You have got to LOVE a car that matches the sea and the sky!! When I picked up the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid on a cold but bright and sunny morning it definitely made me smile!! Let's see if this beautiful coloured five-seater small SUV is still making me smile after putting it through its paces as our family car for the week and our BabyDrive testing…
Firstly the Subaru XV Hybrid is a really nice car to drive. Having recently driven the new 2020 Subaru Forester Hybrid, and been a little disappointed with how the Hybrid version was to drive, I was expecting it to be a similar story with the XV but thankfully it wasn't! The XV is a smaller car than the Forester and unlike the Forester they haven't made the engine smaller, So the result is a great nippy and nimble little car to drive, without the obvious jarring change between the electric motor and engine that I experienced with the Forester.
I still can't say I could drive my daughter to sleep around the block using mainly battery as you can in some hybrids as the engine kicks in very quickly. Unfortunately, like the hybrid Forester, if I cruise into my driveway with my daughter asleep on the battery then when I put the car into ‘P' park the engine kicks in for some reason which IS noisy and jarring.
Being a small SUV you'd expect the Subaru XV to be tight on internal space but actually it's pleasantly surprising! Legroom is good and with a 182cm person in the front passenger seat we could easily fit a rear-facing capsule or forward-facing seat behind them.
On the driver's side, only I could fit in front of a rear-facing capsule and I'm 162cm. Bad luck if you need to occupy two tall adults up front in front of a pair of rear-facing children!
Two child seats fit nicely in the back seats. There was not room for a third seat in the middle and I found I could only just squeeze in there it was very tight and I'm only 162cm. There are three top tether anchorages in the seatbacks that are easily accessible through the boot and ISOFix in the two outer rear seats.
Space has not been taken from the boot to accommodate the battery in the hybrid XV model, but it is where the spare tyre used to be under the boot floor so you have only a puncture repair kit to rely on. The boot was already quite small in the XV in terms of depth, being only the depth of a reusable shopping bag. This makes it easy to bend into and do emergency nappy changes etc but shallow in terms of transporting dogs, prams etc.
A twin, tandem or single pram fits in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid with a little shopping as well. Or a small to medium size dog.
Storage is quite minimal but most of it practical inside the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid. Â Only the front door bins are well-sized to hold a large refillable water bottle, the rear too small. There are two good-sized cup holders in the front and back and the glove box and central console boxes are good sizes.
The media system is really minimal, it doesn't have built-in sat-nav, and it is basic to use in the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid. Thankfully it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through which is excellent.
The reversing camera image is lovely and clear and fills the whole screen, BUT the screen is tiny!!!
There is also the smaller screen, above the media screen, to show you the engine and electric motor and battery charging in action.
Overall the new 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid SUV is a practical little family car in terms of size for a family of four and fitting everything and everyone in. I loved the auto-lock and unlock doors with my family as I don't have to fumble around in my bag for the keys and I keep my hands free for carrying my child or her stuff'!!!
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
So… How big is the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid? How good is the storage the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid?
From empty the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid's boot would hold ten shopping bags, equal to the Nissan Qashqai. The Mitsubishi ASX, Kia Seltos and Skoda Karoq all hold eleven shopping bags. The Hyundai Kona holds nine and the Suzuki Grand Vitara holds two more at twelve shopping bags.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid with one shopping bag beside it.
The tandem stroller fits in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid, without using the retractable roller blind, with three shopping bags beside it.
The single stroller fits in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid with three shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid with seven shopping bags beside it.
The boot floor is nice and flat good for dogs, a small to a medium-size dog would fit in the boot of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid, it is high up so you might have to lift small dogs in. It does mean you don't have to bend down low to do emergency nappy changes though!! There are shopping bag hooks on both sides of the boot and a light on the left.
There is no spare tyre under the boot floor in the Hybrid XV, the space that usually houses it is taken up with the battery.
Storage in the cabin of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid is practical on the whole. In the front, the door bins are a good size and will hold a large refillable water bottle and there are storage wells in the handles too.
There are two cup holders in the central console, that are a good size to hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and there's a little storage well behind too.
Behind them is a good size central console box with two USBs and a 12V socket inside.
In front of the gear lever is a rubber-lined well for your phone…
…with USB, AUX and 12V socket.
The glove box is just big enough to hold my wallet and iPad, with the rather large manual.
There is no sunglasses case in the ceiling, which is disappointing, and the front visors have mirrors but no lights in them.
In the back, there is a single map pocket, it will hold but not conceal an iPad.
In a fold-down armrest in the central seatback are two cup holders that will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup or large refillable water bottle.
The door bins in the back are smaller than in the front and would only hold a 600ml plastic bottle. There are storage wells in the rear door handles also.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the new 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid? How good is the media system?
The 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid is not as beepy as the Subaru Forester Hybrid I recently drove! The Eyesight technology didn't seem as attentive or bossy!
There is the lane departure warning and the rear-seat reminder when you get out of the car beeps at you which I understand is there for safety so people don't forget to take their kids out of the car but I find it annoying especially if my child is asleep and then gets woken up by the beeping!
The media system in the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid is very basic and doesn't have built-in sat-nav!
It does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto though, which is fantastic!
The reversing camera image is nice and clear and fills the whole screen. However, the screen is tiny!
There is a second screen above the media screen which shows you the hybrid and engine visual, showing when the engine or electric motor is in use and when the battery is being recharged and how much charge it has left.
The hybrid Subaru XV engine is good and the addition of the electric motor to the engine makes for a nippy and responsive car to drive.
The engine does kick in early though, so you don't really get too much driving on just the electric motor alone compared with most hybrids. So I couldn't drive my daughter to sleep, around the block, using battery power alone. Or sit with the electric motor running while she sleeps either, because as soon as you put it in Park the engine kicks in noisily.
The indicators are nice and quiet in the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
The doors and windows can both be locked from the driver's door control panel, I found the doors were not too loud to open and close.
I found you can come to a stop with the engine still running and get out of the car without sounding any alarms. If you turn the engine off then there is a beeping rear seat reminder.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)
You can turn a lot of the noisy functions off in the panel of buttons by the driver's right knee.
You can also turn off lane departure warning in the panel above your heads in the front.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit on the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid?
There are three top tether points across the rear seat backrests of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid, they are easily accessible through the boot. They are within clearly marked plastic guides and are easy to connect to.
There are ISOFix points in both the rear outer seats behind seat fabric flaps, they are not within plastic guides and are relatively easy to connect to when installing child seats.
I managed to fit two child seats into the back of the Subaru XV. The central seat is not really big enough for someone to sit in either.
With forward-facing child seats in the back we could fit 182cm passengers in front.
Or with a rear-facing child seat behind the driver, I could fit in the driver's seat and I'm 162cm.
Legroom is great in the back of the Subaru XV Hybrid for a small SUV. We could fit a 182cm passenger in front of a rear-facing child seat in the passenger side of the car.
Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!
Posting bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is relatively easy, the ceiling is quite high and the doors open wide. This makes it easy from inside too.
There is room to feed bub in the back if you only have one child seat installed too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the new 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid? And How good is the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid to drive?
The front seats of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid are comfortable, the headrests are adjustable so I can have a ponytail which is fantastic!
I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!
For a mum travelling in the back with bub, the seats are quite comfortable. There is good headroom and legroom.
In the central seat, the backrest is quite hard because of the fold-down armrest and there is a small hump in the footwell in the middle.
I found I couldn't really squeeze between two child seats in the back and I'm 162cm.
For the first year of Tulsi’s life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Tulsi so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right on the steering wheel and are easy to use. I found the cruise control to be accurate on motorways and at lower speeds.
There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; one either side of the media screen and one at either end.
There are no air vents in the back of the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid that I tested and they would really be needed for the rear passengers in the Australian climate.
The controls for the aircon are centrally located on the dashboard, below the media screen, I found them easy to reach and use whilst driving.
There are handles above both rear doors which are well-positioned to hold a baby toy for rear-facing passengers.
I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a five-minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
Visibility in the Subaru XV Hybrid is good for the driver. For rear-facing passengers, the windows narrow towards the back which limits their view.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Forester was simple to park as the visibility and cameras was so good!
The Subaru XV Hybrid I tested has keyless entry and exit which is fantastic for not having to fumble around for keys and kept my hands free for holding on to little ones, especially in car parks!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2020 Subaru XV Hybrid?
The Subaru XV has a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2017, scoring 35.8 out of 37.
The Subaru XV has not been through Child Occupancy Protection testing.
In Adult Occupant Protection testing it scored 14.80 out of 16 in the frontal offset test. Gaining maximum points for both the side impact test, 16 out of 16, and for the pole test, 2 out of 2. Whiplash and pedestrian protection were both rated ‘good’ as well. The XV scored 3 out of 3 for seatbelt reminders as it is fitted with alerts for both front and back passengers seatbelts.
The Subaru XV is fitted with seven airbags as standard. Front and side airbags for both front passengers and a knee airbag for the driver, as well as curtain head airbags offering protection for the heads of the front and rear side passengers in the event of a side impact.
As standard all models of the new Subaru Forester come with adaptive cruise control (ACC), adaptive headlights, anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – City, Interurban and VRU, automatic headlights, blind-spot monitor (BSM), daytime running lights (DRL), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic data recorder (EDR), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, forward collision warning (FCW), hill launch assist, lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), reversing collision avoidance (camera), roll stability system, trailer stability control and tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
Automatic high beam, fatigue detection and reversing collision avoidance (auto brake) are not available on base variant but standard or optional on higher variants.
All models of the new Subaru Forester also come with EyeSight® Driver Assist system as standard, which consists of adaptive cruise control, emergency lane keep assist, lane departure warning, lane sway warning, lane keep assist, lead vehicle start alert, pre-collision braking system, pre-collision brake assist, pre-collision throttle management, brake light recognition, speed limiter, electronic throttle control system (ETC), X-Mode and tyre pressure monitoring system.
The 2.5i-L and 2.5i Premium models come with a driver monitoring system called Driver Focus that includes drowsiness warning, distraction warning and facial recognition.
These two models also have an adaptive driving beam (ADB), front view monitor (FVM), reverse automatic braking (RAB) and side view monitor (SVM).
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Tulsi’s asleep!
Hi. Can Baby Drive please include a comment in the review videos indicating if a car has rear Air Conditioning vents. We often have long drives or get back into the car on a 36 degree day. We regret buying a car without them as we would like to cool the babies as soon as possible. Cheers, James.
Also, it would be great to hear about the effectiveness of Autonomous Breaking (or the ANCAP AEB score), as some cars are woeful in this area.