Don’t call it an Outback Sport. This is Subaru’s new XV crossover, and though it totally fits the bill as a successor to the Impreza-based Outback Sports of yore, the Japanese automaker says that this little orange all-roader takes the company “into the compact crossover segment for the first time.” (Nevermind that the XV isn’t actually a new model, or that it is, minus a few very minor tweaks, exactly what the Impreza Outback Sport used to be).
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Looking over the specifications, as before, the XV is pretty close to its Impreza sister, though ground clearance has been upped to a trail-friendly 8.6 inches. Under the hood, two gasoline engines are available, measuring 1.6 and 2.0 liters, and a heavily tweaked version of the diesel Boxer four-cylinder is on tap, as well. Subaru’s new start/stop system is also on hand, and when mated to the CVT, Subaru says that the XV is quite efficient (thought we’ll wait for official fuel economy numbers before we make any judgments).
It’s still unclear if the XV will make its way Stateside. Last we heard, it was only being considered for North America, and it probably wouldn’t retain the Outback Sport moniker if it did come over.
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