The XV Hybrid L includes AWD, adaptive cruise control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Sway Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Lead Vehicle Start Alert, Pre-Collision Braking System, Pre-Collision Brake Assist (essentially Subaru’s Autonomous Emergency Braking system that falls under the proprietary ‘EyeSight’ technology), Pre-Collision Throttle Management, Brake Light Recognition, rain-sensing wipers, auto-on/off headlights and front fog lights.

There’s also an 8.0-inch touchscreen, reverse camera, digital radio, climate-control air-con, leather-trimmed steering wheel, power-folding mirrors and 17-inch alloy wheels – though no spare due to the hybrid system taking up space under the boot floor.

A puncture-repair kit is your lot.

Entry/egress through the front doors is easy. Wide doors and a sizeable aperture allow for that. High cushions and loads of seat travel also make finding the right driving position a piece of cake while thin pillars and a low dash cowl enhance forward and side vision, aided of course by large mirrors and a reverse camera.

The dash is generic modern-day Subaru, down to the clean and clear dials, rudimentary climate control system and very straightforward multimedia system. The latter is simple but a little clunky and dated, but gets the job done as far as functionality is concerned.

There’s no escaping the acres of well-made but slightly sheeny plastics, but they don’t rattle or zizz. They’re also quite soft to touch, so don’t seem cheapo either.

Ventilation is ample, and there is plenty of storage, including for smaller bottles in the doors, a medium-sized glovebox and a large centre bin between the front seats.

Meanwhile, sat comfortably high in the back seat, occupants enjoy an airy environment offering more head and legroom than the compact crossover proportions suggest, backed by exceptionally long doors (they open to almost 90 degrees), a sturdy centre armrest with cupholders, and storage in the doors for small bottles and phones.

What is missing are overhead reading lights – though the central ceiling item isn’t too far out of reach – and face-level air vents – but, again, the huge dash-sited ones have no problem reaching the second row. And, the windows wind all the way down too to boot.

Speaking of which, the cargo area is defined by its width and craftsmanship, but not depth due to the hybrid gear lurking underneath the near boot-lip level floor height.

High cushions and loads of seat travel also make finding the right driving position a piece of cake, on seats that are wide and flat but not uncomfortable. They recline all the way back, offer plenty of legroom up front, and provide sufficient lumbar support

Meanwhile, sat comfortably high in the back seat, the backrest is at a pleasant angle, the cushion has sufficient under-thigh support and there's a decent amount of legroom.

Subaru states that the XV Hybrid L in European-specification can hit 100km/h from standstill in 10.7 seconds, on the way to a 200km/h top speed.