Subaru CVT transmissions

Real men like real gears- and a clutch pedal to shift from one to the next...

Well, of course! But there are many who do not want a daily driver for "real men."

Unfortunately Subaru is killing the turbo option in the 2019 Forester.

12 extra HP with the newer 2.5L engine doesn't displace the 80 extra HP with a turbo. 2018 Forester 2.5: 170 HP, 174 lb-ft torque (touring model) 250 HP, 258 lb-ft torque (XT premium model) 2019 Forester 2.5: 182 HP, 176 lb-ft torque

Mileage seems the driving factor.

2018 Forester 2.5i w/6-spd manual: 22/28 MPG 2018 Forester XT: 23/27 MPG 2019 Forester 2.5i: 26/32 MPG

You get better MPG but less power. Considering I'd use this vehicle type for towing, I'd sacrifice some mileage for more power. I'll pay for the extra safety. It's cheap health insurance.

That's great that you were able to try a different CVT. I have friends who have an Escape; I'll ask them whether they've noticed any delays or awkward shifting--although they aren't really car people, so they may not have noticed.

The only slight frustration I've ever encountered with my Outback is sometimes coming down a cloverleaf onramp to a freeway, it's in a high gear and not much happens when I step on the gas to get up to freeway speed. But that's easily corrected by manually downshifting. The car speeds up and then upshifts for the freeway.

Heated steering wheel? That's a new one on me.

:-)

Patty

I mentioned that my brother and I had bought nearly identical blue 2016 Foresters within a month of each other unknown to either of us at the time. My brother had traded in an Outback and I had traded in a Forester. I asked him how he liked his CVT and he did not even know what I was talking about. He had noticed no change in the new transmission and he was retired from the car retail business.

I like the CVT in slowing around curves and going downhill and avoiding braking. I like the increased mileage. Like you, my wife does not the slight size increase and prefers the size of her old Forester.

And if you live long enough you'll have knees that can't deal with all the shifting when driving in heavy traffic.

My 2010 Legacy has CVT. I love it.

For the first 40 years all the cars I owned had manual transmissions. The first one (1962 Triumph Herald) had bad syncho so I had to learn to double clutch.

I wouldn't want to go back to any of that (although I really loved the next car, a yellow 1969 Triumph Spitfire).

Even the truck I have now is an automatic.

Weenie ;-)

Get back to us when you reach our age and tell us how it feels.

The following video showed that an Outback with a CVT was constantly bogging down at the start of a drag race. You didn't feel that happening in your rental?

Yousuf Khan

I'm of the same opinion. I've had nothing but manual transmissions since I started driving, 30 years ago, though I used to drive some of my dad's old cars which had automatics, but my own cars have had manuals. My last manual was my last car, my 2000 Outback. It was a much better manual than any of my previous manuals, but still it was creating problems with my back. My current car, a Tribeca, has an auto. Current autos are both faster and get better gas mileage than manuals, which used to be the manual's biggest advantage over autos in the old days.

When the newer technology has all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages anymore over the older technology, then it's time for the old technology to disappear. When the only reasons for choosing the old technology is nostalgia, then that's not a good reason for keeping it. Do we have old-timers complaining about the fact that they have no manual chokes anymore? What about the manual crank starters?

Yousuf Khan

The turbo power comes mainly in the higher rev ranges, which won't help much with towing. If towing is important, then you need the displacement of the 3.6L H6.

Yousuf Khan

Good shot I'm older than you- in my mid 70's. Got the usual aches, pains and serious maladies but I try not to whine about 'em.

One of my docs did sign the form for a handicap parking tag a few years back; greatest thing since sliced bread ;-)

I guessed wrong. You qualify. I am older in my late 70's but not handicapped. My wife has a handicap tag because of her bum knees. Here in Delaware anyone over 85 can request one. I drove her car when I had to take her around after she got one knee replaced and it was great to take advantage of being handicapped.

I'm sure automatic or CVT is easier for elderly to drive as there is less things to do which should be better for us with slower reflexes. CVT also gets better mileage than other transmissions.

You're not going to be in the higher revs when pulling the trailer with boat up the launch ramp? You're going to idle the boat+trailer from a stop or pulling out of the lake? The HP ratings are not while sitting still at idle RPM.

2018 Forester 2.5 with turbo: 250 HP @ 5600 RPM 2019 Forester 2.5 (no turbo): 182 HP @ 5800 RPM (lower pwr @ higher RPM)

Got any dyno charts showing the horsepower at, say, 1500 RPM and up to compare the power curves of those two models?

Oh, you thought the 3.6L engine will be available in the 2019? Nope. Sure, the 3.6L is better than a turbo'ed 2.5 in the 2018 Forester because you have that choice. No 3.6L choice in 2019. I've found no mention of uplevel options to the engine.

So it's a surprise to you that a manual tranny lets the driver choose when to shift instead of relinquishing control to ANY automatic? Did the Subie driver try manual mode with the steering wheel paddles? Did the Subie driver try with VDC (vehicle dynamic control) disabled? Was X-mode on or off?

Oh, and never look at the HP-to-Weight ratio because that would make it too obvious why the Subie was more sluggish.

VW Alltrack @ 170 HP: 3351-3395 lbs (19.4 lbs/HP) Subaru Outback @ 250 HP: 3622-3902 lbs (15.0 lbs/HP)

So you're lugging a lot more weight off the start line with the Outback. Well, it's a larger vehicle. The Alltrack should've loaded in 2 chubby passengers to add another 389 pounds to make the test fair.

Hmm, maybe they should've compared hard acceleration between the Alltrack and a Bugatti Veyron.

Bugatti Veyron @ 1200 HP: 4044 lbs (3.4 lbs/HP)

From what I found regarding 0-60 acceleration:

2018 Outback: 9.4 sec 2018 Alltrack: 7.3 sec Bugatti Veyron: 2.5 sec

Yep, that weight to horsepower ratio reveals a LOT. Also, I wasn't aware we were comparing family cars with smooth acceleration to those that has the family bobbing and jerking their heads to and fro with the tranny shifts. On a manual, the driver knows when to tension his neck muscles. Everyone else inside look like bobbleheads.

Oh, and Forester didn't have the 3.6L option. That was for the Outback. Well, up to this year, that is.

Couple of years ago going through tool box in garage I took out the timing light and dwell tack meter I had not used in decades since I had to change points and check timing.

Your comment reminded me that it has been over 30 years ago since the last time I drove a standard transmission and it was frightening. It happened going to a conference in the UK with a coworker driving from London to York. Coworker who was driving and was from Northern Ireland forgot where he was and swerved to the right when he should have gone left and we had the car totaled in a collision with another car. Garage would not give him another rental since he had an accident and I had to take the rental and drive. Tough enough for me to drive on the left but it was equally frustrating to shift gears with my left hand. I gave up the car when we got to York and at the end of the conference took the train back to London.

Yeah, I was just ragging.

My last car with a clutch was a '70's VW Rabbit that I enjoyed driving for several years. Where I live is pretty hilly though- plus traffic has been getting notably grimmer for many years, so it's been A/T ever since.

My wife got a Forester year before last and she's very happy with it. I rarely drive it but when I do, that CVT no shift-em' is disconcerting. I don't feel that I'm one with the machine!