Another WRX CVT review

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"changing so quickly" sort of implies a false manualisation of a CVT.

Which was something I truly liked about my 14 days in a Maxima.
 
After reading all the reviews of the new WRX I could find, I'm pretty confident at this point the CVT is the better gearbox to get. I'm a huge fan of manuals and have driven nothing but manuals the last 17 years. I think I'm going to go with the CVT this time. It also has the better AWD system.

Tommi Makinen prefers the CVT and said he wishes the STI had the CVT.

My wifes new 2014 Mazda 3 with the AT is fantastic. Paddle shifters work great and in sport mode it's really good.

Technology has really progressed.
 
One the best things about (turbo) Subaru is the mechanical almost raw feel it exudes. I have owned a 04 WRX and wife currently 05 Legacy GT(turbo).

The manual's were never the best but the complete control of your power control and being able anticipate that better then ANY automatic/DSG/CVT will ever do is wonderful.

No matter what you do these shiftless automatics take that feeling away. WRX is an odd car to take that feeling away but folks just want an everyday car more I guess.


Just my two cent opinion.
 
Not a fan in theory but have not driven one to say for certain. I hated the TC-SST (twin clutch) in my Ralliart turbo when at low speeds. Another animal altogether from the cvt.
 
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Ok I want to say from the beginning I have a Nissan Rogue and I love the CVT. I have no complaints about the performance. Yesterday I test drove a Forester (non-turbo) and I thought that CVT was better. It felt more solid and connected. Non of the rubber band effect that I sometimes feel in mine. I dont know if thats because Sub is using a chain. I dont know but I really enjoyed it.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
One the best things about (turbo) Subaru is the mechanical almost raw feel it exudes. I have owned a 04 WRX and wife currently 05 Legacy GT(turbo).

The manual's were never the best but the complete control of your power control and being able anticipate that better then ANY automatic/DSG/CVT will ever do is wonderful.

No matter what you do these shiftless automatics take that feeling away. WRX is an odd car to take that feeling away but folks just want an everyday car more I guess.


Just my two cent opinion.


I agree. The ability to prepare your moves for what's next, and ease of utilizing neutral are key things that these auto devices lose.
 
I don't care if it shifts shift .02 seconds faster (a la Double clutch auto) or if its CVT or traditional.

I like 3 pedals.

First and foremost, I like the control, I like being engaged and frankly after seeing how people completely neglect auto transmissions, if I'm buying used, I'm buying manual. Happily pay for a new clutch vs new Auto tranny.

I am very thankful Subaru still makes non sports cars in Manual -my Forester and wagon outback were manuals.

ALSO, I think manuals are just fine everyday drivers -I have lived in several dense traffic areas of the US and I can only think of 1 time where I wished it was an Auto
Kenny Chesney concert traffic -1 hour of bumper to bumper up-hill (Welcome to Pittsburgh, PA)
 
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^ I hear you. I feel the same way basically. I'm not as pro manual as i used to be, knowing how much better some of these new CVT/DCT/AT's are, however, as mentioned above the feeling is somewhat lost. I do like 3 pedals and having that feeling of control.
 
How much better?!?!!

A dct I would argue perhaps is better. The others, I just don't see it. From all aspects - mass, driveline efficiency, acquisition cost, maintenance, etc.

Dct has its downsides, but it also offers many of the mt benefits with some extra brains.
 
Make a CVT that can raliably run 200K and I'll buy one. I can deal with awkward. I can't deal with a guaranteed CVT failure before 100K (Nissan, we're looking at you) and having to pay $7K to drop a new one in.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Make a CVT that can raliably run 200K and I'll buy one.


Pretty sure there are Foresters out there with 100k+ on their CVT, but I don't remember anyone saying they'd hit 200k yet.

I haven't driven a CVT WRX, but have driven a CVT Forester XT (and about 3,000 miles in our 2.5i Forester), and it works well for an automatic. The two issues I've found are the time it takes to go from R to D when cold, and the difficulty of using the paddle shifters on corners, particularly when you have the steering wheel upside down on a sharp turn
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. I definitely prefer the Subaru version to the Rogue we test-drove; it seems to vary RPMs a lot, whereas the Rogue seemed either near idle or maxed out most of the time.

The downside, of course, is the $9k or so to replace it if it goes wrong. Hopefully by the time ours fails, there may be transmission specialists who can repair them.
 
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