covertrussian Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 There is a limit to what the CVT is capable of but its not the gearing, as I understand it is the transfer limit of the chain and pulley system. Where a traditional auto can transfer a greater amount of torque to the gearset the CVT may be electronically limiting that torque to keep the transmission intact. If it is a case of either climbing a hill/obstacle for fun or making it home later that day or to work for the next week, I will choose the latter. I am sure someone could tune that safety net out of the CVT but at what cost. This is where Toyota's direct shift CVT would shine. It has the first gear as a physical gear, once it's above 1st gears speed it switches to CVT for everything else. I would love to see that transmission in Subaru's, especially for higher power ones (most wear and tear happens while starting the car from dead stop). 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Or just ditch the CVT for a 9 speed. CVTs suck. Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Or just ditch the CVT for a 9 speed. CVTs suck. And cramming more gears in a slush box is better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Just throw in a manual sequential gearbox with straight-cut gears to satisfy the modders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Just throw in a manual sequential gearbox with straight-cut gears to satisfy the modders. Then they will whine about the noise, There is a certain subset of our fellow owners who will never be happy with what Subaru offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Or just ditch the CVT for a 9 speed. CVTs suck. I would have preferred the ZF 8speed myself, 9 speeds aren't all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 And cramming more gears in a slush box is better Have you driven a vehicle with power mated to a ZF 9 or 10 speed? My guess is no. Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) Have you driven a vehicle with power mated to a ZF 9 or 10 speed? My guess is no. Personally I dislike the stepped auto gearboxes because they change gears with no warning and that triggers my machine anxiety. A CVT is seamless. Edited February 10, 2019 by ehsnils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 A CVT is great if you hate cars Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcEWoLF Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 You guys need to realize Subaru isn’t going to make manuals anymore other than wrx and STi, they just aren’t. I did wish they had a standard automatic transmission instead of the cvt, but it is what it is. The cvt has been solid, not many issues like the other manufactures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvnmaniac Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Finally sat in and saw an Ascent. feels good to me. Then sat in a Acura MDX. The difference in the Interiors was quite obvious. I loved the MDX but the Ascent in my opinion is worth the price, with the MDX being much more expensive. My eyes say ACURA my wallet says SUBARU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 You guys need to realize Subaru isn’t going to make manuals anymore other than wrx and STi, they just aren’t. I did wish they had a standard automatic transmission instead of the cvt, but it is what it is. The cvt has been solid, not many issues like the other manufactures. You forgot the BRZ .... though I wouldn't be surprised that car only has another year or so before it gets the ax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubieDriver Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Personally I dislike the stepped auto gearboxes because they change gears with no warning and that triggers my machine anxiety. A CVT is seamless. Most autos today have a manual mode (aside from base models). I used manual mode all the time on my Tribeca, and do it frequently in my Sedona and Cadenza (My '05 Legacy GT had always-on manual mode ). It's more fun that way, and you control when it shifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laz Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 There’s no shifting with a CVT. Only fake shift points. --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hkshooter Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 There’s no shifting with a CVT. Only fake shift points.BS. When the CVT moves the pulley and chain from one ratio to another that's a shift. Having no gears doesnt change that. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laz Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 :facepalm: it’s called a continuous variable transmission for a reason. Shifting would imply that it changes ratios by changing gears. The CVT goes up and down but it never shifts. However so many people complained about the 5th gen’s CVT seamless acceleration (I loved it) that Subaru implemented fake shift points for the 6th gen. --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 I agree with laz. The CVT's "shift points" are really just electronic logic that pre-position the pulleys at incremental points in their opening and closing compression routines. In that way, it mimics shifts, but to be truly efficient, the transmission should just be allowed to ebb and flow within the entire high-low-high range that the CVT operates. The last true Subaru automatics were the 2014 Legacy/Outback/Tribeca 5EAT versions - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) Saw a new Ascent this morning (the slate grey colored one) that the owner had put black aftermarket rims on and stepped up the width a bit. Wow it made the car look so much better. Really transformed the overall package. Edited February 16, 2019 by shralp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 BS. When the CVT moves the pulley and chain from one ratio to another that's a shift. Having no gears doesnt change that. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk You win, so a CVT can shift a million times into a million gears that you'll never feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Test drove another Ascent today. Really wanted to see if the Limited is nicer then the Premium, plus wife has been wanting to see what the Ascent is like too. Thought? Limited is indeed nicer then the Premium! While the Premium feels like any other non luxury vehicle, like say Nissan, Subaru makes the Limited's feel much higher end, more like an Infiniti. Other thoughts and key points: 3rd Row: Wife had plenty of room in the 3rd row, we think 3 of hers would fit comfortably back there, thus it's not for kids only. If I had to guess, I think the 3rd row feels as wide as the 4th gen Legacy's back seat. Spark Plugs: Driver side spark plugs are completely unreachable from the top, but passenger side ones are visible and might be accessible with a step stool . LED Headlights: I couldn't tell if the LED's are actually replaceable, but I didn't try to push my luck with trying to remove them in the dealers lot Overall wife really liked it, it's much quieter, and more refined then our current Outback. But price and uncertainty of the CVT reliability and DIT valve fouling, will hold me from buying one for awhile still. And finally, I took the Ascent up my driveway and my parent's driveway. My driveway was 10* slope on average, while my parents driveway hit little over 15*. This is why we need GOOD AWD to get home around here 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvnmaniac Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Test drove another Ascent today. Really wanted to see if the Limited is nicer then the Premium, plus wife has been wanting to see what the Ascent is like too. Thought? Limited is indeed nicer then the Premium! While the Premium feels like any other non luxury vehicle, like say Nissan, Subaru makes the Limited's feel much higher end, more like an Infiniti. Other thoughts and key points: 3rd Row: Wife had plenty of room in the 3rd row, we think 3 of hers would fit comfortably back there, thus it's not for kids only. If I had to guess, I think the 3rd row feels as wide as the 4th gen Legacy's back seat. Spark Plugs: Driver side spark plugs are completely unreachable from the top, but passenger side ones are visible and might be accessible with a step stool . LED Headlights: I couldn't tell if the LED's are actually replaceable, but I didn't try to push my luck with trying to remove them in the dealers lot Overall wife really liked it, it's much quieter, and more refined then our current Outback. But price and uncertainty of the CVT reliability and DIT valve fouling, will hold me from buying one for awhile still. And finally, I took the Ascent up my driveway and my parent's driveway. My driveway was 10* slope on average, while my parents driveway hit little over 15*. This is why we need GOOD AWD to get home around here Other than the wheel sizes what makes the two feel different? Or are you referring to the interiors not the ride? THANKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Other than the wheel sizes what makes the two feel different? Or are you referring to the interiors not the ride? THANKS This is straight up interior. While I don't love leather seats for say, the overall interior feel and sound deadening seems to be much less "cheap". I saw the same exact thing when going from my 05 LGT Limited, to my '12 Outback Premium. For example, on my '12 Premium doors sound hollow when you close them, the rear hatch vibrates and transmits a lot of road noise and thumps into the cabin, while the 05 LGT Limited is no where near as bad. For perspective, this Ascent Limited was even better then my Limited LGT: Doors had a nice thump when closing, on my road there were no rear hatch amplified noises coming in from the outside either. To be honest, I forgot and didn't even notice that it had 20" wheels, because it was better then both of my 17" wheel current Subaru's. Now, Since I didn't test drive the Ascent Premium on my road, I can't say if the premium is as bad as my Outback. I can only judge by the cheaper interior feel of the Premium when I sat and quickly test drove a few months ago. 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I saw for the first time an Ascent in a showroom a couple of weeks ago. Spent 5mn poking around, touching things here and there, looked at the engine bay, under the car, etc... (worker asked me if I was looking for the spare tire ). I think it was a premium or base model? It had cloth seats. This is a tall car. When all seven seats are up, the trunk feels small. I don't know, it kinda felt a bit 'cheap' in certain areas (hard plastic, provided floor/trunk mats don't appear as 'tough' as the ones that came with our 05). The grille is so large. The engine appeared tiny. But I concur with covert, I would definitely need a step stool to work on this engine In the end though, I definitely agree you get a lot for the money with this vehicle. There is no question about it. Need to test drive it next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 7 seats + Cloth seats = Premium. Also if tinted windows stock = at least premium. The Limited replaced all those cheap hard plastics with leather, at least on the dash, I didn't crawl around too much in the back seats . 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xt2005bonbon Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I see. I actually took a picture of the 'trunk automatic lift support system' in case I could retrofit them onto my car . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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