before replacing my 2010 3.5l
before replacing my 2010 3.5l Outback with the last of the 3.6's in 2019 I admit to worrying about what I'd think of the CVT - but I took the plunge anyway because I love that 3.6 Boxer engine.
And you sir are correct. I played with the car and "learned" how to drive it properly. If we remember the car is naturally programmed to run smoothly and economically and that the driver has to employ what else is available to make performance more sparkling then we begin to appreciate the CVT.
I have to remind my wife of this (she drives well is inclined to leave the car to do its thing - and in suburban driving that is fine) when she decided to drive up to her sister's home 455kms away. Part of this drive includes negotiating large hills and entails quite a bit of elevation gain necessitating tight twisty bits of road.
1. flick driving mode to S# 2. slick transmission lever to the right and engage the paddle shifters. Doing this seemingly doubles available power - and I'm quite certain that most reviewers aren't aware of this when they comment that this engine should be more lively. Driven properly this is a mightily responsive and beautiful device. And even the 2.5 is quite decent enough if the same techniques are used.
However it seems probably that the majority of drivers will never experiment to get the best from their CVT equipped car. Perhaps Subaru salespeople should be more proactive in demonstrating how to drive their cars in a lively manner when it's necessary. It'll certainly increase driving pleasure