It’s no secret that the Solterra is the almost identical sibling to Toyota’s bZ4X, but before you have disparaging thoughts of a simple badge swap, it has to be noted that Subaru helped to develop the platform used by both cars, as well as the off-road settings….

The XV has been around since 2012, and has gained itself quite a fan base, and this latest incarnation hopes to increase it even more by aiming at a younger demographic than their other SUVs in the range.  Subaru say that the new XV is ideal for ….

Ask someone who lives in a city to name a 4x4, and they’ll probably say Range Rover, G-Wagen or something equally Chelsea tractor-esque. Ask the same question to country folk, and you’ll probably get a much more varied answer with Subaru being……

Before we start, I know Levorg is an odd name, but it’s a name that’s steeped in Subaru Heritage. You see it’s created from a combination of names previously used on the brand’s Boxer-engined Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive sport tourers;  LEgacy, ReVOlution and TouRinG………

Subaru’s BRZ isn’t normally the sort of car you’ll read about in The Mud Life, for one its ground clearance is atrocious, and secondly of course it’s only 2wd.  However, I’m all for killing two birds with one stone, and when the invite came through from Subaru to test both their updated BRZ and Levorg down in Cowley near Cheltenham, I couldn’t resist…..

The WRX is a strange car, but in a good way.  Yes, it’s a family sized 4-door saloon, yet it’s a 300ps 160mph monster, with handling characteristics to match.  First and foremost though, it’s a performance car that doesn’t compromise. My very first thoughts were, “Wow, the ride is hard” and “How heavy, yet precise, is the steering?” ……….

So what, dear reader, makes a Subaru so competent off-road?  These days of course, we have quite a lot of electronic witchcraft that goes on in all modern cars, but with Subaru, they also have their famed Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system which is coupled to their Boxer engine.

“A Symmetrical… system, Boxer engine…  what on earth are you talking about?”…….

Based on the Impreza, the XV is Subaru’s endeavour to tap into the lucrative and fashionable lifestyle crossover sector.  It comes with beefed up suspension and an extra bit of ground clearance.  As well as a taller body, it looks more like a sporty hatchback than a traditionally style SUV, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the XV is an SUV pretender, ‘cos it isn’t, not by a long stretch……..