That's not something we get in the US.

 

I guess the same manual is used in Canada? Anyway, I have that feature on my Crosstrek and it's real nice.

 

North American Outbacks don't get SI-Drive, rest of the world does. No one actually knows why.

Edit: North American Gen3 had SI-Drive.

SI-Drive is a boon on my 2019 3.6R.

 

My '09 XT 5 sp std had SI-Drive. (American Market Outback).
Kinda miss that car at times since I traded it on my current '17 3.6R.

 

So it changed at Gen4? Were your Gen3's built locally or in Japan?

I've always held a theory that perhaps there was licensing or something that was required for SI-Drive, but Crosstreks have SI-Drive and they're built locally for your market too, so it doesn't hold water.

 

Could one get an Ultimate 9 throttle controller for a Gen 5 North American 3.6r and replicate this SI-Drive?

 

Only for one part of it - throttle management. SI-Drive covers throttle management, engine management, and for autos, transmission management as well.

It's whole purpose is to save fuel. Instead of being full beans 24/7, it deliberately de-tunes the car for day to day driving. When you need full beans, hit the Sports/Sports Sharp button, then go back to Intelligent mode.

The North American Outback without SI-Drive appears to be in full beans mode 24/7, but with the Intelligent mode throttle management, which is what your aftermarket options address.

 

Mine have SI drive button and I'm not sure if worth it...

 

It's of greater benefit on the H6 and T4, less so the H4.

 

what is a good think is to delete the coal active filter in the 2.5i, feels faster in the response and I'm sure better mpg

 

what is a good think is to delete the coal active filter in the 2.5i, feels faster in the response and I'm sure better mpg

Scissors.

EDIT
Followed by using a utility knife to remove (cut/scrape) ALL the filter media around the edges.

 

You aren't missing anything at all. I had a Crosstrek long term rental with SI-drive. All it does is change the sensitivity of the throttle. If you turn it on for something you'd think would be the driving situation for it, like driving in hilly or mountain areas, the throttle and the CVT fight one another. The car cant figure out a gear ratio, driveablity goes out the window, and gas mileage tanks. It's just a button and a graph on the dash display that makes your driving experience worse.

I equate it to the "Power" buttons that automatic cars had in 90's and 2000's. They didn't do anything but keep the car out of 4th gear. It just provides you an illusion that it's doing something.

 

You aren't missing anything at all. I had a Crosstrek long term rental with SI-drive. All it does is change the sensitivity of the throttle. If you turn it on for something you'd think would be the driving situation for it, like driving in hilly or mountain areas, the throttle and the CVT fight one another. The car cant figure out a gear ratio, driveablity goes out the window, and gas mileage tanks. It's just a button and a graph on the dash display that makes your driving experience worse.

I equate it to the "Power" buttons that automatic cars had in 90's and 2000's. They didn't do anything but keep the car out of 4th gear. It just provides you an illusion that it's doing something.

I also have Crosstrek 2.5l with S/I. I have Sport mode on most of the time and find it approves the performance and really don't see much change in gas mileage.

 

As Hyrax says, S/I changes the throttle response, engine and transmission management. I find it very useful for occasional use to overtake more quickly or to match speeds on a short entry slip.

 

One reply says SI drive saves fuel, another reply says it gives their car a bit better power response.

 

It deliberately de-tunes the car for Intelligent mode. Sports mode is the normal performance level of the car. You can think of every Subaru before SI-Drive came out being permanently in "Sports (Sharp)" mode (Sports Sharp now only exists on the WRX/STi in current models, the Outback and other models now only have Intelligent and Sports modes, including the XT models).

SI-Drive does not add power. It deliberately removes power and then restores it as required. Subaru have never claimed to enhance power with it, only optimise it.

 

Legacy Sport (2.4 T) still have SI-DRIVE in US

makes me wonder if it's just deactivated function /missing switch

 

Legacy Sport (2.4 T) still have SI-DRIVE in US

makes me wonder if it's just deactivated function /missing switch
View attachment 575402

I know this is an old post/thread but I've been snooping into the whole SI drive thing a bit. My wife has a 2023 Legacy Touring XT and the only thing any of the other trim levels have that the Touring doesn't is the SI button the steering wheel from the Sport model. I really wish I could find the part number for the steering wheel controls and just plug it in to see if it would then have SI drive. I doubt it but you never know. I'm sure there is a module somewhere else that would be needed too.

 

Using it on a 23 Forester Sport raises RPM's about 800-1000 and provides quick response to acceleration. It probably negatively affects mpg, but for rolling hills, entrance ramps, etc, it could be useful.

 

Older Subaru's just had one operating mode, and that was the peak (and relatively conservative) factory tune, because that's what you expected of your car back then from factory. The introduction of SI-Drive allowed Subaru to make the tune even more conservative and they dubbed the normal tune "Sport" mode instead. Makes sense when you think about it.

Fly by wire simply looks up a throttle map. Basically when you are pressing the pedal a certain percentage down, request this much power from the engine.

The Sport map simply requests more power from the engine at an earlier point in that map compared to Intelligent mode, eg: instead of only requesting 10% power at 15% throttle, request 20% at 15% throttle instead. When at 60% throttle, request 80% from the engine, etc etc. Some aftermarket tunes, and products like Pedal Commander for the most part simply increase these values. You are likely requesting 100% from the engine before you've actually got 100% throttle down, for example.

SI-Drive is more than just the throttle map. In Sports mode, it changes the engine management to respond quicker and open up to use more fuel. The transmission management is altered to do less ratio changes and feel less laggy in response.

For example, my Outback 3.6 feels noticeably touchier on throttle in Sports Sharp mode. There is zero lag, the sprint from zero to 100kph is just one long mega gear, no ratio changes, and the car as a whole feels very perky allowing me to launch very nicely in the Traffic Light GP. Switch it back to Intelligent mode and now the CVT is lag city with lots of ratio changes trying to find the most fuel efficient point to be at, the car feels a lot lumpier and my zero to 100kph time gets a whole four seconds added to it. But this is the best mode to be in day to day especially in city traffic.

My old Liberty/Legacy 2.5i didn't have SI-Drive (though I did have it aftermarket tuned), but it was a reasonable setup from factory that I can feel is the same as Sports mode on newer 2.5's today. Intelligent mode is much laggier.

 

if anything it's "i" a normal mode in US ..
S holds higher RPM and they will never sacrifice 1% mpg for it here in US

 

I had a loaner Crosstrek and Forrester that had the S/I drive, the NA Outbacks do not have it.

Correction: ALL Outbacks (at least in the US) don't have it, including my top-of-the-line '24 Touring XT, which is a shame. Hopefully fixed with the upcoming Gen7.

 

if anything it's "i" a normal mode in US ..
S holds higher RPM and they will never sacrifice 1% mpg for it here in US

Your Outbacks already do sacrifice fuel. Yours are way thirstier than ours, though there's other factors that also contribute to that such as the higher ride height even in your standard Outbacks.

 

it may just how they get tested and our XT is min 87 (RON 91) and AU is min 91 (RON95)
3 years ago going from 87 to 91 would be $100 a month on octane difference , maybe $60-70 if i can get some of it back in MPG savings

 

Correction: ALL Outbacks (at least in the US) don't have it, including my top-of-the-line '24 Touring XT,

I think what @tw33k1963 was referencing was "NA" being North America rather than Naturally Aspirated

 

Yes, exactly.

 

FWIW, my 2024 Canadian-spec Legacy GT (2.4T, the only sedan trim available as 2024 in Canada) is equipped with the SI drive. I can confirm that it appears to improve overall response, and makes the car more enjoyable, at the expense of fuel economy (RPM are higher for the same speed).

 

Hmmm , I’m hear in Canada and just got my 2022 Outback limited XT today but it doesn’t appear to have the s/i button in the steering wheel.

 

Having used the S mode in my 2023 XT OB a few times now, there’s no way I’d be driving it in that as the normal mode. It’s far too aggressive and definitely adjusts throttle and transmission performance and would be sh#+ful to drive around town in all the time.

 

Agreed - It's definitely too touchy for stop-start traffic.

 

My 08 H-6 has SI. Startup is in sport and after the red lite on the temp goes out I can go to Sport#. I drive mine in S# all the time. Only way to get into the really low power mode is by pushing down on the center consul SI dial. In that mode it losses much of the power and I almost was in a acciden because of that. The dog is moving from my lap to hers and stepped on the SI dial and I did not notice till I pulled out to pass a logging truck up a hill. Floored it and pulled out and the car barely accelerated, couldn't get back behind the truck as all the cars behind me had pulled up to the rear of the truck. By the time I just got around many angry drivers in both lanes. I don't worry about that anymore as I jammed plastic under that damn dial so it's S or S# for me.

 

In Australia, we are all in Intelligent mode by default at switch-on. We also cannot select Sport Sharp (not sure about Sport only, have to check that) until the engine has warmed up (in Gen5 and Gen6 it pops up a message on the combination meter display advising you of that).

Intelligent mode extends my 0-100kph time by a full four seconds compared to Sport Sharp mode.

Sorry to hear about that accident, no doubt was one of the many reasons the SI-Drive functionality moved to buttons on the steering wheel.

 

I liven in Europe and we get the S-I drive modes.
The main thing that it does is changes the throttle map and and eliminates the fake shifts. The fake shifts , while fun, actually slow you down. In S the CVT behaves like an old school CVT. meaning the RPM jumps to peak power and stays there, and CVT changes the ratios non stop, like it should do. As Hyrax is saying, it is significantly faster because of the lack of fake shifts.

 

I liven in Europe and we get the S-I drive modes.
The main thing that it does is changes the throttle map and and eliminates the fake shifts. The fake shifts , while fun, actually slow you down. In S the CVT behaves like an old school CVT. meaning the RPM jumps to peak power and stays there, and CVT changes the ratios non stop, like it should do. As Hyrax is saying, it is significantly faster because of the lack of fake shifts.

I just want the best fuel economy I can get, I’m assuming once I get up to highway speed and let off the throttle and engage the additive cruise the turbo will just spool down and my gas mileage should be similar to the 2.5L

 

Is this pretty much what Pedal Commanders and such do?

 

Products like the PC do not eliminate the fake shifts.

 

Pedal Commander | Throttle Response Controller

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it lets you remap the throttle, but doesn't impact the transmission, etc. like SI drive does.

 

Hmmm sounds like something that would “remap” your warranty too. lol My little XT has no trouble with acceleration, it’s a friggin rocket ship! I guess I’m looking more for the. “ i “ then the ”s” 😂 not something I’m willing to pay almost $400 cdn for though, that’d buy a lot of litres of gas. Comparatively.

 

I looked it up on parts.subaru.com - under "Steering" and then "Steering Column - Steering Wheel"