Hey everyone, stumbled on this forum and thread googling about this car as I recently test drove one in Sydney, Australia.
From what I can gather, they're already selling them here.
Anyway, in the flesh the car is hot to look at and on the road it's a lovely drive. Piano black centre console and massive touch screen really lends it some class once you're in the driver's seat.
A cool feature is the side mirror camera. Once the left indicator is engaged, the dash screen turns on to show you footage of the lane next to you. Great safety addition.
The panoramic sun roof is a bit of an indulgence but has a wide berth and really lets in a sunny day.
The finishing throughout the cabin is outstanding and myself and my dad (who was with me) both agreed that the top of the line HRV was far more attractive inside when compared to the Subaru XV. Leather seats and leather binding on the doors and side trims plus steel finishing on speaker enclosures and various other recesses. It screams quality.
The steering especially was super light and responsive - an interesting build fact is that it's electronic and responds to the speed you're driving. If you're on a highway, the steering tightens up to keep you stable.
My only concern is the 1.8 litre engine capacity however the output in comparison to similar 2.0L vehicles in the segment is positive.
Anyway I just thought I'd share my experience. I'm tossing up between one of these and the Subaru but I'm yet to test drive the XV.
Hope that helps. I drove the top mode HRV by the way.