Subaru XV safety got top marks in Euro NCAP crash tests, beating the likes of the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1. It also achieved 90% in the ‘child occupant’ category – the best of any car on sale in the UK. It received maximum points for its protection of 18-month-old infants with the XV’s side impact protection singled out for specific praise.

It has also fared well in crash safety tests in the USA.

Standard equipment includes anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle dynamic control, six airbags – front, side and curtain – and Isofix child seat mountings.

In 2014 a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and instrument cluster Gear Shift Indicator were added to the standard specification list

The biggest criticism leveled at Subaru XV practicality concerns visibility. The XV may have that loftier seating that allows a decent straight-ahead and rear view, but the side windows are quite shallow and that restricts side visibility.

The front pillars are at a sharper angle than most 4x4s, which means you have to double-check when turning into T-junctions with acute angles and roundabouts. The view is restricted both ways, and that can get annoying when you have to crane your head around to get a view of the oncoming traffic.

Like all crossovers you get a decent amount of headroom, legroom and shoulder room, and there’s plenty of legroom in the back too – easily enough for six-footers.

The boot isn’t exactly cavernous – there’s 380 litres of space available when the rear seats are up and that’s the exactly the same size as the boot on the new Hyundai i30 hatchback. Still, that’s enough for a set of golf clubs, and it’ll easily take three holiday suitcases.

If you need more space the rear seats fold down to give you 1,270 litres and that’s on par with medium-sized 4x4s such as the Kia Sportage and the Mitsubishi ASX. Although you just pull on a couple of toggles to get the seats down quickly and easily, you don’t get a completely flat loadbay.