Very slow and unpredictable downshifts especially from D to 3 when you would need it most like merging onto a freeway. I usually downshift it manually in advance if I think I'm might need some extra pull (and I'm talking conservative driving). I have heard this is common in throttle by wire systems across several brands and the lags are built in for a reason (T or F?) Subaru replaced some module or sensor but no improvement...Anyone have any insight??? Thanks in advance...Jon H.
That's funny, I just got through telling the fella at the dealership the other day, I am not going to buy one of these things then, because he said there is no auto tranny option for it, granted, I was talking about the STI, but still, the major difference between the WRX and STI models is the size of the turbo, or so I'm told, plus a handfull of trivial stuffs. Think of me as you will, but I never have liked manuals, and see no point in paying
24 ~ 34 thousands of dollars for a car that I can't stand to drive. Isn't there some sort of way to remap shift points? That's basically what the power light was all about, years ago, on Soob's older autos. Didn't have a button for it, just went off how you tapped the accellerator pedal. And to think about the problem, the tranny not wanting to change gears very readily, maybe that is just what the Soob engineers wanted your driving experience to be like? Maybe they are trying to coax a more manual-like feel out of your auto tranny by giving you more opportunities to up/down-shift? May just be a matter of learning to drive the way the car expects. I mean, if it's totally drive by wire, it's all up to the computer, how gentle your input is going to translate to the car. Try tapping the throttle a bit more next time, not a step down, but you know, get your foot to where you want it, but with a sense of urgency, and maybe that will translate into the downshift you are looking for?
I have an 06 Outback 3.0 VDC with a similar problem. I think that it's misprogrammed, and, spent 30 minutes driving around with the Regional Rep who had a laptop hooked into the diagnostics port to gather data on the issue.
For claiming to be the top selling Soob dealer in the country, they really need to train up their sales associates better then. Course, there's still my own homework. (-;
We just came back from a week long road trip in my wife's 05 OBW 3.0 and feel the auto tranny is a nice match. An auto in a WRX does seems like an odd choice though.
I stopped off at Liberty Subaru in NJ (about 15 miles from Manhattan) a few years back, and all the WRXs on the lot were 4EATs...if I was driving in/around NYC or LA, I'd probably give a lot of consideration to an automatic. There's only so many dozen clutching/declutchings you can do in an hour's drive, before it just gets obnoxious.
4EATs are considered a lot stronger by the guys into the drag scene, too.
I agree with manual trannies and heavy traffic. I was stuck with it for 10 years and it was be a bit much at times. I just don't think the WRX and the auto are a good fit. Maybe it's the combo of the turbo lag (if it's still significant in the 2.5) and auto that kills it for me. Why not get a non-aspirated Impreza wagon with an auto tranny for commuting? Lower cost, better mpg, regular gas, cheaper insurance - you're stuck going the exact same speed as everyone else, VW vans and Carreras included anyway. Maybe it's an image issue?
Had the 4EAT in my Turbo GL wagon, and also in my XT6 I'm puttering around in currently. Has the tranny changed much, is it just the name they've kept for the tranny in the WRX? I've always loved the gearing in it, response to throttle, and the only part I've ever had go out was a front differential to which, the dealer said, "Huh, funny, that never breaks on a Soob!" My friend pulled strings at a wrecking yard and they let me take a 4EAT off of a newly defunct Turbo Loyale wagon for $150, spent some time over and under the car, and voila, back in business. The transmission works perfectly in every way. Cheapest transmission job I'm ever gonna get. (-; My Imprezza has a 4 speed auto in it, but I never looked to see what it was. Feels quite differently though, so I don't think it's much the same as the 4EAT. What I read somewhere, long ago, is the 4EAT is strong enough to take some
400 horsies, so I would imagine that to have something to do with why Soob would pair it up with the WRX, instead of what is in the Imprezza? Maybe I'm completely mistaken? Guess it leaves me to wonder what was in the SVX, as it had a bad rep for killing it's tranny, and why wouldn't they have used the 4EAT in it, if it was 'that' strong? No auto for the STI then, only the WRX?
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