's not much of a reach to get in and do it yourself. There's a space-saver spare wheel sitting underneath the boot floor, though Mrs Robbo did question the lack of a powered tailgate in this top-spec car.  

Overall, the XV is a practical four-seater for the average family, though if you had to ram in five bodies, it might be a little bit crowded. Babies are well catered for with ISOFIX baby seat mounts on the outside rear two seats, but that centre middle seat is a little bit bulbous, while the centre sash belt is incredibly awkwardly placed back over in the right-hand C pillar.

From the front to the back everything is pretty well suited for day-to-day life.

There is ample room for driver and passenger up front with electric adjustment for those forward pews.

Second-row travellers also get stacks of leg and headroom and the driver seat goes nowhere near encroaching on space behind. When it comes time to collapse those second-row seats, it is a 40/20/40 split.

Storage solutions include a space for phones and loose change in front of the shifter, four cupholders (two up front and a pair in the second-row centre arm-rest), and a bottle-recess in each door. Annoyingly, there are two USB ports in the glovebox, which is deep enough for a dog to sit in (only joking!), so it is difficult for the driver to readily access those as a charging point.

There are air vents for both rows.

Down the back, cargo space is 442 litres with the second row up; and 1342 litres with that row flat.

Our review vehicle – an upper-spec Mazda CX-5 GT AWD diesel – had a manufacturer listed price of $47,390 at standard spec, but ours also had Soul Red paint ($300) and optional front and rear floor mats at a cost of $187.02. There is a stack of gear for the price as standard including keyless entry and start, a 7.0-inch touchscreen (with Mazda’s MZD Connect multimedia system but no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), satnav, reversing camera,  front and rear parking sensors, head-up display, cruise control, a 10-speaker Bose stereo, dual-zone climate control, electric front seats, white leather trim, auto wipers, powered and heated folding mirrors, power windows, a sunroof, electric tailgate, 19-inch alloy wheels and a space-saver spare tyre (tucked under the cargo floor). There’s also active automatic LED headlights, LED foglight and plenty of active and passive driver aids.

The XV uses the same 115kW, 196Nm naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine that's in the Impreza. It's been reworked from the oil pan up, netting an amazing 12kg weight saving in the process over the previous generation engine.

It's linked to a continuously variable transmission to Subaru's front-wheel-biased all-wheel drivetrain. Subaru has also added what it calls its X Mode System that’s been plucked from the Forester, which gives the XV a modicum of off-road ability that's not very usual for cars in this category. 

The X Mode System incorporates a low-speed hill descent mode, for example, which interestingly also works in reverse. Basically, set a speed up to 25km/h with the cruise control, take your foot off the brake and accelerator, and let the car do its thing. 

X Mode is essentially providing a low-range mode, and it also gives the XV as much 50/50 traction front-to-rear as is required for the conditions it finds itself in. If you head to the snow or the sand quite regularly, for example, you'll find this feature quite useful.

The GT has a 2.2-litre SkyActiv diesel engine – producing 129kW@4500rpm and a chunky 420Nm@2000rpm – matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. No complaints about this pairing.

Over 320km, the XV returned a dash-indicated figure of 9.1L/100km, against a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 7.0L/100km. Only a handful of these kilometres were done on gravel.

With a fuel tank capacity of 63 litres, the 1462kg XV can travel a theoretical 780km on a single tank. It’ll accept regular unleaded, as well.

We recorded 8.3L/100km for about 160km of daily driving (country, suburban, city and freeway) and 8.7L/100km for 150km of AWD-appropriate touring (including a substantial amount of dirt-road driving). The CX-5 has a 58-litre fuel tank

The little XV stands out from the crowd when you're stuck in the commute, especially in the brighter colours that Subaru seems to sell quite a few of. Our bright orange test example really made its mark in a sea of grey and black on the daily run to work. 

The roomy cockpit for the driver is a boon, especially for taller testers who are able to get very comfortable in the car pretty quickly. Apple CarPlay works very well, while the clever Eyesight system allows the adaptive cruise control to basically drive the car through stop-start traffic with minimal input. It will take the car right down to 0km/h from whatever speed you have set, while a gentle prod on the accelerator will wake it up again to keep it going with the traffic. It's a very clever system, let down only by its reasonably conservative nature when it comes to maintaining gaps between vehicles. 

Even at its lower setting, other drivers were very tempted to fill that space left by the Subaru to the car in front. The system also like to illuminate the brake lights quite a lot, which can irritate drivers behind.

This CX-5 is 4550mm long, 1840mm wide, 1675mm high has a claimed kerb weight of 1744kg and an 11.2m turning circle. It feels low and long – even though it’s not really – and is rock-steady to drive, at any speed.

This CX-5 never feels like anything but a supremely well put-together unit and that makes for a smooth driving experience. Steering is light at the right time and takes on a real weight when you need it to; the 2.2-litre engine is eager and works well off changes in the six-speed auto.

It’s better suited to open-road cruising, than stop-start city driving as it tends to lag off the mark when you actually need it to swiftly budge.

Mazda reckons its staff have worked hard to make the current CX-5’s NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels much better than those in the previous model, but we’d never noticed anything in that earlier thing, and nothing in this latest model, so we have to take their word for it.

The GT is on 19-inch alloys, shod with Toyo Proxes R46 rubber.

The CX-5 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, as a result of testing conducted in September 2017. It has six airbags, ABS, reversing camera, blind-spot monitoring, reverse cross-traffic alert, front and rear auto emergency braking and more. It has two ISOFIX and three top-tether points.

Subaru offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on the XV as well as roadside assistance for the first three years.

Fixed-price servicing is also offered for the first three years or 37,500km. It costs  $348.50 for the first and third services and $601.59 for the second, which totals nearly $1300 over three years.

It’s not the cheapest service deal on the market, especially considering the relative simplicity of a non-turbocharged engine and CVT transmission combination.

Service intervals have increased from six months to 12 months or 12,500km, whichever comes first – but don’t neglect them! Thanks to that unique boxer engine design, Subarus need regular oil changes to prevent sludge building up in the cylinder bores.

Subaru regularly offers a bonus two-year warranty on top of the standard package.

Mazda offers a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty on the CX-5; capped price servicing is included. The servicing schedule is set at six months/10,000km and will cost from $317 to $387.