Looking to buy Suburu.
This would be our first Suburu. Bought typical Mazda, Honda or Toyota before.
Dealer quoted $39,000
A. Is it better to wait till December for end of year deals? The car has wait for few months anyways.
B. Just curious on how does Suburu work out for maintenance, etc. Is it cheap like Mazda, etc or more like the European cars?
C. Just curious if any other equivalent to look at? Honda RV looked good but preference is on Suburu
Hrv feels gutless, but should be similar to non-turbo boxer.
XV is underpowered and dull.
IMO.
Ride is great though
You can replace XV with anything in the same class and that sentence would still be accurate. XV is still my pick of the class though.
nah I'd take one of those turbo 3 cyl 1L engines over it any day of the week. Such a shame cause the engine and CVT ruins the entire package imo. But you're right, it's not the only manufacturer guilty of using gutless setups in small-mid sized SUV's.
Yep, a turbo or 2.5L XV would sell well IMO.
US gets a 2.5. Problem is the XV sells well, just look at how many you see on the roads. That means Subaru Aust (still Inchcape?) has no motivation to do anything new or better. I wanted to buy one but I'm too impatient to wait 6+ months as it often means by the time you receive it the next MY is being announced and I keep hoping they'll give us the 2.5 or another XT Forester or something so I bought a Kia off the lot to do me for now and I'll look again in a few years when this chip shortage nonsense is hopefully over.
They are but I have 2 friends that own XVs and they both love them. It appears to be what most people want.
Maintenance plan is listed here: https://www.subaru.com.au/xv/owners/benefits
3yr's of maintenance will cost $1279.49
A. No. Shortage shortage shortage. Especially a new model.
B. In between. Boxers costs a little bit more. But, its every 12months on new cars. So… Difference is prob 1-200 a year compared to a toyota.
C. VX is unique. But consider toyota chr, mitsubishi eclipse cross.
A. Is it better to wait till December for end of year deals? The car has wait for few months anyways.
While demand exceeds supply (buyers are waiting for stock) deals are very limited. If you wait til December you’ll be waiting a few extra months for it to arrive. You also risk increased pricing due to inflation and supply/shipping constraints from covid problems.
The best time to buy a new car and get a great deal is when there is no demand and dealers are try Ng everything they can to get you to buy. Right now people are lined up to buy so if they can’t sell to you, there’s a mother person in line with a higher amount of cash.
I own a Subaru Outback (2015) and can attest to them being comfortable, reliable and dependable cars (esp for country driving). I have friends and family who drive XV's and would say the same. In saying that, Subaru SUV's are all underpowered & quite dull, and besides the Outback, are towards the bottom of the pack (in their respective class) when it comes to fuel economy (given their AWD systems).
If buying a new car in today's climate (non-performance car) I seriously couldn't recommend anything outside of a Hybrid/PHEV/BEV(if you can afford it and don't drive country) setup. Whilst Australia is in the backwaters of the world when it comes to emission-standard's, and fuel is cheap here compared to the rest of the developed world, people are putting a greater emphasis on fuel consumption and emissions now more than ever. This would seriously impact on the resale values of regular ICE (outside of performance and 4x4) cars in the upcoming years through gov disincentives and societal change, whilst somewhat maintaining the values of 'Green Vehicles' until we transition over.
Subaru in this regard has quite a poor offering when it comes to electrification given their XV and Forester Hybrids are barely 10% more efficient than their regular counterparts.
They already use CVT's across the board and have had collaborations with Toyota for other ventures so maybe if they were to employ Toyota Hybrid tech in their offering they could make a suitably eco vehicle (like the Mazda Axela Hybrid in Japan, which is a Mazda 3 that has a Prius's hybrid running gear and a Mazda engine)
OP I would recommend something from the Toyota lot and given the mention of the XV maybe perhaps wait for the Corolla Cross to be released next year? Other noteworthy mentions would be Hyundai/Kia hybrid offerings like the Niro.
Subaru XV, old faithful.
1, no Subaru models come out mid year, also shortage.
2. As above capped plans.
3. None that provide as good as Subaru AWD system. I'd look at Hyundai and Kia lots, they're good manfactures.
The Subaru AWD system on paper was good, but after they introduced the CVT gearbox it is essentially useless. It cuts power to the wheels when it detects slip, in order to preserve the gearbox. It means that while the car is fine on the road, it is now incapable of tackling even light offroad trails.
Straight up misinformation mate, honestly. People who buy a Subaru aren’t rock crawling. They’re for fire trails and snow, which they are great at CVT or otherwise.
The CVT cant cope on a fire trail when it gets even slightly hairy. It's a shit under powered old car, with a shit gearbox. It's a big no buy from me.
@[Deactivated]: But that’s just not true? All you have to do is search on YouTube for outback and XVs going places you wouldn’t dream of taking an outlander or HRV. Obviously the CVT isn’t going to help you go full 4x4 but it’s no issues for light duty.
Besides I highly doubt OP is interested in off-roading in a big way by the sounds of it.
@[Deactivated]: So, so disingenuous. You linked a video that was so “meh” that they uploaded follow up that did it differently. Also, it absolutely is rough terrain that most SUV owners wouldn’t even consider going up. The most off road a XV will go is a flat fire trail.
I repeat, disingenuous. Do you work for a conventional auto manufacturing plant burnertoasty? Or maybe you’re with Big DSG…
@jrowls: a DSG is a million times better than any CVT, unless it has a dry clutch and you want it to last. Even those piece of shit VW 7 speed dry clutch DSGs are way better when they are actually working.
And lets not pretend that CVTs are reliable.
@[Deactivated]: There we go.
How many recalls on Volkswagen Group transmissions?
How many recalls on Subaru CVTs?
Subaru had the first CVT in a production car long before VW were cool, and make them in-house to spec to fit their cars, unlike most CVT-using cars (again, looking at you Nissan).
Subaru even offered an extended 10 year 100,000 mile warranty on their previous generation CVTs after concerns in the US around stalling. Issue was rectified post-2015 model years. No CVT recalls in Aus.
Good luck finding any major issues in recent Subaru MY CVTs.
I repeat: not a CVT fan. Subaru CVT good.
@jrowls: No CVT is good inherently. The only reason any manufacturer would make one is that they are cheaper to make. Zero advantages over a standard ZF8 for example.
@[Deactivated]: Fuel efficiency and optimum rpm called and want to know what you’re on about???
Also for Subaru they chose it for packaging reasons. With a boxer engine and symmetrical awd, they couldn’t fit a 6+ speed gearbox in the way they wanted
@jrowls: Sure they did. They did it because Subaru make budget cars on a shoestring budget, and it's a budget gearbox.
@jrowls: Someone's opinion is different from mine, therefore they must be a troll. It doesn't matter that what they are saying makes sense, because I bought a Subaru, and the review I found on the Subaru website gave the car 5 stars.
@[Deactivated]: Nah mate what makes you a troll is ignoring everything I’ve said and parroting your own nonsense.
“Budget cars” lmao righto
@jrowls: Oh, you think you rabbiting on about gearbox packaging isn't bullshit? You either completely made it up, or you believe the bullshit the Subaru salesman told you, not because it was true, but because you wanted to.
@[Deactivated]: I didn’t buy mine new, so no need to deal with the Subaru salesman hun. All you need to do is have a look at the size, weight and shape of some off the shelf auto transmissions and compare them to Subarus in house CVT packaged with the H6 in an outback for example. Not a whole lot of wiggle room there. Check out some cutaway diagrams. It’s busy.
Also, why would they spend all the extra money to buy or develop a new transmission when they have one they are happy with and customers either like, don’t mind, or at worst, put up with? You just don’t make sense.
@jrowls: You can still get manuals in other markets. Local Aust distributor just doesn't bother allowing them locally. The move to CVT and autos is driven by fuel efficiency and electronic aids many of which is difficult to get working with a manual trans. I've driven them. Would I pick a manual or auto over the CVT? Yes I would but there's nothing wrong with the way they drive or any problems with them. Some people are just clearly biased against some brands based upon their personal beliefs alone.
@apsilon: I've owned two Subarus. Both manuals. They were fine, but they were budget cars. The scary thing is Subaru have barely moved on in those years. Sure the manual would be better in these cars, but for all intents and purposes, these are very old tech designs, built for a real budget.
@[Deactivated]: You’re an ideologue mate. They have moved on, from you. They have a new global platform developed with Toyota, hybrid tech as well. You might not like it and that’s fine, I don’t really like the direction either, but you can’t say they haven’t changed.
I find material quality inside to be at the very least better than Toyota who charge similar amounts. Plastic steering wheel on a 90k land cruiser huh?
@apsilon: Finally, a rational response. Same here - I would obviously prefer a Manuel but the CVT is absolutely fine and seems highly reliable from every source I can find, other than some issues with the 2012-2015 ones stalling.
@jrowls: There were some issues with the very early ones. Subaru fixed it and gave owners an extended warranty. Hasn't been an issue since. I've driven them and decided to buy one. Only reason I didn't was because I'm impatient and didn't want to wait for the current extended periods so got something else that I could get off the lot but will come back to it in a year or so.
@apsilon: Totally - doesn’t take much research to figure that out.
What have you ended up with and which subie were you going to buy after?
@jrowls: I bought a Kia Picanto GT. Cheap new car, in stock so 2 days delivery. I work from home now and wanted to get rid of my ute that I no longer need and old Forester, had too many cars and just needed something to do the grocery run so have gone from 4 cars to 2 in the space of a week. The Kia is going to be useless for camping though but I'm not going to get away for a while yet. Was bit of an impulse decision but I can change over again in a year or so. Had decided on an XV L but waits are just too long.
@apsilon: Great call tbh. Picanto seems like a top car bang for buck, and value shouldn’t hit the floor if you sell in two years. XV L is still a good choice, hopefully there will be a new one by the time you purchase!
@jrowls: Figured it's likely the last manual I'll have a chance to buy so may as well enjoy it for now. Effectively didn't cost me anything as the two cars I got rid of paid for it a few times over plus I'm saving rego and insurance.
MY22 should be coming out around now but with the supply issues and shut down of production last month I don't think we'll see it until the new year now. Still keeping my fingers crossed they'll bring out the 2.5 in the XV or a new Forester XV or even the Forester Wilderness spec recently released in the US would be tempting. Forester specs should've been released months ago but still nada and the website still has the "register your interest" spiel.
Anyone know if there is an Australian thread like this: Price Paid.
https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/2021-%E2%80%9Cprice-pa…
Above is USA based. Would be handy if there was something like this here
XV is dull and underpowered. Test few turbocharged competitors and you will be amazed.
Really depends on what you're after. Yes those little turbo motors are decent (I have one) but the XV stands alone in dirt road ability. While there's similar style and size vehicles, there are none that offer proper AWD. Competitors are FWD and will spin the rears as well once you're already stuck.
Wouldn't touch a Honda these days, and the HRV is a pretty average car and Honda is going downhill rapidly.
The XV is super solid. Don't listen to the whinging about the CVT and it being gutless. It's fine. It's no more than fine, but it's fine. If you're coming from any other boring appliance car (Corolla, RAV4 etc) you won't notice the difference. Would it be better with a 2.5? Yes. I have been a manual driver all my life (aside from one old Beemer) and currently own a Subaru CVT. It's honestly fantastic.
Subaru reliability is pretty good, I don't think there's any common issues on the newer XVs - might have been a few things on the older ones, check out productreview.com.au for any info on the newer XVs but consider that people generally post there if they are very satisfied or very dissatisfied.
I see you were quoted 39k - that would be the top of the range XV? I wouldn't bother with it. Save your bucks and get the base or midspec - you're not missing a whole lot. The leather quality is garbage if it's the leather you're after. I believe there is a trim with electric cloth seats? That's the trim I'd aim for. XV's cloth seats are EXTREMELY comfortable and I would find it hard to go without electric seats now after having them on a few cars.
Thanks. I presume you own XV. We only looked at XV-s. Do you know what is best place to find best price?
We after the Sunroof feature as well in S.
$39k is about right for an S IMO. $2k discount is about what's on offer given the current supply issues. FWIW there'll be another price rise with the MY22
Thanks a lot.
No I don’t have an XV, I have an outback.
Best price you’ll get is haggling with your dealer. XVs are popular, they’re not gonna discount them much.
Maybe you have always had sunroofs but I have one now and barely ever use it. Just makes the car hotter inside than it needs to be. I wouldn’t pay $$$ extra for one.
Not sure why you would pick car based on such old architecture, with such a widely panned gearbox. For the money, I'd pick something Korean and more modern.
Nothing wrong with the chassis, still better than half the slush boxes out there, and the gearbox is completely fine. Widely panned by whom exactly? Motoring journalists? Car enthusiasts? I love a good auto and prefer three pedals but Subarus CVT is much better than all the others and it’s completely fine if you just want a car to chuck in D.
You know a slush box is a slang term for an automatic gearbox, right? If you don't know much about cars, is this the best place to give your expert opinion?
The gearbox is junk.
I am aware lmao, it was a sort of ‘pun intended’ moment that must have gone over your head. Or it wasn’t very funny, either way.
Mate even the experts who ALWAYS complain about even the most boring and compliant CVTs have nothing bad to say about Subaru ones. Clearly you have an agenda, so maybe this isn’t the best place to give you “””expert opinion”””?
@jrowls: Ah, a reality distortion field. Cool. So Subaru driver reads complementary paid for reviews, and thus via confirmation bias, no one says anything bad about Subaru CVTs. I mean it even says they are good on the Subaru website, so they must be good, right?
@[Deactivated]: Bloody hell. there’s zero point even conversing with people like you.
I have told you I’m a car enthusiast. I have Almost exclusively owned manual vehicles. I have driven a LOT of autos and a handful of CVTs. Subarus CVTs are better than plenty of shitty autos, and they’re light years ahead of other CVTs (looking at you Nissan and Toyota).
I brought up car reviewers because they typically are extremely anti CVT. The ones I generally look at acknowledge where they have been provided with product, there is obviously some level of bias there. But they call stuff out when it’s bad. Try to find a good review of a Nissan CVT. With Subarus, they might put the CVT in their ‘cons’ but almost always concede that it’s the best on the market.
Any suggestions for OP?
No, only complaints and misinformation apparently 😂
Hi OP - I'd be interested to know whether you've decided to go ahead with the Subaru XV?
I'm considering purchasing one - the other models I'm interested in are the Mazda CX-30 and the Hyundai Kona, but I realise that we may have different needs.
(I was also interested in a Toyota RAV4, but currently no stock for 12+ months in Victoria).
Ended up getting Suburu XV s for $38,700. To be honest, didn't look around too much. Did check out Mazda CX-30. It seemed slightly more expensive in premium range that we were after. So, between the two Suburu looked like a winner.
I was recommended to check out Hyundai but i didn't see.
Great, thanks for the update
Those four are all quite different cars, mate - might be worth having a look at them all re dimensions (internal and external). The Kona is definitely a fair bit smaller than the XV and CX30. And the RAV4 is significantly larger than all of them in all dimensions including boot space. The Subaru has the most ground clearance by some margin, though.
You're absolutely right. They are indeed quite different cars, but also united in one important respect - they're all good cars that come highly recommended. I'm looking for a small or mid-size SUV, so these are all in my (very loose) parameters.
Agree I need to get in them though - lockdown ends tonight in VIC, so I'll be test driving some this weekend. Pre-drive, the CX-30 and the XV are my top 2.
I've been in a XV and Kona and definitely rate the XV higher if you're spending lots of time in it, or with other people. But I agree that all four cars are great recommendations. CX30 looks great, but it's also worth thinking that it's not much different from a Mazda 3 which is cheaper… same re XV / Impreza. Food for thought!
Good luck w the process and let us know how you go.
Check out/Test Drive Skoda Kamiq Limited Edition/Signature. Honda HRV is outdated in my view