It isn't a matter of whether one loves or hates CVT transmissions.
It's a matter of their becoming ubiquitous in many new models.
You want a Forester?
Did you want the CVT or the CVT?
While there is still a manual available, good luck finding one and current Subaru sticks are said to be truly awful to use anyway.
Do I like the CVT?
I've not driven the car much but I did drive it one on long weekend trip and it seemed pretty okay to me.
The goal is to achieve really tall overall gearing in top at cruising speeds and the CVT is one way to get there.
The other route would be a conventional automatic with a whole bunch of gears that might not prove any more durable and reliable in service than a decent CVT.
Also, the constant shifting in something like one of the fleet Fusions we have at work gets tiresome, although it does support very tall overall gearing in top for a 2.5 liter NA four, just as our Subaru's CVT does.