Four years ago I was going to buy my next car. One with off-road capabilities, yet not lost on motorways. This was when I happened to see this video. So I bought an XV. Now, 4 years later I still drive it. It works in all conditions - mud, snow, sand, motorway. A reliable tool and a friend. Thanks for the video.
I bought a new XV in 2016 and I still love like I did when I first got it. Has taken me on soft sand, light off road and plenty of dirt roads because I live on one.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Its the CVT, we would have been scared to punish the clutch on a manual like that, we were however very impressed with the XV. Sorry about the lack of snow, we shot the video near Durban in South Africa, I don't think it has ever snowed here, its warm in winter and very hot in summer.
Thanks and great job. This is how to do a 4x4 review. Other reviewers should take notes from here. Not just slide in the mud go over a few puddles and claim they recommend the vehicle. Here no words spoken but i am already sold....
+vittorio Spot on vittorio. This is a great no nonsense video showing some serious off road skills (of driver and car). Most other reviewers walk around the car and talk about the color of the dashboard and the angle of the sun visor. I am a Mitsubishi man myself but I love Subarus, too. These drive trains can run circles around many expensive "AWD" cars.
nothing beats subaru's all wheel drive system they been doing for so long, thank you for taking the time to do this this is very impressive indeed i'm now convinced that i made the right choice and will be picking up the hyper blue this weekend, can't wait to take this baby up the colorado trails
Great controlled driving and the best demo of the XV's capabilities I have seen to date. This gives me some greater insight of what mine is capable of doing. Looks like yours is an auto. My manual may be a little harder to control.
Outdoor South Africa :The older Subarus was much better in terrain and snow.. even the Subaru salesmen agree with that fact.. I had a Leone,who could go everywhere,even with summer tyres... But the new Subarus is better than cars with Haldex system...
I have a Honda Pilot, now trading in for a Crosstrek (I wanted a tacoma) but 85% of my driving is a daily 46mi commute to and from work in New England, and now, some off-roading on weekends- thanks for the demo/video!
Good video but pleas, with any AWD system especially a subaru, keep the most steady and constant throttle possible. Subarus system is one of few systems that can truly transfer power to the wheels that need it. Not enough power and you wont move, or keep moving. Great demo and road course though!
This was done on stock tires! Simply amazing, even with the with a couple tires off the ground it still digs in and gets you over every hill, bump, and all the terrain tackled. Wow, simply amazing for a subcompact class vehicle with 148HP! You do have to keep up with momentum and you'll never get stuck. The new global platform Crosstrek is even better in almost every way. Look at all the TH-cam videos of the new global platform 2018 and 2019s. Crosstrek beats any subcompact class vehicle on the market, and not just for its superior AWD system. Consumers Reports named Subaru the best company for 2019. Mainly because of the new global platform Forester and Crosstrek and Ascent 7 seater. Subaru has upped it's game dramatically especially in the interior quality and very good infotainment system, responsive, and very user friendly. torque vectoring standard and its X-Mode feature and hill descent really work well. Smooth CVT transmission which is one of the best in the industry next to Honda's CVT transmissions. Simulation of 7 gear ratios. You can even have paddle shifters standard with the CVT. If you need a bit more punch for passing slow pokes on the highway. It really works well acting as a manual transmission. The resale value on the Crosstrek and all Subaru's are very high. Great video, thanks.
@@expeditionphotographic9673 can you do the same with a 2015+ outback ? I love car camping and the crosstrek is to small inside, am looking for a outback for space and capability ;) thanks !
I have a 2016 Forester 2.5i and I took a long hard look at the Crosstrek before I finally decided on the Foz. Perhaps when I trade up in 4 years now, I'll give the Crosstrek a go...
I've had my XV for about 11 years now and done level gravel tracks and not much else. Mines a Manual gearbox and I've heard they are not as good as the CVT. M used to be always better once upon a time. Was yours M or A? Does it really make a lot of difference?
Good example of Subaru's superior all wheel drive -I see power going to the wheels that have traction. How can you beat that? I have the XV and drive in snow and rain, plus, tested on some mud. if I had a pickup on the one occasion I was in mud it would have been stuck.
Fun track. Glad to see someone doing a Subaru right! Nevertheless, I'm surprised to see so much slippage and overall poor forward progress despite high revs. My '04 forester nary slips a wheel in similar terrain (granted, I run a pretty aggressive AT tire - Grabber AT2). Does it have some traction control device that needs defeating??
Thank you for sharing. Planning to do Kosi Bay and could use some advice on tyre pressures please. What would you recommend? I unfortunately have the 18inch rims so not much tyre to work with.
Hi Imraan, with a more narrow sidewall you have to be a little careful. If i recall we were at 1.5 in this video, dont think I would go much below that for fear of damaging the tyre. If you have the auto XV put it into manual to stop the gearbox hunting and overheating if you are in the sand for a long period of time, also remember to turn off the Traction Control. Enjoy the trip, let us know how you get on in the sand.
Outdoor South Africa Thank you. Great advice indeed. It is a CVT so will remember to put it into manual-was unaware of this. Will comment here on my epic fail or success. Thanks again👍
Hi. Just some feedback as promised. So just a brief 3 night stay in kosi bay. Effortless driving to kosi mouth. Got a permit for the coastal 4x4 route. Struggled to find the start of this route at bhanga nek. Erroneously drove onto the beach here pass the boom gate in search for start of route. Ended up driving on unmarked route between the D1843 and the coastal route joining at Rocktail bay. Drove from here all the way to Amanzingwenya. Stopped at each beach including Lala Nek. Also visited Mabibi. Bogged at Rocktail bay however easily reversed out and attempted another route down to beach. Never used shovel or sand mats. So essentially no issues. Car has deep scratches from acacia trees however still had a blast. Guy at Utshwayelo advised going down as low as 1.1bar. Opted to do 1.4bar. While predominantly soft sand tracks, found some section to have rubble/small rocks at kosi mouth that worried me. Upped front tyres to 1.5bar. Thank you for the advise😊
Hi thanks for the message, ours was an Auto, we did sometimes reduce the pressure to drive on soft sand, we loved our XV and were constantly surprised by its offroad capability.
I really like the build quality and proven durability of the Subie, but Subaru should of done a much better job of traction management. So lets say going up or down steep terrain the Driver always appears to be in control. I understand with McPherson Struts articulation in the suspension would be limited. A really well designed system would make up quite abit of the suspension short comings, at least I think so.
Great video, nice job! That looked like a lot of fun. Please let us know what tires were on it. They don't appear very aggressive, but obviously worked well.
jedironin380 They are Yokohama Geolanders, the tires did work well but if you plan to do a lot of off roading we would look for something a bit more aggressive.
No problem. It's a testament to these drive systems, to be so competent in all elements all around the world. What engine does Subaru use in SA, is it the 2.0i 148hp gasoline item found in North America? It's obviously well capable, whatever it is. Also, I love the casual use of the windshield wipers at 2:46, while negotiating terrain, like it ain't no thing. :)
Hey that is a great question. I dont think we get the hybrid in South Africa for us to test, but I imagine if it is an auto it should be just as capable. #SubaruSA how about letting us test a hybrid ?
+FCFordLord actually, they don't. The manual uses a different AWD system that is more similar to 4x4 offroading vehicles. Electronic AWD systems like the CVT Crosstrek can be more limiting sometimes. Both of Subarus AWD systems are good though.
+Peter Schmidt It depends. I'm a a pro-manual guy, but when you have to crawl this slowly, an automatic is actually better. There is tons of clutch wear if you have to crawl. For all other types of offroading I'd prefer a manual. Heck, I'd still take the manual even for crawling, but I have to accept an auto is better for that.
+valetdabess you can tell the difference because in the CVT model, wheels that get off the ground will sometimes stop spinning. The manual uses viscous coupling, so all wheels will always move
Hi Dj May, I guess its a bit of a controversial topic but in our opinion the CVT is better off-road than the manual. The main reason we think that, is the clutch on the manual would take a bit of a hammering on a technical off-road trail.
Hi Nic Dup, I used to be of the same view, however having had loads of experience driving manual and automatic 4x4's off-road I must admit that most auto's are extremely capable off-road and in some circumstances are easier to drive when the going gets tough, especially in soft sand. However ultimately I do agree, I enjoy the experience of driving a manual off-road.
Mitch Villa :The Subarus from the 80´s was much better..they could go in any kind of terrain..even Subaru salesmen agree with that..I had a Leone,who was outstanding..the new Subarus are however,better than cars with Haldex..I have now a Skoda Octavia with Haldex,and it sucks...
+Jan-yngve Bohlin The 80's ones were much smaller and lighter. Also easier to hack up for larger tires and suspension. Still, the AWD system is the same as newer 93-04 era Impreza, Legacy, and Forester models, which I would prefer.
JRS1121960 On the contrary.. I've gotten many compliments from ppl when I drive around with my Crosstrek w/ the standard rims. Ppl say they look very cool.
thats more than a dirt road, and very few modern crossover or suv, could takle a road in these conditions, and at the end of the day, it´s a car, if you want more offroad capability buy a pick up.....
Four years ago I was going to buy my next car. One with off-road capabilities, yet not lost on motorways. This was when I happened to see this video. So I bought an XV. Now, 4 years later I still drive it. It works in all conditions - mud, snow, sand, motorway. A reliable tool and a friend. Thanks for the video.
I bought a new XV in 2016 and I still love like I did when I first got it. Has taken me on soft sand, light off road and plenty of dirt roads because I live on one.
nice video, no annoying music. its all about the car.thanks
Thanks for the positive feedback. Its the CVT, we would have been scared to punish the clutch on a manual like that, we were however very impressed with the XV. Sorry about the lack of snow, we shot the video near Durban in South Africa, I don't think it has ever snowed here, its warm in winter and very hot in summer.
Give us back a gear box, cvt is shit on road and off.
LOVE this car! Takes me wherever I want to go, handles amazing, fun to drive and great on fuel!
Thank you for actually driving like you are supposed to, sick of the idiots saying the xv sucks because they suck at driving
+sikidiki22 Thanks for the positive feedback, we love the XV and are always surprised at how well it does off road.
this just convinced me to go for the XV (Crosstrek) thank you!
Thanks and great job. This is how to do a 4x4 review. Other reviewers should take notes from here. Not just slide in the mud go over a few puddles and claim they recommend the vehicle. Here no words spoken but i am already sold....
+vittorio Thanks so much for the positive feedback.
+vittorio Amen! This video has convinced me more than any other that the XV is what I want.
+vittorio Spot on vittorio. This is a great no nonsense video showing some serious off road skills (of driver and car). Most other reviewers walk around the car and talk about the color of the dashboard and the angle of the sun visor.
I am a Mitsubishi man myself but I love Subarus, too. These drive trains can run circles around many expensive "AWD" cars.
vittorio :DHdyaeigggddjdx zxvcx
I'm very excited, just bought one picking it up today. Great video, such a capable scooby this.
Check out the videos I do on the forester. Similar platform and might give you some ideas.
nothing beats subaru's all wheel drive system they been doing for so long, thank you for taking the time to do this this is very impressive indeed i'm now convinced that i made the right choice and will be picking up the hyper blue this weekend, can't wait to take this baby up the colorado trails
I pick mine up next week! can't wait. Great vid
Great controlled driving and the best demo of the XV's capabilities I have seen to date.
This gives me some greater insight of what mine is capable of doing. Looks like yours is an auto. My manual may be a little harder to control.
wayne eddy Hey Wayde, it is an auto. I think we would have punished the clutch in a manual.
Outdoor South Africa :The older Subarus was much better in terrain and snow.. even the Subaru salesmen agree with that fact.. I had a Leone,who could go everywhere,even with summer tyres... But the new Subarus is better than cars with Haldex system...
And this is with standard stocks?
I have a Honda Pilot, now trading in for a Crosstrek (I wanted a tacoma) but 85% of my driving is a daily 46mi commute to and from work in New England, and now, some off-roading on weekends- thanks for the demo/video!
Good video but pleas, with any AWD system especially a subaru, keep the most steady and constant throttle possible. Subarus system is one of few systems that can truly transfer power to the wheels that need it. Not enough power and you wont move, or keep moving. Great demo and road course though!
This was done on stock tires! Simply amazing, even with the with a couple tires off the ground it still digs in and gets you over every hill, bump, and all the terrain tackled. Wow, simply amazing for a subcompact class vehicle with 148HP! You do have to keep up with momentum and you'll never get stuck. The new global platform Crosstrek is even better in almost every way. Look at all the TH-cam videos of the new global platform 2018 and 2019s. Crosstrek beats any subcompact class vehicle on the market, and not just for its superior AWD system. Consumers Reports named Subaru the best company for 2019. Mainly because of the new global platform Forester and Crosstrek and Ascent 7 seater. Subaru has upped it's game dramatically especially in the interior quality and very good infotainment system, responsive, and very user friendly. torque vectoring standard and its X-Mode feature and hill descent really work well. Smooth CVT transmission which is one of the best in the industry next to Honda's CVT transmissions. Simulation of 7 gear ratios. You can even have paddle shifters standard with the CVT. If you need a bit more punch for passing slow pokes on the highway. It really works well acting as a manual transmission. The resale value on the Crosstrek and all Subaru's are very high. Great video, thanks.
Awesome to see how off road worthy this car is in stock form thanks
Hey Dimitri, yes the car is stock and not modified in any way, it is also on standard road tyres.
@@expeditionphotographic9673 can you do the same with a 2015+ outback ? I love car camping and the crosstrek is to small inside, am looking for a outback for space and capability ;) thanks !
@@dimitriwaardenburg4631 We will ask Subaru to lend us one for the weekend and see what we can do.
@@expeditionphotographic9673 🤘🤘🤘🤘awesome ;)
I have a 2016 Forester 2.5i and I took a long hard look at the Crosstrek before I finally decided on the Foz. Perhaps when I trade up in 4 years now, I'll give the Crosstrek a go...
Świetny temat, szkoda tylko że jakosc obrazu słaba. Ale i tak kciuk w górę leci
I really like these. Is it better to take it out of Drive and into manual mode on the cvt for off road?
I've had my XV for about 11 years now and done level gravel tracks and not much else.
Mines a Manual gearbox and I've heard they are not as good as the CVT.
M used to be always better once upon a time.
Was yours M or A?
Does it really make a lot of difference?
We only ever test drove the manual on the road, I can imagine that off-road you will need to be careful not to burn the clutch on the manual.
I'm a new XV owner and spect to get it off road to drive some routs like this.
Хорошее видео))
Good example of Subaru's superior all wheel drive -I see power going to the wheels that have traction. How can you beat that? I have the XV and drive in snow and rain, plus, tested on some mud. if I had a pickup on the one occasion I was in mud it would have been stuck.
The old Subarus from the 80:s was much vetter..I had a Leone who could go everywhere... The Subaru salesmen agree with that those older was better...
5:15 -- rear suspension hard work on hang up. :) Perhaps, this is one negative moment of this suspension. Nice vid, thnx.
Dude that's so cool!!!
Fun track. Glad to see someone doing a Subaru right!
Nevertheless, I'm surprised to see so much slippage and overall poor forward progress despite high revs. My '04 forester nary slips a wheel in similar terrain (granted, I run a pretty aggressive AT tire - Grabber AT2).
Does it have some traction control device that needs defeating??
If three wheels slip is there enough torque sent to the wheel with grip to make it move forward (with the cvt version)?
necesita a este video para terminar de convencerme
Can you imagine if you actually put dirt/mud tires on that XV? unstoppable...
Thank you for sharing. Planning to do Kosi Bay and could use some advice on tyre pressures please.
What would you recommend?
I unfortunately have the 18inch rims so not much tyre to work with.
Hi Imraan, with a more narrow sidewall you have to be a little careful. If i recall we were at 1.5 in this video, dont think I would go much below that for fear of damaging the tyre. If you have the auto XV put it into manual to stop the gearbox hunting and overheating if you are in the sand for a long period of time, also remember to turn off the Traction Control. Enjoy the trip, let us know how you get on in the sand.
Outdoor South Africa Thank you. Great advice indeed. It is a CVT so will remember to put it into manual-was unaware of this. Will comment here on my epic fail or success. Thanks again👍
Hi. Just some feedback as promised. So just a brief 3 night stay in kosi bay. Effortless driving to kosi mouth.
Got a permit for the coastal 4x4 route. Struggled to find the start of this route at bhanga nek. Erroneously drove onto the beach here pass the boom gate in search for start of route. Ended up driving on unmarked route between the D1843 and the coastal route joining at Rocktail bay. Drove from here all the way to Amanzingwenya. Stopped at each beach including Lala Nek.
Also visited Mabibi.
Bogged at Rocktail bay however easily reversed out and attempted another route down to beach.
Never used shovel or sand mats.
So essentially no issues.
Car has deep scratches from acacia trees however still had a blast.
Guy at Utshwayelo advised going down as low as 1.1bar. Opted to do 1.4bar. While predominantly soft sand tracks, found some section to have rubble/small rocks at kosi mouth that worried me. Upped front tyres to 1.5bar.
Thank you for the advise😊
Manual or Auto?
Did you mod the vic or reduce tire pressure?
Hi thanks for the message, ours was an Auto, we did sometimes reduce the pressure to drive on soft sand, we loved our XV and were constantly surprised by its offroad capability.
Thanks! This just about convinced me to get a XV. Is this the 2.0i-S CVT or the cheaper 2.0i CVT?
+Johan Moraal Hi Johan, its the top spec 2.0i-S CVT
What tyres were you on?
Я что-то не понимаю, имитация или полный привод?
I really like the build quality and proven durability
of the Subie, but Subaru should of done a much better job of traction management. So lets say going up or down steep terrain the Driver always appears to be in control. I understand with
McPherson Struts articulation in the suspension would be limited.
A really well designed system would make up quite abit of the suspension short comings, at least I think so.
impressive
Great video, nice job! That looked like a lot of fun. Please let us know what tires were on it. They don't appear very aggressive, but obviously worked well.
jedironin380 They are Yokohama Geolanders, the tires did work well but if you plan to do a lot of off roading we would look for something a bit more aggressive.
Welldone
yea i this car is hard core baby .
Nice driving, great shot of the undercarriage. Couldn't find any snow to drive through?
Thanks, sorry no snow in South Africa, especially not in Durban. Would be cool to try find some in winter.
No problem. It's a testament to these drive systems, to be so competent in all elements all around the world. What engine does Subaru use in SA, is it the 2.0i 148hp gasoline item found in North America? It's obviously well capable, whatever it is.
Also, I love the casual use of the windshield wipers at 2:46, while negotiating terrain, like it ain't no thing. :)
Ishka Bibble
Hi Ishka, its quoted in SA as 110KW, which I think works out to 148hp, but I'm not 100% sure.
Wow! Nice...
スゲ～♪
4X4 ?
nice vid. do u think the hybrid can hang like this??
Hey that is a great question. I dont think we get the hybrid in South Africa for us to test, but I imagine if it is an auto it should be just as capable. #SubaruSA how about letting us test a hybrid ?
Ouch... used a lot of clutch getting up that first hill!
Is this an automatic or manual transmission
+TheZinkAlloy it is easy to notice that it is automatic CVT
+Sebastián Frerk Not everything is easy to notice for everyone.
i think this wolud be with a xt version an incredible car
OMG the engine sound at 1.13 is painful to hear. It seemed that the gear couldn't send power from the engine to the wheels effectively.
that's true...it needs more hp...my sister has this car
I've heard that turning off traction control helps.
aww man suburu wadup with that hahaha
what is wrong with people not trying this on a manual? I do this on a manual when I go offroading.
+Mitch Villa (nerdgasma)
Is there a manual version?
yep. it's premium based though. I would like one that has a sunroof on.
Automatics offer better control when offroading. You can do it in a manual just fine, but an automatic is preferred.
+FCFordLord actually, they don't. The manual uses a different AWD system that is more similar to 4x4 offroading vehicles. Electronic AWD systems like the CVT Crosstrek can be more limiting sometimes. Both of Subarus AWD systems are good though.
+Peter Schmidt It depends. I'm a a pro-manual guy, but when you have to crawl this slowly, an automatic is actually better. There is tons of clutch wear if you have to crawl. For all other types of offroading I'd prefer a manual. Heck, I'd still take the manual even for crawling, but I have to accept an auto is better for that.
manual or cvt?
CTV
+valetdabess you can tell the difference because in the CVT model, wheels that get off the ground will sometimes stop spinning. The manual uses viscous coupling, so all wheels will always move
VDC (ESP) on /off ???
ESP was off
Thanks from Chile.
1.6 engine?
+Omar Kamal Hi Omar, in South Africa it Subaru only sell one engine option. Its a 2.0 L flat 4 boxer engine.
Thank you, in Egypt we only have 1.6 version ;(
No guts needs turbo
OMG the engine sound at 1:13 is painful to hear. It seemed that the gear couldn't send power from the engine to the wheels effectively.
Why on earth would you say this?
is the cvt better than a manual off road?
Hi Dj May, I guess its a bit of a controversial topic but in our opinion the CVT is better off-road than the manual. The main reason we think that, is the clutch on the manual would take a bit of a hammering on a technical off-road trail.
เข้าท่านะคันนี้
Impressive car but underpowered it needs better engine!
+Max B-M *Turbo
+Sergey Kasimov We agree
2:23 = Subie Porn
I just don't understand automatic transmission driving off road
Hi Nic Dup, I used to be of the same view, however having had loads of experience driving manual and automatic 4x4's off-road I must admit that most auto's are extremely capable off-road and in some circumstances are easier to drive when the going gets tough, especially in soft sand. However ultimately I do agree, I enjoy the experience of driving a manual off-road.
Mate, its not made for that kind of treatment.
Eso para mi patrol gr es una carretera
Tu Patrol es un todo terreno , este es un todo camino , deberias de compararlo con el Nissan Juke un todo camino que es una basura en off road
Sorry not impressed,I thought the Subie would've done much better crawling over
Less complicated terrain.
Rafael Torres you are in the wrong vid. look up Jeep Wranglers if you're interested with crawling.
Mitch Villa :The Subarus from the 80´s was much better..they could go in any kind of terrain..even Subaru salesmen agree with that..I had a Leone,who was outstanding..the new Subarus are however,better than cars with Haldex..I have now a Skoda Octavia with Haldex,and it sucks...
+Jan-yngve Bohlin The 80's ones were much smaller and lighter. Also easier to hack up for larger tires and suspension.
Still, the AWD system is the same as newer 93-04 era Impreza, Legacy, and Forester models, which I would prefer.
+Jan-yngve Bohlin i have a Subaru GL 1989 with Hi and Low range and is a real all terrain vehicle , is a amazing 4x4
The most awesome car with the most ugly rims. Come on Subaru
JRS1121960 On the contrary.. I've gotten many compliments from ppl when I drive around with my Crosstrek w/ the standard rims. Ppl say they look very cool.
not enough power, a dirt road doesn't count as real offroading
thats more than a dirt road, and very few modern crossover or suv, could takle a road in these conditions, and at the end of the day, it´s a car, if you want more offroad capability buy a pick up.....
Todo eso lo hace mi suzuki jinmy mejor por menos precio
Driver is horrible with throttle management.