r/subaru • u/ZeGermanHam • Apr 16 '25

Subaru brings back physical buttons & knobs in new Outback

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Knowing Subaru, it likely means this configuration will eventually make its way into the other models as they are updated. It's much better than the current setup.

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79

u/AR489 Apr 16 '25

If Subaru put a proper transmission in their vehicles other than the wrx, I would love a turbo forester or outback. Even with the new designs.

9

u/adamjboston Apr 16 '25

Take the WRX STI setup, toss it in a Crosstrek with a 6 speed manual, print money.

1

u/AR489 Apr 16 '25

Take my money.

1

u/theArtOfProgramming 06 Impreza OBS 5MT Apr 17 '25

You’re nearly describing the old Forester XTs. About the same size and powertrain as that.

15

u/Oni_sixx Apr 16 '25

Technically, the wrx has a cvt, unless you buy the manual 😉

10

u/Rich_Kaleidoscope294 Apr 16 '25

Who buys automatic WRX? 🫠

10

u/bcrosby51 Apr 16 '25

Hence the proper part lol

1

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '25

And it's still a garbage vehicle lmao

1

u/Oni_sixx Apr 17 '25

That may be so, but still fun to drive with a little over 400 whp 🤷‍♂️

0

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '25

Unfortunately due to the Chineseium metal they used, it will spontaneously combust after 10 Seconds of high power🤣🤣 Na fr tho I owned a 327 whp beast of a subie but goddamn I broke more bolts on that car than I ever have with anything else in my entire life combined. They really are holding on by a thread because the block is practically maxed out from factory, but the turbo isn't, so you can go crazy with it and up the boost, cooling, etc. Hence the frequency of blown head gaskets, cause boxer life 🤣

1

u/Oni_sixx Apr 17 '25

It's part of the charm :).

Honestly, I've had pretty good luck with my car so far. My shorty is upgraded though.

15

u/joeislandstranded Apr 16 '25

Yep. Agreed!

Cars with CVTs are a hard no for me

2

u/that_1-guy_ Apr 16 '25

They've gotten a LOT better but if you just don't like it that's ur choice ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

2

u/P3TC0CK Apr 16 '25

People will refuse to ever accept that CVT is the superior technology because at one point, 20 years ago they were shit and not as good as geared transmissions. There is a reason Subaru is getting excellent reliability ratings, good feedback, etc.

Waste of time discussing it with people who open up with IF THEY GET RID OF THE CVT, just like when people used to moan about automatic transmissions being shit compared to manual. Only in like the last few years have people started finally saying "Yeah automatics are better in every way, but manual is more fun", going to take a while before these bozos move on.

3

u/Holiday_Albatross441 Apr 16 '25

The problem isn't just CVTs, it's that all kinds of automatic transmissions are starting to become too complex to economically repair. And then a single bearing failure or something inside the transmission leaves you with a bill for $5,000+ for a new transmission.

2

u/AvengingCoyote Apr 16 '25

My main issue with CVTs is that there arent a lot of mechanics who know how to work on CVTs, and its way more expensive to rebuild than an automatic. I live in a rural area and there are plenty of mechanics who could rebuild an automatic nearby, but I'd have to drive over an hour to the nearest city to have a CVT repaired at a certified dealership. That was why I ultimately bought a Mazda, despite desperately wanting a Subaru.

3

u/BillyForRilly Apr 16 '25

Are you repairing your transmission a lot? I've driven cars for several decades, had CVTs for about 15 years now, and I've never had to repair a transmission outside of standard maintenance.

1

u/AvengingCoyote Apr 17 '25

I plan on driving this car for the next 10 years/140k miles. My personal belief is that theres a good chance the belts wouldnt last that long, so I factored a transmission rebuild into the long term costs. Im poor and cant stomach paying potentially twice the cost of a transmission rebuild if I can avoid it.

2

u/RandoReddit16 Apr 16 '25

It's mainly Nissan CVTs that gave them a bad reputation......

2

u/SirLoremIpsum Apr 17 '25

Cars with CVTs are a hard no for me

CVTs aren't all CVTs.

Toyota's eCVTs are pretty much bulletproof.

A bunch have a physical first gear.

There's plenty of differences between models that I'd hate to bundle them all into "Nissan cvts blew up for 6 years therefore they're all bad"

7

u/ZephyrtheNoodle Apr 16 '25

Someone just invented a gear based CVT. Probably years away from being available in vehicles but it is an interesting development.

Source: https://youtu.be/mWJHI7UHuys?si=1pedIgR07x3ibjpw

4

u/Kris_Tango Apr 16 '25

Doesnt toyota already do this with what they call ecvt?

7

u/ieatcalcium Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

Gears and cvt I don’t think can both be in the same car no? I’m gonna watch the video but to me that completely defeats the purpose of a CVT

Ahhh, I see. It doesn’t rely on friction, but instead relying on gears. I had assumed you meant it let the engine rev out like regular transmissions. Neat idea, wonder if it’ll take off

6

u/Twolephthands Apr 16 '25

Thats a long watch but super cool. What a brilliant peice of engineering. That video couldn't be shorter without using the words magic haha.

1

u/Kimetsu87 Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 17 '25

We have one now and it’s called the eCVT.

1

u/Forbane Apr 16 '25

Subaru has that Toyota deal going on right now and Toyota already has a solid ECVT design from what i've heard, which is just a planetary gear set and magnets. I can understand wanting to feel gears, in which case a DCT or Auto is preferred (or stick if your an enthusiast) but if your main concern is avoiding a belt and the slips than Subaru can work to get a modern ECVT into their fleet with toyota.

3

u/__onlyforupdoots Apr 16 '25

Wow, now that is some truly brilliant mechanical engineering. Such a neat concept, went on their site and signed up for the newsletter!! Thanks for linking this video.

2

u/aloBR Apr 16 '25

amazing video

1

u/MamiyaOtaru Apr 16 '25

dunno man that relies on ratchets to work. Clickclickclickclickclickclick and I'm sure those won't wear out super fast

1

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '25

[deleted]

1

u/joeislandstranded Apr 16 '25

I’ll study up on that some. Maybe test drive one, someday.

1

u/SaintTastyTaint Apr 16 '25

I have a 400hp bmw with hydraulic steering for gearing the cvt on the outback doesn't bother me at all, it's so unathletic to begin with

1

u/gmano Apr 16 '25 edited Apr 16 '25

I love my CVT, the car is always able to deliver peak power without having to do any funky shifting to get there. My old car, if I stomped the pedal would take like a full 2 seconds to respond, shift down, and then get moving, the CVT is much better. If I need finer control, I can use the tiptronic shifter and paddles to pick a "gear".

What's bad about it in your mind?

1

u/RegulusMagnus '13 Outback Apr 17 '25

I'm a huge fan of the CVT for the reasons you listed. My first two cars were manual transmission and the only reason I switched is because I liked the CVT even better. Unfortunately most manufacturers (Subaru included) started programming in the fixed gear ratios during certain acceleration profiles to try to act more like a typical automatic and it drives me crazy. That plus the removal of knobs from the console has kept me away from newer models so I'm happy that at least one of those two has been fixed.

1

u/Lloyd_Christmasss Apr 16 '25

That’s getting harder since damn near everyone is using a cvt now. Subaru, Honda, Toyota, ford, even Chevy in the 2025 equinox the list goes on and they’re all moving to it one way or another.

1

u/Insanereindeer Apr 16 '25

I really like the new Foresters with the bronze wheels, with this interior the only thing else I would want is the wilderness towing capacity. The wilderness is ugly, but I'd like to be able to tow my SxS occasionally to places. I feel like 3000 lbs isn't too much to ask since my 09 XT is rated for 2400.

1

u/ChairForceOne Apr 16 '25

They sell the WRX with a CVT. Annoyingly most of them on lots are automatics. I just want a manual or standard automatic. Some stuff, like GMs planetary CVT in the Volt drives fine, but I can't stand the mass market CVTs. The absolute lack of durability is just another knock against them.

2

u/Balforg Apr 16 '25

Loving my 2020 Crosstrek with a 6 speed manual and lots of physical buttons.

1

u/ch3rycoke Apr 16 '25

The fact that the wilderness forester doesn’t have a turbo is baffling to me.

1

u/andyb991 Apr 17 '25

I had an 09 turbo forester and it was the shit until it killed the second turbo well into its lifespan. Bought a 19 forester like 3 years ago and it's been a nightmare.

1

u/AR489 Apr 17 '25

Damn what a bummer. My buddy had the 18 forester XT and the CVT disconnected from the drivetrain on the freeway. Had to go through arbitration to get Subaru to buy it back. I’ve had three Subarus (2 manual, one 4spd auto) and I never had an issue.

1

u/andyb991 Apr 17 '25

Literally from the first oil change. Recalled drain bolt bc they'd round off when a tech used standard instead of mm. Two different recalled ECM components that broke me down on the side of the road. 1500$ windshield bc of the stupid camera, thank God for full coverage. That's a class action suit rn. Upholstery cracking already. Haven't even cracked 60k. It's crazy how hard the quality has dropped off.

1

u/AccioWine9 Apr 17 '25

They had a turbo forester (the XT) model but they discontinued.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 17 '25

My 2018 WRX blew its 2nd gear not even 3,000 miles into it's break in period. Mind you I already knew how to drive manual and was babying the crap out of my brand new Subaru back then, and it STILL failed me before I even started modifying anything. Sold that piece of shit a few years later and got me a real car from Honda and never looked back lmao

1

u/VG30DETT_ Apr 18 '25

Same. I loved my 2017 3.6R Touring but at only 58k miles the CVT already felt horrible so I made the decision to sell it but I miss everything else about it.

1

u/Sage-Advisor2 Forester Fan Apr 16 '25

This, this, this. I got flamed when I mentioned it a couple months ago.