The Subaru XV has been around for a long time now. It first hit the UK market in 2017 and, during those six years, it received little in the way of upgrades. However, Subaru reckons it can make up for lost time with this – the new Crosstrek.

It’s a heavily reworked and rebadged version of the XV, sporting fresh exterior styling and a revamped interior with far fewer physical controls and new, larger touchscreen. It also retains the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder mild hybrid boxer engine and four-wheel drive system as its predecessor, albeit in a lower state of tune.

Subaru hopes its updates to the Crosstrek will be extensive enough to drag it back into the family SUV race, where it’ll become a more competitive rival for the likes of the Kia Sportage and SEAT Ateca. However, we’re not sure whether the tweaks go far enough to push it into the upper half of the league table.

The Kia and SEAT both offer comfort, practicality, good fuel economy and intuitive technology – and the Ateca is even quite fun to drive. But the Crosstrek sacrifices its dynamism, refinement and efficiency in favour of some genuine off-road ability and a veritable arsenal of standard driver assistance technology.

That approach probably won’t give the Crosstrek mainstream appeal – and besides, the old XV was always somewhat of a fringe competitor. However, Subaru might find favour in the UK’s rural drivers, especially those living in areas that are regularly battered by the elements.

Over the next few pages, we’ll review every aspect of the Subaru Crosstrek, assessing its practicality, interior quality, technology, comfort, driving experience and running costs. We’ll then offer our final verdict on the car and tell you whether it’s worth considering over its mainstream competitors.