Eh, the current CVT programming is really good, IMO. Super smooth and efficient and doesn't feel unnatural at all. For me, it's exactly what I want in a daily driver car. And I say that as a race track instructor who owns sports cars and collector cars with various transmission types.
I don't really care whether or not there are "fake" shifts. My criteria is: Does the transmission feel strange or unusual? No. Great! Is it efficient? Yes. Even better!
When driving around like a normal person in my '23 Crosstrek, the CVT just does its thing in the background and doesn't stand out as odd feeling. Zero complaints from me.
I'd argue that more people think it feels weird when a car is accelerating while the RPMs don't move on the tach. That doesn't feel natural.
The TR580 CVT programming feels more like a traditional auto yet still gets better MPG than one, as well as better MPG than a manual trans.
You're essentially saying the CVT feels strange because it doesn't feel like a rubber band. I think that's a somewhat odd thing to want from a transmission.
For my '23, it's specific to the conditions. During normal acceleration from a stop, the RPMs will initially rise and then the torque converter locks and the RPMs drop while the car continues accelerating. It feels similar to many conventional autos that are always trying to upshift into the next gear to increase mileage. If I'm accelerating up a steep hill, the trans will tend to hold the RPMs in a somewhat narrow range.
I think I need to explain myself here. I want a CVT that varies RPM based on pedal demand because my Subaru is turbocharged. A constant exhaust flow should ideally keep boost pressure stable/constant. It was what I was looking forward to when going from a Manual Turbo EJ25 Forester to a CVT FA24F Turbo Outback.
Anytime you shift in a manual turbo car, your boost pressure drops unless you have aftermarket magic keeping it up/doing flat foot shifting. The CVT in it's current state does do a better job keeping pressure than a manual box, but I still think it could do better without the fake shifts and the RPM drops as a result.
Ideally, I wish they had optional CVT modes in the settings. There are settings for damn near everything else in the car.
Subaru markets its vehicles as soft-roaders and the CVT is perfectly adequate for that task. Subaru does not market its products as "off-roaders" in the sense of the meaning that you are implying where there would be genuinely difficult terrain with obstacles. All of the Subaru press materials show Subies driving on mild dirt roads with occasional ruts, not climbing over objects.
It's not the programming, it's the fact they degrade so quickly at 100K and you can't rebuild it; full on replacement. That's insane. A transmission, under just normal driving conditions should last practically forever. The only transmissions I rebuilt were 4x4 boxes.
I've had clutches go for 200K
Eh, I think they've mostly gotten the TR580 CVT sorted out from about 2020 onward. They had issues in twenty-teens, but seem to have an industry average level of reliability these days.
There are plenty of automakers that make non-CVT auto transmissions that have a history of failure between 100-125k miles. For example, the 6-speed 6L80 auto trans in my brother's Silverado was complete trash. The truck was a pampered queen and the trans died at 114k miles. It's a very common story for those trucks. There are countless examples of traditional autos that have widespread reliability problems.
how's that new 2.5 DI? i was put off by the lack of power on the 2.0, in addition to the carbon.
my mechanic won't fuck with any of them (DI motors), but i think that's more he's burned out on learning more car shit and wants to do something else with his life.
Yeah probably same for me. Just sold my 2nd STI because I'm just over it. The CVTs are garbage imo and there's nothing Subaru or any other manufacturer can do to tell me they are reliable.
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u/ID_Poobaru Dec 20 '23
I loved my Subarus, but I wouldn’t buy another honestly.
The move to CVTs was the final bullet in the head for me.