Gadgetory

it's an all-new model from Subaru but the DNA we've seen before let's check out the 2013 XV crosstrek and check the tech so what exactly is a Suvi cross track first of all it's a whole new model for them although it doesn't fall too far from the familiar Subaru tree when they sent us as you can see is a whole mess of orange but we're okay with that it's a two row there's no third row option or anything of this wheelbase and you got a usable cargo box in the back notice it's also got a high ride height ample space here for suspension travel and not terribly low-profile tires that's a formula that adds up to a vehicle that is credibly good in rough pavement or off the road not just looking like it is first off we have the optional navigation head unit in this car this has got a decent size color LCD and they need the 6.1 inches because there's an awful lot of junk in there look how busy that is even if you put it in the most minimal mode you've got stuff everywhere if I go to the nav menu you can see how things are sliding and moving and going to different modes the touch response is pretty good it seems to need kind of a hard press and you'll find that it's a little bit cryptic in terms of how you go to various modes of navigation it's not always the most obvious thing to get through and everything is very small and busy this is not easy to digest at a glance and that's one of the core sort of sources of distraction when you've got technology in the - this is not great in that respect by any means now navigation on this guy is powered kind of like in a Ford by this little SD card right here pop that out nav goes away and you might say why would you pop that out there's no real reason except they oddly enough give you a photo viewer also in here which you can use in place of navigation not sure why you want to do that except to look at cat photos that's what I would do cuz I'm not that crazy about the nav now even if you get the base car you get all the key audio sources I like that so means am/fm satellite bluetooth streaming and USB which is also compatible with iPod here in the console that's really all you need to Jack this thing up and get this disappointing nav and HD radio pass in every configuration I believe you have six speakers around the cabin there isn't a big difference in terms of the sound you can get a dealer-installed subwoofer for like 500 bucks but notice the theme here as I go through nav and audio lots and lots of detailed and techie toys this was designed by geeks for geeks to be used on their desk in the house this is just too detailed and too techie and too many layers for a great automotive interface now the rear view camera is also part of this package and you see it's got no trajectory that is live it just shows you some distance and curb line marks you can get that with the nav unit or you can also option that in with a higher trim level two ways to get there and one more thing that annoys me about how you get some of the options here if you want to get this little glass moonroof which I do you have to also get this Cluj of a navigation head unit which I don't and you do have voice command which does a fairly good job of simplifying this interface let's see how it works for navigation voice command please first of all where all the prompts that show me what I can do from that screen I can do more than just say help but it doesn't prompt me to get there and then notice I've got tabs here so I have to go through a mix of tabbing around two different modes to get prompts and speaking to it that's also kind of poor interface navigation navigation please say a command destination please say a command address say the house number anyway you can see at times it's pretty good at digesting what I say other times there's just too many little fussy steps for this voice command to be as simplifying as it should be all right here in the engine bay pretty standard sube stuff a 2-liter flat for you know they do flat floors partly because they sit low in the car in this car that Canada doesn't matter does it because the whole cars high and the engine doesn't seem particularly low to me either no turbo charging great thing else a very straightforward boxer engine they earned their keep using this one 147 horsepower 145 foot-pounds of torque 0 to 60 I'm certain it will and 25 33 mpg with the CVT if you get the six-speed manual it becomes 23 30 mpg quite a hit and if you get the limited car the hide rims you only can get the CVT one more thing where we go for a drive I'm intrigued by Subarus very precise tanginess with paint but in this edge where the color code ends and the primer is revealed they could not have been 1 micrometer closer and had this car be ready for production what do they save a nickel now driving the crosstrack isn't much different than driving a lot of other Subarus the noises it makes the the steering compliance even the ride or very sube but what this car does surprise me on is the relatively direct application of power it's fairly straightforward in that respect and that's a lot of credit to this CVT continuously variable transmissions are often a disaster of slush eNOS this one's actually quite positive in fact I wasn't sure was a CVT or a standard automatic when we first got in this car it feels like it kind of has gears that's a high compliment and the shifts here from the paddles are very quickly executed I've driven a lot of more expensive cars than this with paddles shifted automatics that didn't get the job done as quickly so good work of course this 2-liter mill doesn't have overwhelming power but it's it's ready it's willing power and that's what I always look for in a car and most Subarus are like this they're really kind of Spartan and kind of austere inside almost German if it weren't for that kind of overly wrought unsuccessfully wrought head unit this would be one of the more handsome clean cabins on the road today okay let's price our XV crosstrek this guy is the limpid trim the high of the two trims twenty-five three roughly delivered man there's kind of one option to go see that style and that is the package that brings you that nav head unit in the glass moonroof 1/2 of which I actually want the other half I don't so that'll be your call for five hundred bucks the dealer could install a powered subwoofer that might be a nice addition to this system and unfortunately there is no option to add more paint in the door jambs