I drove a thing today

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel) 04/29/2019 at 20:50 • Filed to: Necessary car shopping without E90M3

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Not actual car pictured

I had nothing to do this afternoon and my local Subaru dealer had a base model 5 speed listed for sale. For giggles and because I was bored I decided to swing by and see if I could take it for a test drive. The 5 speed wasn’t available to test drive so I took a CVT equipped Sport hatch out instead. I liked it?

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but I was honestly really impressed. The new global platform has none of the buzzy qualities of my sister’s 2012 Hatch and when you gave it some gas you even got a small hint of the classic boxer rumble. It was quiet, comfortable, and very composed. Only complaints from a daily driving perspective was the complete lack of any steering feel and the CVT being completely brainless (seriously Subaru, you have gone backwards since 2012). If the numbers work out to allow me to keep the Mini as a track/autocross car I can see myself leasing a Sport Sedan with the 5 speed to be the reliable Mon-Fri car. It can’t fill the autocross and track roles of the Mini but it could be a nice daily driver.

PS9 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 20:54

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Admitting you like a CVT is an automatic -1000 points on your oppo card. You will have to turn it in. Watch ‘Senna’ 10 more times, or give 100 hrs watchtime to the regular cars YouTube channel and you can get your oppo card back.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 20:57

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Did you like the 4wd launch?

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > PS9 04/29/2019 at 20:58

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I have defended the CVT in the 2012 Impreza as being a very good automatic transmission before. The one in the 2019 I drove today was really bad though despite being mechanically identical. There were multiple times on the test drive today where it attempted to pull away from a stop in a high ratio.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/29/2019 at 21:02

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It only had 4 miles on it at the start of the test drive so I didn’t poke it too hard. My family has had Subarus for my entire life so I am quite familiar with having butt loads of grip at launch. The one I drove today kept trying to pull away from a stop in a high gear ratio which took a lot of the scoot out of it.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 21:05

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Gotcha. Its one of the more fun communter cars for sure.

That said, just finance a R53 and  be done with it :P

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 04/29/2019 at 21:07

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Financing a 15 year old Mini sounds like a really bad idea.

gettingoldercarguy > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 21:16

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The new wrx is going to be mega with this chassis, let alone the STi.  

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > gettingoldercarguy 04/29/2019 at 21:21

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It is a very good chassis. I hope they bring the WRX hatch back when they do.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 21:26

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Eeh, I did...

camarov6rs > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 21:31

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Gotta get that mpg somehow

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 21:45

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I rented one of these once recently, and although I liked it more than I thought I would, it’s not something I’d choose to replace my Fit.

One weird little thing that bothered me is that the headlamp icon in the gauge cluster took about one-half second to come on once the headlight switch was turned on. You’d think it would be immediate, like in every other car.  

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Svart Smart, traded in his Smart 04/29/2019 at 21:58

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If it had the steering responsive headlights the delay on the dash indicator might have something to do with it waiting until the self calibration process completes before illuminating the dash icon.

gettingoldercarguy > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 22:02

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I’ll take a wagon in a heartbeat.

BeaterGT > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 22:02

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Thank you for acknowledging how bad it is! 

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > camarov6rs 04/29/2019 at 22:52

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I don’t think that bogging it at every start is a good way to increase MPG.

camarov6rs > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/29/2019 at 23:13

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Does it actually feel like the belt is engaging it’s just not moving without copious throttle? Could be the trans is spinning up to find the correct ratio and it just feels like a delay?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/30/2019 at 00:05

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The CVT lasted longer than the test drive? Even in “normal” automatic transmissions nowadays they're giving so many gears that it might as well be a CVT.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > PS9 04/30/2019 at 00:07

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No. He shall be made to daily a Yugo.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/30/2019 at 00:07

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No, but it's probably a great way to fatigue the CVT.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/30/2019 at 01:15

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Oh, that’s interesting. I didn’t know the Impreza offered adaptive headlamps. This was a base model with the standard (fixed) halogens or whatever automakers are using these days.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > camarov6rs 04/30/2019 at 11:12

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You would touch the gas, it would bog, and then after about .5s it would select a lower ratio.

camarov6rs > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/30/2019 at 11:40

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Definitely sounds like they programmed the trans to be in the highest possible ratio at a stop to help mpg. Most automakers seem to do it through excessively lazy throttle mapping but I don’t see why they couldn’t do it using the trans.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > camarov6rs 04/30/2019 at 13:12

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Being in a higher gear ratio when stopped doesn't help anything.

camarov6rs > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 04/30/2019 at 14:48

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When stopped no but when taking off it would probably result in slower acceleration given the same throttle input compared to being in the “proper” ratio. From everything I’ve heard slow gentle acceleration improves fuel economy.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > camarov6rs 04/30/2019 at 16:56

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From an input perspective slow and gentle is better. It requires more throttle to achieve the same acceleration in a taller gear than a lower gear though.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > camarov6rs 04/30/2019 at 21:46

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I would guess low hp engine + increased rotational inertia (@15% loss ) i assume means it has to reach a much lower gearing to get going.