Shortly after making its debut on the Forester, Subaru is now adding its gasoline-electric e-BOXER technology for the Subaru XV.

Currently limited for the Japan market for now, the Subaru XV Advance is now the top-tier Subaru XV variant.

Like the Forester e-BOXER, the Subaru XV Advance adds a gasoline-electric drive to supplement the direct-injected FB20 engine. The output of the internal combustion engine is slightly down: 145 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 188 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, but it’s supplemented by an electric motor that adds 13.6 horsepower and 65 Nm of torque. The fuel tank is smaller though at 48 liters.


The hybrid motor enables the Subaru XV Advance to achieve close to 19.2 km/L on the JC08 test cycle compared to the conventional model’s 16 km/L figure. Interestingly, the Advance is also the first Subaru XV model to be tested under the new WLTC (Worldwide harmonized Light vehicle Test Cycle) standards. Supposed to replicate real-world driving conditions, the e-BOXER achieves 11.5 km/L in low speed, 15.5 km/L in medium speed, and 16.8 km/L in high speed driving conditions.

Outside, it’s almost indistinguishable from regular Subaru XVs except for some minute detail changes. The projector LED headlights now have a bright ring and the front grille is now finished in a chrome/silver metallic tone design. The front bumper also has a silver coating coupled with new LED front fog lights with a silver metallic surround. Towards the side, it has silver metallic side cladding while at the back, it gains a high-gloss black roof spoiler. An exclusive new color for the e-BOXER dubbed Lagoon Blue Pearl is made available next to the other Subaru XV shades.

Inside, the Subaru XV Advance trades the orange stitching for blue ones while the silver trim has been replaced with a blue one. Features such as EyeSight Safety Plus that integrates a front and side view camera are available options.


The Subaru XV Advance is also slated for a release in the North American market but will adopt a plug-in hybrid system technology. Currently, there are no plans to launch the hybrid-powered Subaru XV for the Philippine market.