Here's my own personal run-down on the XV Crosstrek after 2,500+ kms of ownership.
The specs:
2013 XV Crosstrek Sport, 5spd - purchased September 14th.
Background:
We live in the Vancouver area, but picked up the XV in Calgary (Centaur Subaru) through a family friend that works for Subaru there (good guys - highly recommend the dealership).
Rationale for buying in the first place:
Only vehicle available with a combination of fuel-efficient engine, AWD, manual transmission, and high ground clearance.
Impression so far:
In one word - 'mixed'
Pros
1) Fuel economy - after initial break-in (trip back from Calgary) fuel economy has been better than expected delivering a consistent 8.9 to 9.2 L/100km in town and 6.9 to 7.2 L/100km on the highway.
2) Content for the price - see my rationale above, but really the XV is hard to beat as there really is no competition (Juke maybe, but it slurps back premium fuel, has much less cargo space, and you have to take the CVT if you want all the extra goodies)
3) Seat/driving position - very comfy seats - never got sore on the trip back from Calgary, plus the heated seats are pretty nice. Adjustable armrest is handy on long trips and there's a nice meaty feel to the leather-wrapped steering wheel.
4) Hill-start assist - handy feature with the manual especially with the hills around Greater Vancouver. Didn't expect it would be important to me but now I find I miss it when driving my other car. Just lets you pull away in a more relaxed manner.
5) Cargo/storage - plenty of cargo room with lots of cup holders, bag clips, integrated USB/AUX in the centre console, etc.
6) Fuel econ display - fun to play with, but I'm sure I'll get bored of it eventually.
Cons
1) vibration from the switch panel for the moonroof - drives me nuts
2) vibration from under the hood when decelerating, especially at higher engine speeds above 2500 rpm (sounds like loose plastic parts shaking around under the hood)
3) overall noise - the cabin is not a very quiet place to be. Find myself cranking up the music on the highway to really loud levels just to drown out the wind/engine/tire noise. Also it emits some high-pitched whistle noise around 100 kph.
4) Hill-start assist - error messages and warning lights mysteriously show up multiple times on the display then disappear later (Hill start assists stops working while the warning light is on) - will take it to the dealer to address shortly.
5) Under-powered - just about drove it back to the dealer when I picked it up, but later found the engine loosened up and had considerably more power after ~1000kms break-in. Still underwhelming though and not that fun to rev it up high (generally seems pointless above 4500 rpm and takes an eternity to get there even in lower gears)
6) Unrefined engine sound - not anywhere near as satisfying or well balanced as my '08 Mazda 5 2.3
7) Manual transmission - desperately needs a 6th cog as it spins ~2,900 rpm at 100km/h, plus the action is a bit rubbery and notchy even compared to my old 2003 Impreza.
Verdict:
I'll try to get my local dealer to address some of the NVH and Hill Start Assist issues soon, but generally the XV lacks refinement of other similar vehicles in this price range. Yet it still manages to check those boxes I need in a vehicle (manual/AWD/fuel efficient/high ground clearance). In other words I'm still waiting for somebody to build this car, only better....
