CVT Transmission Discussion

[Mombee]

Great thread for prospective buyers. Thanks.

[El Guapo]

6,000 miles
No towing
Transmission failure and replacement (defective) - It seems I'm in an extremely small minority who have ever experienced this problem. Countless searches on the internet have resulted in the inevitable conclusion that I may be the ONLY person to have experienced a Subaru CVT failure (yay me!)

[pgh]

Early build 10 and my front diff was leaking. Since it is part of the CVT they replaced it a 7k. I got a gold 7/100,000 warranty for my troubles. No problems since 18k later.

[Peter_Headland]

Early 2010, ~40,000 miles, no towing, zero problems. Twisty hilly roads is where a CVT offers the greatest advantage: all our previous AT cars have "hunted" up and down gears in those conditions; the CVT is always in exactly the right ratio at all times. I never want to own any other kind of transmission.

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Peter_Headland

Early 2010, ~40,000 miles, no towing, zero problems. I never want to own any other kind of transmission again.

I have no interest in owning any other AT other than CVT. Which case no CVT I might as well go back to all MT cars which I had till just recently.

[subiecircus]

13k on my '12 and while I wasn't as impressed with it long term as I was hoping, the ECU reflash I had done (recall in some states) has noticeably changed the driving characteristics to me:

No "dead pedal" feeling on re-acceleration!
Smoother transitions (I know it sounds stupid, but it's true)
Improved throttle response when accelerating onto the highway

Really, it seems to have addressed the issues that I personally had with my CVT. Me = happier camper.

[flipster]

I bought a 2013 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5i 6 weeks ago.
Averaging 21 mpg with combined hiway/city driving, disappointing.
I really hate the feel of the CVT transmission. There is the sensation of engine braking all the time. While driving at 30mph on a flat road, if I pop it into neutral, the car goes a bit faster. I hired a master mechanic to drive the car. Right away he told me something was wrong with the vehicle, he also noted the engine braking sensation.
He ran the codes at his shop and found no errors. Subaru then checked it and told me that is the way it's supposed to drive. I cannot get used to this feeling while driving. Has anyone else had this experience? I regret buying this Subaru, but don't know what a better option would be as most vehicles are going to CVT.
I wish I had kept my 2005 Outback! Better mileage and a more pleasant driving experience.

[flipster]

Is there any way to tweak the CVT? What is ECU reflash and does that apply?
thanks!

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by flipster

I bought a 2013 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5i 6 weeks ago.
Averaging 21 mpg with combined hiway/city driving, disappointing.
I really hate the feel of the CVT transmission. There is the sensation of engine braking all the time. While driving at 30mph on a flat road, if I pop it into neutral, the car goes a bit faster. I hired a master mechanic to drive the car. Right away he told me something was wrong with the vehicle, he also noted the engine braking sensation.
He ran the codes at his shop and found no errors. Subaru then checked it and told me that is the way it's supposed to drive. I cannot get used to this feeling while driving. Has anyone else had this experience? I regret buying this Subaru, but don't know what a better option would be as most vehicles are going to CVT.
I wish I had kept my 2005 Outback! Better mileage and a more pleasant driving experience.

The 2005 4spd AT has been noted as the worst AT regarding performance and feel for over a decade now. Probably the single largest reason people did not purchase 2.5L Subarus.

As for Feel the CVT is dramatically different in feel and sound than anything AT or manual transmission. I went from 11yrs with nothing but Manual transmissions to the CVT it took me months to get use to the CVT. HATED IT!!! As for the nature and handling of the OB the CVT is the single best thing Subaru has ever done for the 4cylinder engines. By the way the engine braking effect the old 4spd AT had was much greater than the CVT - the CVT simply does it differently. The torque converter on the CVT also acts more like a Manual transmission does in certain throttle use patterns and driving conditions vs the old school AT's.

The old 4spd AT was bullet proof but absolutely horrid regarding performance and gear selection. Which case you have some time to get accustomed to a AT which actually does an exceptional job at getting power from the 2.5 to the wheels for a change. Something the 4spd AT was Lousy at.

[nipper]

Originally Posted by flipster

I bought a 2013 Subaru Outback Limited 2.5i 6 weeks ago.
Averaging 21 mpg with combined hiway/city driving, disappointing.
I really hate the feel of the CVT transmission. There is the sensation of engine braking all the time. While driving at 30mph on a flat road, if I pop it into neutral, the car goes a bit faster. I hired a master mechanic to drive the car. Right away he told me something was wrong with the vehicle, he also noted the engine braking sensation.
He ran the codes at his shop and found no errors. Subaru then checked it and told me that is the way it's supposed to drive. I cannot get used to this feeling while driving. Has anyone else had this experience? I regret buying this Subaru, but don't know what a better option would be as most vehicles are going to CVT.
I wish I had kept my 2005 Outback! Better mileage and a more pleasant driving experience.

It can take up to 6000 miles for piston rings to break in, so expecting better gas mileage right out the door is unreasonable. A 6mpg difference untill the engine is broken in in some cases is not unusual.

A Master Mechanic doesnt just plug in a scanner for codes. A Code reader is just a tool, not an answer to a problem. Also I doubt he has the scanner needed to check the transmission, as only the OBD2 is a universal code and tool.

Driving a CVT takes time to get used to. If you get it in your head you hte it, you will always hate it no matter how the car performs. Ask to drive another 2013 with the same transmission and see if it feels the same.

Of course the car feels different in a CVT when in neutral as opposed to a geared transmission, as those ratios are constantly chainging due to the position of your right foot. The Torque Converter is (I think) always locked after X speed, so it is like driving a stick, take your foot off the gas in a manual in gear, the car will slow down due to engine braking.