CVT Transmissions and Subaru Outback opinions

[PingSpike]

Well, I finally sold my old pile so we've been shopping. My driveway is a challenge in the winter so I've been leaning towards a small SUV with AWD. I wanted a hatchback or 5th door so I could cram larger purchases in there (became a big problem with two small sedans since we bought the house) and I want to tow a small utility trailer to take my snow blower and lawn mower in for service, buy a small amount of dirt or lumber and take trash to the dump. Above all though I wanted to get halfway decent gas mileage, so I'm willing to give up some towing capacity there. I can borrow my dad or brothers truck in the rare occasion something really heavy needs to be moved.

Anyway, we have a Hyundai Elantra which we like and we really like the warranty so we wanted to look at the Tucson. We haven't been able to find one on the dealers lots though since they seem to sell fast and they are transitioning over to 2012s. We looked that Kia Sportage which is basically the same with the same warranty and it was nice. Its towing capacity is enough although its cargo capacity is pretty unexciting like in reviews.

We decided to look at the Outback though even though my wife wasn't to excited about it and I don't much care for their warranty in comparison. That said it was pretty awesome when we test drove it. The interior space, particularly length is huge with the seats folded down. And the ground clearance is very high, something that was not great on the Tucson/Sportage (actually is worse than my Elantra). Plus, the gas mileage actually seems pretty impressive for an AWD and its appears to be backed up by reviews. I hadn't driven a car with CVT before and from our short test drive I liked it's performance a lot.

Are there any concerns about those kinds of transmissions with regards to reliability and longevity? Any issues I should be aware of with the Outback in particular?

 

[Demo24]

Subaru's in general are quite solid and I haven't really heard of anything bad about the CVT's in these Outbacks either. I wouldn't worry to much about the warranty coverage. Also the Subaru's AWD system is significantly better than anything else you are considering!

 

[Jeff7181]

I've been driving Altimas with CVT's for 4 years and I don't think I'll ever buy another car with an automatic transmission that's not a CVT. I don't know about Subaru's CVT's, but Nissan's is great. The same transmission is paired with the 140 HP 2.0, the 175 HP 2.5 and the 270 HP 3.5 V6. So I don't think durability is a concern since I believe they have them in the heavier Murano's that also have a V6 option.

 

[Doppel]

Nissan i think started with the CVT in the murano and the first year or two were not terribly good but have gotten much better and is in much of Nissan's line up now. I don't know if they are the same as in the Subaru, but in Nissans they are certainly reliable now.

 

[Jumpem]

I'm at 62k miles on my 2010 Outback with CVT. No issues at all. I'll never get a traditional automatic again. The CVT is much more responsive. I also like being able to pick a particular RPM, say 4k, and keep it there from 5mph to 65mph.

As a side note, I also get 30mpg with it.

 

[DougoMan]

I find the CVT in our Subaru pretty annoying. It sounds like a clutch slipping.

 

[Demo24]

I find the CVT in our Subaru pretty annoying. It sounds like a clutch slipping.

That's just how most of them act, although I do know Nissan lets you select some predetermined gear ratios to make it act like a traditional auto. I don't know if the Subaru does the same.

 

[Jumpem]

That's just how most of them act, although I do know Nissan lets you select some predetermined gear ratios to make it act like a traditional auto. I don't know if the Subaru does the same.

The Subaru CVT has steering wheel mounted paddles, or you can use the shifter, to select six predefined "gears". I only use it for compression braking.

 

[PingSpike]

Yeah, the gas mileage is pulling me a lot in that direction too. It seems like most small SUVs (including the Tucson/Sportage) have EPA ratings that few people achieve in their reviews, whereas most people with the Subaru claim to exceed the EPA ratings or at least meet them.

One thing that gives me pause, a lot of people seemed to be complaining of steering wheel shake/shimmying on the 2010 edmunds customers reviews, and a surprising amount of stalling at low speeds. I think they may have had some kind of recall to fix the stalling at least. The other vehicles aren't without their complaints though, and most people writing a review are mad, some are happy and virtually none are just OK.

 

[Jeff7181]

I just have a couple complaints about the way my 2010 Nissan acts compared to my 2008 that I had.

First, the drive-by-wire throttle isn't as responsive as it was on the 2008. I can mat the throttle and it feels like it goes to 1/2 throttle up to about 3000 RPM and then goes full throttle. This is extremely annoying when trying to pass some douche that's accelerating away from a stop at a rate of 1 mph per 100 feet.

Second, the manual shift mode doesn't obey as well as it did on the 2008. For example:
Accelerate from a stop in 1st up to about 3500 RPM, which is about 25mph I believe.
Shift to 2nd, RPM drops to about 2750 and then back up to 3500 as I accelerate to 35 mph.
Shift to 3rd, RPM drops to about 3000 and stays there as I accelerate to 45 mph, then the RPM starts to come up again.

My 2008 didn't do that, when I told it 3rd, it went into 3rd and the RPM would drop all the way down to 1100 if it needed to.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Almost bought an Outback. I would have only gone with the V6 which only has a crappy 5 speed auto. The OB w/ CVT was underpowered and annoyingly loud.

 

[Jumpem]

Yeah, the gas mileage is pulling me a lot in that direction too. It seems like most small SUVs (including the Tucson/Sportage) have EPA ratings that few people achieve in their reviews, whereas most people with the Subaru claim to exceed the EPA ratings or at least meet them.

One thing that gives me pause, a lot of people seemed to be complaining of steering wheel shake/shimmying on the 2010 edmunds customers reviews, and a surprising amount of stalling at low speeds. I think they may have had some kind of recall to fix the stalling at least. The other vehicles aren't without their complaints though, and most people writing a review are mad, some are happy and virtually none are just OK.

I've had no stalling issues. I had some steering wheel vibration that went away when I had the tires balanced.

 

[nanaki333]

I've been driving Altimas with CVT's for 4 years and I don't think I'll ever buy another car with an automatic transmission that's not a CVT. I don't know about Subaru's CVT's, but Nissan's is great. The same transmission is paired with the 140 HP 2.0, the 175 HP 2.5 and the 270 HP 3.5 V6. So I don't think durability is a concern since I believe they have them in the heavier Murano's that also have a V6 option.

i'm loving my v6 altima with cvt. just turned 40k miles and never had a problem with it. i was worried going in to it, but they seem pretty damn solid.

 

[Demo24]

I've had no stalling issues. I had some steering wheel vibration that went away when I had the tires balanced.

I believe I read somewhere some of the 2010's were accidentally leaving the factory with improperly balanced wheels, which would cause that shake. I would not have this potential issue be a reason not to get the Outback, if it shakes then have the dealer fix it as it would be under warranty and it won't cause any problems.

 

[fleshconsumed]

One thing that gives me pause, a lot of people seemed to be complaining of steering wheel shake/shimmying on the 2010 edmunds customers reviews, and a surprising amount of stalling at low speeds. I think they may have had some kind of recall to fix the stalling at least. The other vehicles aren't without their complaints though, and most people writing a review are mad, some are happy and virtually none are just OK.

Check this forum out on outback

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/

Afaik there was a TSB chip flash for stalling at low speeds that fixed the problem. Shake at highway speeds is more elusive, I think the general consensus is that shakers are much rarer now, but you may still get one. I would suggest test driving specific outback you'll be buying before you sign the papers.

 

[PingSpike]

Thanks for the info on the TSB. I was thinking the same thing about the shake.