After a happy decade-and-a-bit of pootling about in all manner of small cars I’ve decided to scale things up a little, for no more complicated a reason than because I fancy a bit more space, a bit more refinement, and maybe even a few luxuries thrown in for good measure. Time to ring the changes!

In years past such an exercise might have involved a leviathan saloon or even a chunky 4×4, but the former doesn’t really fit in with dog ownership (I’m sure I could technically belt a Lakeland Terrier into an LS600h, but it wouldn’t really be de rigueur) and the latter… well, I can’t afford a Land Cruiser so that’s that.

In any case, I’m not really sure I can do the “big” car thing anymore. Times have definitely changed in the 12 years since I ran my LS400 and maybe, after so long in small, efficient, clever cars, so have I. The idea of driving myself, my wife, and our Lakeland Terrier round in some massively oversized piece of metal (whether petrol, diesel, hybrid, or electric) doesn’t really interest me these days – I mean, I’m genuinely still a little anxious that my latest purchase is a bit OTT, and yet it’s the smallest vehicle in Subaru’s line-up.

So yes, I’ve bought a Subaru XV, and I specifically mentioned “scaling up” in the intro because I really do feel like I’ve super-sized my Panda. You see, just as the Cross is Fiat’s city car jacked up for off-road readiness, so the XV is Subaru’s regular hatchback on stilts. They both sport unconventional engine layouts, they both have four wheel drive setups chucked underneath with clever electronic modes to make them work better, and both are used as unpretentious, all season transportation. The XV is just a bit bigger, a bit more refined, and with some luxurious little extras like adaptive cruise, steering-reactive LED headlights, and Apple CarPlay sprinkled on top.

I wanted to point out these similarities to the Cross because, as well as being the car that’s being replaced, it’s been such an impressive all-rounder that trying to find any sort of worthy replacement has been really, really tough. It’s only my desire for a few more creature comforts to make long distance journeys more comfortable that’s really driven this change – whilst big trips are absolutely doable in Pandas, Jimnys, Wagon Rs and Smarts (fortwos are genuinely really good on the motorway!) right now I’d like to sacrifice some B-road agility for motorway ability, and travel further afield more often.