2023 Subaru XV teased, big reveal set for September 15

The upcoming new 2023 Subaru XV has been previewed today in a short clip on the company’s Japanese website and YouTube channels.

The new small SUV has been spied testing over the past year, but this fresh new release forms the first official confirmation that a next-gen XV is coming.

Known in the US as the Crosstrek, the XV has traditionally served as a jacked-up version of the Impreza hatch, giving the carmaker an easy entry into the high-selling ‘small SUV’ market.

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The formula has worked, with the Subaru XV proving a popular option with buyers. Year to date (end of July figures), Subaru has sold 4728 examples of the XV, while its 2021 record reached 9342 sales.

However, rivals like the Hyundai Kona and MG ZS sold 18,423 and 12,748 units in 2021 respectively, while the unstoppable value-focused Mitsubishi ASX sold strong on 14,764 units last year. Wheels COTY winner the Mazda CX-30 is also a more popular offering, with 13,309 sold in 2021.

The incoming new Toyota Corolla Cross is also likely to present a major challenge for the XV, not to mention the rivals listed above.

Subaru will be looking to the new XV to conquest buyers away from those options, which will likely mean we can expect an even more style-focused offering in this coming new generation.

Power for the new XV will reportedly come from a downsized design of the 1.8-litre engine that features in the new Levorg overseas (sold here only in WRX guise), supposedly resulting in a turbocharged 1.5-litre mill that would replace the naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine offered in the current model.

A new generation of Subaru’s EyeSight safety technology is also understood to be in the works, boosting autonomous driving capability to Level 3 where appropriate.

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What about a new Impreza?

Whether we’ll see a new Impreza join the new XV in Australia is a question that will have to wait.

While the badge has a long history here, the market’s increasing preference for SUVs could see the Impreza range either reduced or dropped. Year to date, just 1509 Imprezas have been sold in Australia, compared to 15,136 Corollas, 13,510 i30s, 8420 Ceratos and 5520 Mazda 3s.

Subaru Australia, for its part, is offering no comment on either the new XV or a new Impreza at this stage.

Watch for more details to come in the days ahead.