Subaru SUV's In-depth Guide | Reliability, Speed & More

As the twenty-first largest auto manufacturer in the world, Subaru is responsible for putting a lot of the cars you see on the road. Having been popular for many years, this company is still overlooked by many looking for SUVs, despite the range being packed with great options.

Taking a look at Subaru’s SUVs will give you a good idea of what makes these machines tick. Made for those who want to get the most out of their time on the road, any driver will be happy with an XV, Outback, or Forester, especially if they spend time driving off-road. Let’s take a look at these cars, along with some of their key features and benefits, to show you what they have to offer.

Subaru currently offers three different body shapes in its SUV range. Each of these cars is designed to fit a different niche, providing the chance for drivers to get the most out of their motor when they take it out on the road.

As the smallest and lightest SUV in Subaru’s range, the XV is a great choice for anyone looking at getting their first SUV. Designed to be just as at home in the city as it is in the wild, the Subaru XV fits a niche that many drivers are looking for in the modern world. Best of all, though, is that this SUV comes with hybrid options that make it ideal for those who care about the environment.

Thanks to its relatively small size and weight, the Subaru XV is a speedy car with plenty of power. It also comes with ample space for cargo, with 340 litres available with the seats up, and 765 litres with the back seats down.

The Subaru Outback is a mid-size SUV that has been engineered for safety. This has made this option a popular family car in recent years, with the space found inside an SUV providing ample room for a whole family’s luggage. The safety features that this SUV benefits from make it well worth it for most drivers who want to explore rural and urban areas alike.

The Subaru Outback is the fastest SUV in the range, with a beefy 2.5L hybrid powering the car. The Outback comes with 559 litres of storage with all of the seats in use and 1,848 with the back seats up to the roof, giving you plenty of room for luggage.

The Subaru Forester has gained a strong reputation over the last decade or so for providing an incredibly hardy and reliable large SUV that performs like a much smaller car. Known for great handling and number performance, the Forester offers far more space than many other SUVs without compromising on the features that come with it.

As you can see from the table above, the Forester isn’t quite as powerful as the Outback, but it still packs impressive performance thanks to its 2.0L hybrid engine. This car also packs impressive cargo capacity, with 520 litres available with all of the seats in use, and 1,071 litres with the back seats down. The rest of this vehicle’s dimensions can be found below.

The Forester is much larger than the Outback, providing a huge amount of space without compromising on comfort and features. That said, the Outback has a larger engine than the Forester in every configuration.

Subaru works hard to create safe vehicles, and the Euro NCAP results for these SUVs are a testament to this. As you can see from the table below, each of these SUVs has received excellent safety ratings. The Forester edges ahead slightly, but this is because the car is designed with a particular focus on safety.

The table below outlines the base pricing for each of these SUVs. The XV is the most affordable out of the range, while the Forester is the priciest. Each model can have a range of extras added for an extra fee, though.

As shown by the NCAP results for each of these Subaru SUVs, each performs extremely well in accidents. The Forester provides the best protection for those inside and outside the car, and the latest version of this car offers even better safety features than the 2019 model that was used for NCAP’s testing.

Understanding the economy of an SUV can be tricky. Cars like this often perform best on long, open roads, giving them the chance to use as little fuel as possible. Thankfully, it’s possible to find the average fuel consumption of each SUV, making it easy to see which offers the best range and economy. The 1.6L XV had the longest range, while the 2.0L XV has the best fuel economy.

As a Japanese car manufacturer, it should come as no surprise that Subaru offers loads of great features with their cars.

Each of the cars comes with a large touchscreen to get your in-car entertainment started. This is backed up by features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with a 6-speaker stereo that provides excellent audio out of the dealership. Many of the models in the range even come with Bluetooth connectivity and Satellite Navigation.

When it comes to safety, these SUVs can’t be faulted. Each of the cars packs features like Automatic Emergency Braking and Lane Change Assist as standard, along with some models coming with reversing cameras and auto-dimming mirrors. They are packed with airbags in all the right places, making each car nice and safe.

It’s hard to list all of the features that come with and are available with these cars. It’s well worth checking them out for yourself, giving yourself the chance to take in all of the options that come with these SUVs. You can view each of these cars on the Subaru website to explore and configure your own car.

Figuring out which Subaru SUV you should buy is a tricky proposition. Each option offers a wealth of features, and they all perform well and are safe to drive. The XV is the best of these SUVs for those who drive in cities a lot, while the Forester is great for driving on highways and in rural areas. The Outback fills a nice middle ground between the smallest and largest SUVs in the range.

This should help you to choose the right Subaru SUV for you. No one can make this decision for you, but it can be worth talking to someone before you buy your SUV to make sure that you are making the right choice. While there is a price difference, each of these SUVs falls into the same price tier.