The Subaru Exiga looks like a Forester wagon that’s spent too much time at the buffet table, but this pudgy-looking estate car is actually Subaru’s new MPV.
This is Subaru’s first foray into the people-carrier sector (not counting their oddball 7-seater Tribeca SUV), but you’d be forgiven for overlooking it.
In fact, that’s what I did, literally, when I went to pick up the car.
Parked among the ranks of Imprezas, Foresters and Legacies, the Exiga so completely failed to stand out that I walked right past it.
The Subaru Exiga’s blend-into-the-background silver paint work didn’t help matters.
One thing Subaru has achieved with the Exiga’s styling, though, is to successfully disguise its bulk.
With its pronounced bonnet, it’s got the two-box profile of an estate car rather than the one-box shape common to most MPVs.
Subaru Exiga follows its Impreza sibling’s lead to feature really livid dials.
And while it fights for market territory in the league of the Honda Odyssey, at first glance, it actually looks closer in size to a Honda Stream.
But despite its mid-sized appearance, it actually fits seven adults.
Subaru has employed a sort of terraced seating arrangement, with the second and third rows set higher than the row in front (called “theatre-style seating”), so that everyone gets a good view ahead.
Despite the height of the seats, passengers in the third row still have ample headroom.
The Exiga’s high roofline may not help its looks, but it makes for a very airy cabin indeed.
Access to the back row is easy, too. Tug a lever on the backrest of the second row, and the seat will fold and slide forward in one move, allowing you to step straight into the back without having to hurdle any seat. Nice.
Middle- and back-row passengers have ample legroom. Like most other MPVs in this class, the middle row slides as well, for further flexibility.
Unusually, there are no separate air-con vents serving the rear two rows. What the Exiga has, instead, is a large additional vent at the top of the fascia, from which air billows upwards and is then carried backwards to serve the rear.
Like every other MPV in town, there’s ample storage space inside.
And there are cup holders everywhere – moulded into all the doorbins, set into the side panels beside the last row, and built into the rear’s centre armrest.
Unfortunately, despite the already ample provision for drinks, Subaru still felt it necessary to add one more cup holder – a particularly flimsy-feeling device tacked onto the centre console between the front seats, where it blends in as subtly as a wart on Charlize Theron’s face.
Thankfully, it’s removable.
There are two versions of the Exiga available: the base 2.0i model and the turbocharged 2.0GT.
This latter version has some useful additional standard equipment, chief among them is perhaps the biggest glass roof of any car today.
Light and breezy colours help accentuate the Subaru Exiga’s best attribute.
Perhaps to compensate for the absence of the glass roof, Subaru has attempted to brighten the cabin of the lesser 2.0i by giving it a light caramel colour scheme, in place of the classy dark grey scheme on the 2.0GT.
It does the interior no favours.
The quality of the materials and fittings don’t help either. Cabin trim is hard to the touch, the leather used is coarse and ill-fitting, and the column stalks and minor switchgear feel old-school fragile.
Nevertheless, the cabin style is cohesive enough and very user-friendly. The fascia is logically laid out and easy to use, and the dials are large and clear.
The driving position is excellent, although the wheel adjusts only for rake on the base 2.0i model (2.0GT has reach and rake adjustments – does a reach-adjustable column really cost more to produce?).
Subaru’s long-serving 1994cc four-pot DOHC boxer unit powers both versions of the Exiga. The turbocharger bumps power up from the 2.0i’s 148bhp to a tasty 225bhp.
This being a Subaru, both versions are all-wheel driven.
Our test car is the 2.0i, and even this lesser engine delivers decent low-end torque, giving the big MPV more than sufficient urge away from the lights.
But push harder and it loses its composure, and starts to feel and sound strained.
Subaru’s boxer engines used to rev with the most delicious throbs.
But that’s been replaced with a much less exciting drone, with the advent of equal-length manifolds introduced a few years back.
It’s muted enough up to the mid-range, but by about 4000rpm, the engine starts to get strident.
It takes real commitment (and an utter lack of mechanical sympathy) to hang on to the 6600rpm redline. And there’s no real performance benefit to be had from doing so anyway.
The 2.0i comes with a 4-speed automatic gearbox (most other class competitors have 5-speeders), while the 2.0GT has a 5-speed.
Both have a tiptronic-style “Sportshift” mode, in case you’re in the mood to tackle bends with a bit of verve.
And under such circumstances, the Exiga stands up well. The steering is more responsive and accurate than is the MPV norm.
And while the chassis is a bit underdamped at the rear, there’s good handling composure even under hard cornering at speed.
It leans a fair bit, but the upshot of this is an excellent, unruffled ride.
And with the all-wheel-drive set-up, you’re assured of perfect traction even in the most atrocious of conditions.
So the Exiga is uninspiring but safe and very competent.
Which is exactly what most MPV buyers want. Perhaps Subaru has hit the spot the first time out.
Subaru Exiga 2.0i (A)
DRIVETRAIN
Type Flat-4, 16-valves
Capacity 1994cc
Bore x stroke 92mm x 75mm
Compression ratio 10.2:1
Max power 148hp at 6000rpm
Max torque 191Nm at 3200rpm
Power to weight 97.4hp per tonne
Gearbox 4-speed automatic with manual select
Driven wheels All
PERFORMANCE
0-100km/h 12.7 seconds
Top speed 160km/h
Consumption 7.9km/L (city)
SUSPENSION
Front MacPherson struts, coil springs
Rear Double wishbones, coil springs
BRAKES
Front / Rear Ventilated discs / Discs
TYRES
Type Bridgestone B250
Size 205/60 R16
SAFETY
Airbags 2
Traction aids ABS
MEASUREMENTS
Length 4740mm
Width 1775mm
Height 1660mm
Wheelbase 2750mm
Kerb weight 1520kg
Turning circle 11m
BUYING IT
Price incl. COE $87,000
Warranty 3 years/60,000km
+ Ample cabin space, easy access to rear rows, good ride
– Forgettable styling, beige interior, only four gears for 2.0i
