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I have an annoying chirping noise with my new 2011 2.5I Subaru Outback when driving slow or coasting.
Dealer at 2000 miles, replaced the timing belt, tensioners, & pulleys, & submitted a QMR to Subaru America. The noise still continues & Dealer states the noise is common with 2.5 I cvt outbacks. I have on file with Subaru my case #, but to date awaiting to hear from Regional Rep. This noise is unacceptable, & Subaru not addressing the on-going problem. Please post. BJW (dwilson@aol.com)
Love mine! I own a 2010 Legacy 2.5 CVT with almost 30,000 miles and my wife own the Outback 2.5 CVT and no problems with either. Love getting 30 plus MPG with AWD.
I'm seriouslly considering getting a new '11 Legacy 2.5i with the CVT. I am amazed it can get over 30MPG, but really wish it had more than 170HP (at least 200HP).
Looks like I can get a 3yr lease with 15k miles a year for $300 (tax included) with $0 out of pocket for a CVT with AWP+Moonroof (MSRP $24,500). Very tempting, not many other midsize sedans can be had for that.
I thought I would check in again with my 2010 Outback 2.5I CVT transmission. The odometer is reading 47,000. Zero problems to date. The transmission is working great and the mileage on the highway is around 30-31+ and a little less with a mixed driving mode. Very pleased with the car. My complaint was with the original factory floor mats and they were replaced under warranty and seem to stay hooked a bit better and the Mickey Mouse two retention holes have held there shape better. The mat material seems to have been improved though the retention system still is crummy. Very happy with the car and the CVT transmission. I will add it is not designed to be a Sunday drag racer or to be able to tow your D8 tractor over the Sierras. It was designed for passenger car use. I have had it through Titus Canyon in Death Valley following silly monster tired trucks etc and it performed very well much to there irritation. As previously mentioned by other posters, the paddle shifting is nice and comes into play primarily on mountain roads where you would like engine compression braking and also to hold a gear ratio because of road conditions. The earlier complaint of no backing up power was easily fixed with a factory reprogramming of the reverse virtual gear ratio selection. Just a lower gear was dialed in. I believe that was fixed very early in the production run. I live on a hill and have no issues.
At 48,000 0n the 2010 Outback my first repairs coming up will be brake pads. My mechanic at the dealer said they were thin but still good on the last oil change. It should break 50K before I need them and maybe a little longer. My driving is a mix of metro and open highway. Looking at the tires I think they will see 60K. I will then get a set of Michelin all-weathers at Costco. Last time I did this on my old Outback they filled the new Michelins with nitrogen with the green valve caps. Just FYI.
Do all CVTs have aggressive engine braking like the one in my rental Altima did a couple weeks ago? It was a little disconcerting. My own car is a stick, and I never would have downshifted at all in the various downhill spots that the CVT insisted upon effectively "downshifting".
Other than that I guess it was fine. I'm not sure if my earlier rental Altimas had this. I remember a long drive I took in one back in late 2010, plenty of hills, don't remember noticing that engine braking so it might have been a conventional auto.
The downshift points of a CVT are factory programmable or virtual so they may vary between different manufacturers and models and years. Mine does not auto downshift with the foot off the gas unless I put the selector in manual mode and then use the upshift and down shift paddles and tell it what I want it to do just like a manual trans w/out a clutch pedal. The paddles take just a little getting used to. It of course will select a better ratio if I hit the gas in the auto mode. (2010 Subaru Outback 2.5 PZEV)
Due for my 50,000 mile service very soon. No problems, love the car. Mileage remains between 28 and 32 city highway. Due for a set of tires possibly about next January and likely a set of fresh brake pads. Not bad at all.
A quote from and earlier posting: "To me, a "real" manual trans always wins out because it's simple and rugged, if you keep the lube level up all you ever have to do is change (one) clutch, it gives me better control of the car, and most importantly, it's a big part of making the car more fun.
Paddle shifting was derived from earlier international rally cars. The very complex mechanism were fitted tofull manual transmissions. It has long ago proven itself as much faster in a very competitive situation. Rally cars do nothing BUT SHIFT AND BRAKE as fast as they can.
My 55.000 mile road test on the 2010 Outback is going well. I replaced for the first time, the front brake pads. The rears still have quite a few miles left on them. The OE Continentals were starting to get thin but I estimate that there were perhaps another 5.000 on them. I developed an annoying slow leak in one which required air every 4 days or so. No puncture evidence on a couple of rack visual inspections. I went ahead and replaced the tires at 55K regardless because of the air leak and the rainy season. Driving mode is city/highway. My replacement choice was the Michelin Defenders from Costco. They offer a bullet proof road hazard warranty, nitrogen fill and free rotation. The new Michelins feel much firmer than the old Contis. They claim the Michelins will give you better mileage. I don't doubt it but just have not been able to notice any diff. Maybe on a long trip. The CVT transmission is working just like new with no issues. I really like the CVT and the Outback for that matter.
We have a 2010 Legacy with 69,000 miles on it and have had zero problems with it. There were a couple of recalls but nothing that seemed to affect our car.
I've found the estimated Highway mileage to be very close. We average about 30 MPG but live in the mountains with lots of up and down. On the flatlands we saw over 33 MPG on a long trip running 70-75 MPH.
Around town we see 26-27 but to be fair we are rural so no L.A. style stop and go.
We have the optional alloy wheels and find the handling exceptional. It's not a racer but in the twisties on a nearby canyon road few can keep up if I choose to have "fun". In the snow it handles extremely well for an all season tire. Not too bad on icy roads but for that you really need studs. I like the CVT tranny. If you like to row through the gears you won't like it. On the other hand I found the software that handles the CVT to do a very good job of delivering the power to the roads.
My wife likes my 2010 Legacy so well she wants to have it as her driver. Alternatively, she has said I can buy her a new one.
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