I just purchased a 2019 WRX Limited with CVT and I could give two big shiny shits if anyone doesn't it like it or thinks because it's not a manual, that it is less of a car. In its stock configuration, it performs perfectly for me. In fact, I dare say most people don't really even get to push its power band because of road congestion, lights and speed limits. If you want a car that offers performance and practicality and comfort in traffic, the CVT might be for you.
@@COLOCHOHPG76 I got it with the eyesight. It's a great safety feature, but luckily you can turn it off and on with a button on the steering wheel. If there is construction or the lines on the road have been moved, you'll probably want to turn it off as it gets confused.
Holy crap, learn so much about subarus cvt just buy watching this video. Altho i had to rewatch some of the things i didnt understand. Im shocked that this video does not get more views.
'17 WRX here, #respect to you for knowing exactly what you want and what you have! That's rare and I've learnt more about WRX (audio and mechanical) from you than anyone else out there. You earned an ardent subscriber!
Great upload man, I was a little nervous about purchasing a cvt (like everyone seems to be), but seriously...this 17 minute video made me confident in it being a good purchase in the near future. Thanks man!
Just wanted to say your WRX CVT videos have been amazing, just picked up a limited CVT myself and I'm in love with it, but I've learned a lot from your channel.
@@mirnuja1 a little late but I’ve had mine since 2019 75,000 miles and working fine. Do the usual maintenance and don’t floor it from a stop. But once you reach 45+ you can open it up and you’ll be fine!
This definitely piqued my interest on the WRX with the CVT. I love how my Forester drives with it, and I think it is a noble way to have a fun, aggressive looking daily driver AWD Subaru without having to deal with a manual transmission.
@@6lemans10 To be fair, Williams got a lot of performance mods outlawed... (Another good example being the adaptive suspension that dynamically and actively adjusts the suspension for max performance.)
Great advice, and helped heaps, this is my first cvt wrx and everything you have mentioned makes a big difference. With a damaged knee, a manual is not possible for me. Appreciate your efforts. 👍👍
Thank you for your amazing work delivering content on cvt wrx. I got my 2019 premium yesterday in lapis blue. I can't stop smiling while driving the car. The cvt wrx drives amazing!! I come from driving a t-gdi with dct tranny and saw how it was aging weird and frustrating...it was turning to feel like a teenager learning how to drive a stick, lol. Anyway, with over population making commutes horribly for us who work 90% on the road daily, the cvt is perfect 😎. And I chose to do it in the car I really like.
great video, as always, thank you for that! I own the same car and there is definitely a learning curve to the cvt but it is worth the time and effort to practice driving in different environments including fast fire roads with TC off. The TR690 CVT is rated at 400nm torque which is roughly 300ft lbs of AWD torque which is perfect for rally style driving where you can actually push the vehicle to its potential if you know how to drive. The WRX is all about the chassis and less about the drive train.CVT or manual, a skilled driver will push the limits of the WRX
Just picked up my 2019 WRX Limited with CVT yesterday. It's simply awesome. After 12+ years of driving a stick in PHX traffic, I'm thrilled to say that never again will I drive a manual transmission. The joy in driving is back! ¡Viva la transmisión CVT!
absolutely the most informative videos i’ve seen in the rabbit hole i’ve fallen down this past week since i started considering picking one of these up
This is really tremendous. CVT is very clearly explained, as well accelerator dynamics and the paddles. I own a Forester, but the info is still useful. Great stuff.
Fantastic video man. I don't understand the hate for CVT transmissions. Subaru definitely does them right. I had a legacy that got 190,000 miles on a single cvt transmission, no failure or maintenance needed. Can't wait to get in to a WRX.
I just picked up a 2019 with 20k miles. I was nervous about going with the CVT, but I couldn’t drive manual daily due to health problems. So this video makes me feel much better about it!! Thank you! You earned a subscriber here.
I think CVTs make sense in luxury cars as well. The whole point of a luxury car is to have as smooth and comfortable of a ride as possible. A CVT offers ultra smooth acceleration. I have an MY 2015 Outback 3.6r with the 3.6 L H-6 engine and that also uses the “high torque” CVT. In the Outback a CVT works well as the car was meant to be a comfortable, safe, utilitarian car. Subaru did give it a little flavor of sport by allowing you to shift with the paddles and if you accelerate hard the car also simulates being a 6 speed. I do mostly around town driving as I live and work in the same town. So for me I use the paddles to downshift on sharp corners (I leave the trans in drive). Using manual mode and having to use the paddle shift for me on the small twisty hilly back roads I drive on doesn’t make sense. If I did highway driving and didn’t mind the slightly reduced MPGs I would probably use manual mode more often. The Outback with the 6 cylinder engine is a great car but then the same can be said of the Forester, WRX, Impreza, BRZ, and Ascent. Each vehicle has it’s place depending on what you want from your vehicle.
And this is why we love Subaru. The underdog who always wins against all odds. When i first saw a CVT in action i thought it was garbage, especially compared to DCTs, and that it had no future. Subaru not only improved it but made me actually like it.
Great video, I own a 2017 WRX with CVT and enjoy it and I really think the next gen WRX will have a further developed higher torque CVT as i've seen are coming out from other car makers.
Alias Taylor How long have you driven your 2018 WRX? I was thinking about buying a 2019 WRX Premium CVT but not do any engine mods to it, will it still run good?
Kaulana Luke yes don’t do any mods period it will mess up the computer just get only like mud flaps ... that’s it .... mine is at 42 k miles now my 2018 wrx cvt... don’t do anything to the engine no cold air intake no exhausts ... nothing it will mess with the computer ... the car needs a engine filter and new spark plugs at like 20 k miles though
I love the explanation, a lot of the previous reviews made it sound like CVT was such a horrible thing, but for day to day driving with the occasional fun, it seems pretty perfect.
I m in my new crosstrek for 2 yrs and over 99pervent of time, driving in m mode , let me react fast i urban area , last time i used d was 2yrs ago during break in phase . Great video!
this is EXCELLENT information!!! can't find anything else like this on youtube and at the useless dealerships!! this was a great help in explaining how the CVT actually behaves. thanks so much
I'm not in the market for a car, but as the owner of two manual subaru's, a 2.5 RS and WRX, I want my next car to be a CVT subaru. When my clutch went in my 2.5RS my mechanic (who is a good friend and not some con artist) charged me almost $2,000 to fix it. I was young and didn't recognize it was going bad, but the signs were there. Instead I found myself stranded on one of the busiest roads in town in the middle of the lane and someone had to help me push it off the road. I said never again to manual transmission unless I'm some millionaire with a toy car in the garage. And of course I didn't mention the obvious pain of stop and go traffic and starting on steep hills. I realize newer cars can prevent you from rolling back on steep hills but man that was always a pain.
Great video. I have a 2019 Forester and while it doesn't have this kind of power the transmission functions the same. No info from the dealer or owners manual that explained this stuff. Your video has a ton of great info and was well presented. Thanks.
Very well executed explanation / demonstration bro! I enjoyed my16 wrx cvt. Very cool system! Now I have a my17 Crosstrek, essentially with the same cvt, w/out the performance modes. 👉🏽Great Vid!
Well, of course it does pretend as there are no separate gear ratios, just one virtually endlessly variable one. I hated my first experience with CVT but recently test drove a modern Subaru so am happy enough to take one on now!
It's always been my understanding that CVTs don't hold RPMs linearly. If I propel my car to 60MPH, the CVT will remain in a ratio that gives the car enough oomph based on my throttle input to get there, and once I start easing up on it to just maintain, the CVT would start swinging to a lower ratio to bring the RPMs down. It wouldn't sit at 4000-6000RPM at highway cruising speeds. This is the basic function of a CVT and why having set gear ratios dumbfounded me outside of the fact it could have been done because for generations people just expect for a car to have shift points and CVTs got a lot of complaints from people because of it. The only reason I can think of for set points is like an Auto in sport mode, it makes the RPMs at the floor closer to the powerband so when you get on it, it'll gun a lot faster than having to rev up to get there. But even then since the ratios are continuously variable I don't see why the CVT would just swing around to constantly keep the car at, say 3500RPM in sport mode. TL;DR: shift points still don't make sense to me when the transmission's core design is all about maintaining an ideal ratio for throttle input.
Amazing information. I was so confused about the cvt before and very hesitant. Liked and subscribed based on this video alone. Thank you for that, very good video.
Great job on this video. You did a fantastic job of explaining things. I just watched 2 of your videos and I'm subscribing. Keep it up. Plus you were listening to Snow before you recorded this, extra points there.
cool video I have a 2017 WRX CVT and like it a lot. I do have a question where did you get those paddle shift extensions? The stock ones are a little small.
I love my ‘18 forester xt, basically a lifted roomier wrx. CVT = Awesome daily driver and good MPG. If you really want a manual just go buy an old wrx/STi to build and beat on.
I have a 2017 base model wrx and its all stock. Well except for the OEM foglights and vortex generator. I really hope the new cars perform well and look great. Have a good weekend Sir.
@@akqjtn No problem my question for you is, Do you think it would be possible to have a manual transmission with an engind that was cvt? I'm aware that cvt by itself is considered a transmission type but i feel that Cvt engine could be controlled with clutch. I drove an Altima 2.0 that had cvt and i always seen cvt as motorsport inspired.
I would love to know how addition of Cobb Accessport effects logic of CVT / throttle response / boost. With it being more linear as far as throttle response after applying OTS tune, how does that effect behavior of I - S - S# (thank you for doing this)
I would love to know too. Thinking about getting one. Manual just isn’t for me. Gets boring. I love the car but I just want to be relaxed and not have to worry about changing gears and I live by a lot hills and it’s annoying having to roll back and catch the clutch at the right moment. I have driven a stage 3 cvt it was awesome.
I have Cobb on 16 CVT. It raises red line in S# to 6700 but shifting is unchanged. It adds boost to launch mode. I timed around 5.2 0-60 from the cobb. Keep up the good work!
@Suggon Deez hey lol. But no not really the gear changes are really responsive but the car is just still so slow and it's very expensive to fix that transmission. It wasn't bad driving but ill give you some pros and cons Pro's Great in traffic Very fast gear changes Anyone can drive it Cons Slow without a tune the car doesn't know what it wants to do Sounds really bad gear changes Not as much fun as manual stage 3 People hate you for no reason lol P.s I had owned a wrx cvt before and I had no tune or anything my transmission went at 60k my engie was destroyed because of that. Also my turbos blew at 55k. The car sucks in snow not as effective live in Pa so we get hit hard and car struggled alot for all wheel drive you can't control gear changes without damaging your trans. If I where you I would be very gentle with them and maybe think about a manual or a different car. As much as I love the wrx it should never come in a auto. Owned one for 4 years hated every second of it. It should not even be called a wrx its just so unreliable.
U also have the ratio of the gears in the differentials that also affect the way the vehicle moves and torque n all that n how much gain or loss in those as well.
This is an awesome video, very informative. Can't do the paddle extensions, the wife won't have it. The car is already way fast looking to her.. Happy wife, happy life...
I'm confused whether to carbon build up clean or not...Scotty Kilmer says that you shouldn't do it on one of his videos 😥 some other people tell me at 30k miles, some at 100k... sigh...
Being longitudinally mounted, I bet you can swap this into any rear wheel drive layout car. If you can flip the differential gear, I’d imagine you might be able to stick it in a Volkswagen Type 1 or Karmann Ghia or old Fiat 500. It would be boon for someone who has a mobility impairment, but he wants a cool car to drive.
Im thinking to trade my 2018 for a 2022, but not sure to go auto or manual, I guess i have to try and find an auto to test drive and compare. What would you do?
Planning on getting one in all black or navy blue. Living in big cities like Miami and Atlanta, wouldn’t even dream about getting a manual. And to all auto haters. I want to see you guys reaction in a solid 5yrs when manual will be the a thing of the past. I don’t hate it, I just don’t love it but I do respect it. Why don’t more car people (enthusiasts) think the same. Dual clutches, DSG’s and sport autos are the future. Either catch the wave or drown in it. Most high end sports cars now have different type of autos. They don’t want users to shift shitty. Overall you’ll never be happy if you always follow what everyone thinks. Fuck them
Great video. I'm waiting for the 2020 wrx model to be released and hoping to get a cvt. I've had my fun building supras and now have bikes for fun. I guess it comes with getting older
The car could just bring the rpms to peak horse power and keep it there for as long as you're flooring it, no reason to bring the rpm down and up when you're flooring it.
‘15 WRX CVT in Colorado: 30-32 Highway on long drives, 28 mixed, 24-25 short drives in cold weather with full proper warm up cycle. 27 Combined avg. for mine over 50k miles.
Thank you so much! I just got a 2020 outback turbo xt and learn so much from your videos. I think it has the same transmission as a wrx. Wonder if I should fill it with premium gas? Hope you can do a video about the outback turbo one day. Thank you
Thanks a lot for the info, very well explained. One question, do all CVTs that have a Triptronic (Manual mode) option behave in similar way that it goes to a predefined step and stay there till high revs and then automatically up shift if it's too much? Or its just with this car's implementation
Great video! What upgrades do you have on the car? Obviously the exhaust is not stock coz I have one and it sounds like a corolla!! LOL Would love to see what you have done. I am thinking of putting Invidia R400 cat back and maybe a K&N cold air intake system for a bit more power. Also, would you say I need to tune the ECU if I add the air intake? Is it safe to tune the CVT?
A great video. You did a good job of explaining CVT. I would never buy one just because I love a manual transmission. What is your take on the new FA20 motors that will be in the new Wrx and STI? Stay safe brother
Great video explaining everything. So the CVT mode makes the car a better daily driver, more efficient and doesn’t damage your engine as much? Really want to save up and get a WRX but I don’t know how to drive manual very well and there are some things that I like enjoy about a automatic transmission just the simplicity of not having to switch gears over and over if you are just using it as a daily for the moment but when you want to really push it to its limits it allows you to. So would you says it’s a decent car to get?
One question please; as you mentioned in the video, each of the driving modes we can operate in manual mode. Once you in manual mode isn’t it the same regardless of what mode you in?? I mean if you in inteligent or sport sharp once you put it manual mode it always behaves and goes the same?!??
Thank you for the very clear explonation! Good job. The only doubt I have, is there engine braking driving on the normal way? If I manually shifting (the sport mode), is there engine braking? Is the acceleration as direct as if I would be in a specific gear in a manual car of an automatic one driving with the tiptronic function??? What could you tell me about that?
I have a 21’ WRX cvt, and yes you can downshift to engine brake. You dont need to even be in the manual mode to do so, you just press the paddles, and after a 5-10 seconds itll go pack to automatic if youre not on the gas. If you downshift and accelerate there’s definitely more and response then if you were to simply press the gas in intelligent mode. Overall the car feels pretty similar to a normal 6/8 speed auto when in manual, and the normal cvt auto the car is smooth and comfortable in traffic with brake hold and radar cruise control
Awesome and informative video. Just picked up a wrx cvt a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice car so far. Small things I note are the turbo lag, minor cvt whine and I find it's too quiet from the exhaust. Do you have a cat back exhaust? Thanks