Fiat 500X VS Subaru XV
Fiat 500X
Likes
- Fun looks
- Good interior
- Great safety package
Dislikes
- Iffy transmission
- Oddball ride
- Slow
Subaru XV
Likes
- Excellent cabin fit and finish
- Great to drive
- Advanced safety tech
Dislikes
- Not much more fuel efficient than the petrol version
- Pricey
- Small display screen
Summary
Fiat 500X
Fiat's indomitable 500 is one of the great survivors - not even VW's recently deceased New Beetle could keep riding the nostalgia wave, partly because it made itself just that little bit out-of-touch by not being a car anyone can buy. The 500 avoided that, particularly in its home market, and is still going strong.
Fiat added the 500X compact SUV a few years ago and at first I thought it was a daft idea. It's a polarising car, partly because some people complain it's capitalising on the 500's history. Well, duh. It's worked out well for Mini, so why not?
I've driven one every year for the last couple so I was keen to see what's up and whether it's still one of the weirdest cars on the road.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.4L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 5.7L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Subaru XV
The idea of a hybrid version of Subaru’s small XV SUV seems to make complete sense – this is a car that probably spends most of its time in traffic but is owned by people who might like to head down a dirt track occasionally. And if it can somehow manage to give off a green glow as well, that could only be a bonus.
But can it actually do all those things? That's the question I’m here to answer, with a bit of real-world testing.
The answer is not a simple yes or no, I'm afraid, because the experience was mostly positive, yet in some ways, I was left wanting more. Allow me to explain.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L |
| Fuel Type | Hybrid with Regular Unleaded |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.5L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Fiat 500X6.8/10
The 500X is a fun-looking alternative to the various options available from everyone else and is - overall - better to drive than its Renegade twin.Â
It packs a very good safety package which you can't ignore but does lose points on the warranty and servicing regime. But it's also built to take four adults in comfort, which not every car in the segment can boast.
Would you choose the Fiat 500X over one its better-known competitors? Tell us in the comments section below.
Subaru XV7.3/10
Well this is awkward. On one hand the XV Hybrid is excellent and on the other it’s… not.
It’s great to drive on and off the road, the fit and finish of the cabin are superb and the safety tech is outstanding. On the other, the value for money isn’t good when you consider that it’s almost the most expensive XV, but still doesn’t have sat nav, dual-zone climate control, nor the larger display.
And then there’s the fuel economy. Even if we had matched the 6.5L/100km Subaru says we should get, the saving is a mere 500ml for every 100km compared to a straight-petrol XV. The plug-in hybrid version of the XV, as sold in the United States, can get about 2.6L/100km. Now that type of hybrid XV would make far more sense.
Design
Fiat 500X7/10
Look, I like the 500X, but I know why people don't. It's clearly a 500X in the way a Mini Countryman is a Mini. It looks like a 500, but get closer and you see the difference. It's chubby like a $10 weekend market Bhudda statue and has great big googly eyes like Mr Magoo. I find this endearing, my wife does not. The looks aren't the only thing she doesn't like.
The cabin is a bit more restrained and I quite like the band of colour stretching across the dash. The 500X is meant to be a bit more grown up than the 500, so there's a proper dash, more sensible design choices but it still has the big buttons, perfect for the meaty fingers of people who won't be buying this car.
Subaru XV
That Lagoon Blue paint. As mentioned above it’s only available on the hybrid and in the metal the colour is so stunning and different that right now from my desk I can see people rubber necking at it parked out the front of my house. The hue, combined with the ‘e-boxer’ badges, makes for an intriguing package, which, from where I sit, is generating a stack of interest. That was always Subaru’s intention, I guess.
Other hybrid-only design features include the frosted silver elements around the fog lights, the slim-line roof rails and, of course, those ‘e-boxer’ badges.
Those are the only styling differences between the Hybrid and the other XV family members.
Not having the chunky roof racks means the overall height is 20mm lower, at 1595mm, but the rest of the dimensions are the same as a regular XV, at 4465mm long and 1800mm wide. Â
The XV is a small SUV, but larger than most of its rivals – it’s about 200mm longer than a Honda H-RV, and similar in size to a Kia Seltos or Nissan Qashqai. That said, its cargo capacity isn’t the best – but more on that in the Practicality section below.
We’re just talking about appearances here and the XV hybrid is cute and angry looking at the same time, with its Pokémon-like face.
Nothing has changed about the overall exterior styling since this new-gen XV was introduced in 2017. And that goes for the interior, too, which is a highlight of this SUV.
There’s no other small SUV in the price range with a cabin that feels this good – the craftsmanship is superb, the fit and finish is excellent and the materials (even the plastics) feel gorgeous. I never use the word gorgeous, but you won’t find a more comfortable and luxurious cabin this side of a Lexus.
That said, the small display screen lets things down, and so does the featureless hard plastic on the back of the centre console, which stares at the rear passengers.  Â
Practicality
Fiat 500X7/10
At just 4.25 metres, the 500X isn't big, but makes the most of what it's got. The boot impresses at 350 litres and with the seats down, I think you could reasonably expect to triple that figure, though Fiat doesn't have an official number that I can find. For added Italian feel, you can tip the passenger seat forward to get really long things in, like a Billy bookshelf flat pack from Ikea.
Rear seat passengers sit high and upright meaning leg and kneeroom are maximised and with that tall roof, you won't scrape your head.Â
The doors each have a small bottle holder for a total of four and Fiat has got serious about cupholders - the 500X now has four.
Subaru XV
To sum things up, room for people is good but the cargo capacity is not. That means I can sit behind my driving position, even though I’m 191cm tall, with about 15cm to spare between my knees and the seatback. Headroom is fine for me, too.
Boot space, however, is 345 litres, which sounds like it could be a lot but when you consider the Honda HR-V has a 437-litre cargo capacity and the Kia Seltos has 433 litres of luggage space, it’s clear the XV’s boot isn’t very big.
Cabin storage isn’t so bad, though, with a big centre console bin, two cup holders up front and two more in the rear fold-down armrest, plus bottle holders in the doors. The hidey hole in front of the shifter is showing its age because my phone was too large to fit into it sideways, but there are other little nooks to store your things in.
Parents should know that the XV Hybrid doesn’t have directional air vents for those in the back seats, but the dark-tinted rear windows were a welcome feature whenever we had our five-year-old back there.
The hybrid has three USB ports – two for charging in the centre console bin and one for media under the dashboard. Need a 12V outlet? There are two.
Price and features
Fiat 500X7/10
I drove the Pop Star, which is the second of the now-two model "regular" range, the other being the, er, Pop. I drove a Special Edition in 2018 and it's not clear if it is Special as there's also an Amalfi Special edition. Anyway.
The $30,990 (plus on-road costs) Pop Star has 17-inch alloys, six-speaker Beats-branded stereo, dual-zone climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, active cruise control, sat nav, auto headlights and wipers, leather shifter and steering wheel and a space-saver spare.
The Beats-branded stereo speakers are supplied with noise from FCA's UConnect on a 7.0-inch touchscreen. The same system is in a Maserati, don't you know. Offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, UConnect loses points by shrinking the Apple interface into a lurid red frame. Android Auto properly fills the screen, for some reason which is ironic given Apple owns the Beats brand.
Subaru XV
The XV Hybrid lists for $35,580, which makes it the second-most expensive XV in the line-up, sitting just under the top-of-range $36,530 2.0i-S. The thing is, the Hybrid doesn’t come with nearly as much equipment as the 2.0i-S, and that’s why it loses value-for-money marks in this review.
Standard features range from the disappointing - like the 6.5-inch touch screen, single-zone climate control and halogen headlights - to the impressive; adaptive cruise control, rear privacy glass and proximity unlocking. The Hybrid also scores the same advanced safety tech as the 2.0i-S, which I’ll go into more detail about in the Safety section below.
Other standard features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, shifting paddles, X-Mode drive setting, rear-view camera, six-speaker stereo, digital radio, CD player, premium cloth upholstery, roof rails and rain-sensing wipers.
Only the hybrid comes in the Lagoon Blue colour our car wore, and it’s a no-cost option. Good.
How does the XV Hybrid compare with rivals on price? Well, apart from the Toyota C-HR Koba hybrid, there aren’t any other small hybrid SUV rivals. But ask yourself: why are you buying the XV Hybrid? If it’s for ‘green efficiency’ then you really need to skip to the section on fuel economy, because the amount of fuel you’ll save could shock you, and not in a good way.
If it’s for the all-wheel-drive system then you should know that all XVs have all-wheel drive.
Frankly the biggest rival, apart from the C-HR, comes from within – the XV 2.0i Premium, which is $33,420 and is better equipped and boasts excellent fuel economy. A small SUV comparison wouldn’t be complete without the segment’s benchmark – the Kia Seltos, and its Sport + grade with AWD lists for $35,490.
Under the bonnet
Fiat 500X7/10
Fiat's rather excellent 1.4-litre turbo MultiAir does duty under the stubby bonnet, making 103kW and 230Nm. Rather less excellent is the six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which sends power through the front wheels only.
It's rated to tow a 1200kg braked trailer and 600kg unbraked.
Subaru XV
The XV Hybrid has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine under the bonnet (making 110kW and 196Nm) and built into the transmission is an electric motor (making 12.3kW and 66Nm). The batteries are under the boot floor and they’re charged through energy captured during braking, which is then turned into electricity.
The transmission is an automatic called a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). I’m not a fan of CVTs because they tend to take all the oomph out of acceleration, but Subaru’s version is one of the best and the addition of the electric motor gives nice little nudges while driving that the straight-petrol XV doesn’t offer.
Efficiency
Fiat 500X6/10
Fiat rather optimistically suggest you'll get a combined cycle figure of 5.7L/100km but try as I might, I couldn't do better than 11.2L/100km. What's worse, it demands 98RON fuel, so it's not the cheapest car to run. This figure us consistent with past weeks in the 500X and no, I wasn't thrashing it.
Subaru XV
Hybrids are all about saving fuel, but the XV Hybrid doesn’t use a lot less petrol than the regular XV, which makes you wonder what the point of it is. According to Subaru the XV Hybrid should use 6.5L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads, while under the same driving conditions the regular petrol version does almost as well at 7L/100km.
My own testing showed higher consumption. After 401.5km of motorways, urban commutes, city traffic, suburban runs, country twisty fun roads and even dirt and gravel tracks, I filled up with 37.51 litres, which comes to 9.3L/100km. The fuel tank in the hybrid is 48 litres and the trip computer told me I had a range of 90km left. The straight petrol XV has a 63-litre tank.
So, even if you use Subaru’s figures you’re saving 500ml per 100km, which comes to about 70c per 100km if 91 RON is about $1.40. Factor in the fact that the XV Hybrid costs $3970 more than the XV 2.0i-L and you’d have to drive more than 550,000km to make that difference in money back. Again, you have to ask, what is the point?
I’ve tested Toyota’s C-HR Hybrid and while it is only two-wheel drive the combined fuel economy is 4.3L/100km.
Subaru’s XV Hybrid needs to be way more fuel efficient for it to be a worthwhile hybrid vehicle. Â
Driving
Fiat 500X6/10
Again, I shouldn't like the 500X but I really don't mind it. It's flawed, which might be why.
The dual-clutch transmission is dumber than a box of loose cogs, lurching from start and looking the other way when you expect it to shift. We know the engine is a good one and I think part of the reason it's so thirsty is the confused way the transmission goes about its business. I'd love to drive a manual to see what it's like.
The 500X initially feels worse than its Jeep Renegade sibling-under-the-skin, which is quite an achievement. Part of that is to do with the ride, which is very choppy below 60km/h. The first 500X I drove wallowed about but this one is a bit tauter, which would be good if you weren't punished with this bounciness.
The seats themselves comfortable and the interior is a good place to hang out. It's reasonably quiet, too, which is at odds with the old-school silliness of its conduct. It feels like Labrador let out of after day kept inside.
And that's where the car I shouldn't like is a car I do like - I really like that it feels like you're on Roman cobblestones, the type that make your knees hurt when you walk on them for a day. The steering wheel is too fat and is at a weird angle, but you kind of square up to it and drive the car like your life depends on it. You have to take it by the scruff, correct the shifts with the paddles and show it who's boss.
Obviously, that's not for everyone. If you drive it really gently, it's a very different experience, but that means going slowly everywhere, which is no fun at all and not at all Italian.
Subaru XV
I said in the video above that I think the XV is one of the best-handling small SUVs for the money and it’s true, even on twisty country roads the vehicle feels planted, with great body control. That’s thanks to well-sorted suspension and the boxer engine design, which lowers the centre of mass, making the car less ‘wobbly’ and more secure in the corners.
If it was just about driving, the XV Hybrid would be my pick out of the entire model range. That’s because I find the basics petrol version has lacklustre acceleration. The hybrid gets little shoves from the electric motor, making it better for moving quickly in traffic. Yep, while the electric motor is tiny and only supplies a small output, when it combines forces with the petrol the difference is noticeable compared to the petrol XV.
Like the petrol, the hybrid uses a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The transmissions are the cause of the indequate acceleration I mentioned, but they seem to be perfectly suited to electric motors.
The entire XV line-up is all-wheel drive, and that includes the hybrid. This is not a four-wheel-drive system, which large off-road vehicles like the Toyota LandCruiser use, so I wouldn’t try to cross the Simpson Desert in an XV. Really the XV’s all-wheel drive is designed for on-road duties but occasional dirt and gravel tracks are fine, as long as you don’t get too wild. Still, it is truly one of the most sure-footed small SUVs for the price that I’ve driven, and the impressive 220mm of ground clearance will let you head down bumpy tracks that would tear the innards out of other small SUVs.
The X-mode function is activated by pressing a button and the throttle, transmission and drive to the wheels is managed automatically to maintain optimum traction.
Where the Hybrid is at a disadvantage against its fellow XV family members is in terms of towing. The braked towing capacity is 130kg less than a straight-petrol XV at 1270kg. Â
Safety
Fiat 500X8/10
Out of the box, you get seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward collision warning, high and low speed AEB, active cruise control, rollover stability, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot sensor and rear cross traffic alert. That's not bad for a $30,000 car full stop, let alone a Fiat.
There are two ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors for baby seats.Â
The 500X scored a five-star ANCAP rating in December 2016.
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Subaru XV
Perhaps the best reason for buying the hybrid version of the XV is for its advanced safety tech. Only the XV Hybrid and the top-of-the-range 2.0i-S come with blind-spot monitoring, auto high beams, lane-changing assist, rear cross traffic alert and reverse AEB.
That’s in addition to what’s standard on all XVs, such as forward AEB, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, lane-sway alert, lead vehicle start and brake-light recognition.
The XV Hybrid also comes with adaptive cruise control.
A note about the reverse AEB – it works, really well and stopped me from backing into a tree while filming the video above.
The Subaru XV was given a five-star ANCAP safety rating when it was tested in 2017.
For child seats, you’ll find three top-tether anchor points and two ISOFX mounts across the rear row.
Despite all this incredible safety equipment you don’t get a spare tyre on the XV Hybrid – not even a space saver, as you do on the other grades. Instead, you get a puncture-repair kit, which consists of a tyre-inflation device and a type of sealant. I’ve had punctures before while driving cars from other brands and the repair kit didn’t fix the leak. For this reason, the XV hybrid is losing marks here – you can’t beat a real spare tyre, especially in Australia where distances are vast, towns are remote, the climate is extreme and a breakdown could be a life and death situation.
Ownership
Fiat 500X6/10
Fiat offers a three-year/150,000km warranty, along with roadside assist for the same period. It's not great as more manufacturers shift to five years.Â
Service intervals arrive once a year or 15,000km. There is no fixed or capped-price servicing program for the 500X.
Subaru XV
The Subaru XV Hybrid is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, while the battery for the electric motor is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty. There’s also a five-year/62,500km capped-price-servicing program. Servicing is recommended at 12 month/12,500km intervals, with the first capped at $350.25, the second at $588.31, the third at $354.83, the fourth at $784.77, and the fifth at $354.86 for a total of $2433.02 over the five years.