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New Models
DRIVEN: Subaru Impreza Road Trip
The updated all-wheel-drive compact turns in a sweet performance, except for the sour notes hit by the continuously variable transmission.
Subaru Impreza was updated for 2012, with new body styling, interior and refreshed boxer engine. (Photo: Subaru)
There are a lot of things to like about the 2012 Subaru Impreza: expressive new styling, roomy premium interior, flexible engine power, good stability and handling that’s enhanced by all-wheel drive. And the price is modest for all you get.
But after a fairly lengthy road trip in the new Impreza that included steep grades and long high-speed runs, I’ve discovered at least one thing to dislike: the continuously variable transmission.
I’m not a big fan of these in the first place, along with most car people I know, and this unit hammered home what I hate about them. Aside from the slippery, rubber-band feeling under acceleration, there’s also the way these things set up an unrelenting engine roar when climbing hills.
Coupled with the already booming sound of the boxer four, the effect was an unnecessarily harsh, noisy and unpleasant experience for driver and passengers alike.
CVTs have many good attributes, including improved fuel mileage, but generally speaking they dull the driving experience. There are some good ones – I recently experienced the new Nissan Altima with CVT, and that transmission was more dialed in than most – but the Subaru’s is not one of them.
The CVT does boost fuel mileage, with the EPA rating Impreza at a solid 27 mpg city and 36 highway, which Subaru points out is a 36 percent improvement and the best mileage for an all-wheel-drive vehicle sold in the United States. Part of the gain is due to the advanced technology of the new engine, including sequential multi-port fuel injection and dual Active Valve Control System that varies timing on both intake and exhaust valves.
But for those who still possess the increasingly arcane skill of shifting gears, a manual transmission would be the way to go. There is some detriment to the fuel mileage, rated at 25 city and 33 highway for the hatchback with stick, but I say it’s well worth it for the much-improved drivability.
I’ve driven quite a few Imprezas in the past, but according to my fuzzy memory, each was some variation of the performance-oriented WRX equipped with manual transmission. So this is my first shot at an Impreza with CVT, a second-generation unit that Subaru calls Lineartronic Continuously Variable.
The CVT was OK around town, although as usual with these gearless transmissions, there was always a slippery, wheezy feel to the power surge. The transmission does include a “manual mode” that allows the driver to shift between six pre-set ratios that imitate actual gears, which helps somewhat. Still, I would much prefer a regular six-gear automatic to CVT.
But after a fairly lengthy road trip in the new Impreza that included steep grades and long high-speed runs, I’ve discovered at least one thing to dislike: the continuously variable transmission.
I’m not a big fan of these in the first place, along with most car people I know, and this unit hammered home what I hate about them. Aside from the slippery, rubber-band feeling under acceleration, there’s also the way these things set up an unrelenting engine roar when climbing hills.
Coupled with the already booming sound of the boxer four, the effect was an unnecessarily harsh, noisy and unpleasant experience for driver and passengers alike.
CVTs have many good attributes, including improved fuel mileage, but generally speaking they dull the driving experience. There are some good ones – I recently experienced the new Nissan Altima with CVT, and that transmission was more dialed in than most – but the Subaru’s is not one of them.
The CVT does boost fuel mileage, with the EPA rating Impreza at a solid 27 mpg city and 36 highway, which Subaru points out is a 36 percent improvement and the best mileage for an all-wheel-drive vehicle sold in the United States. Part of the gain is due to the advanced technology of the new engine, including sequential multi-port fuel injection and dual Active Valve Control System that varies timing on both intake and exhaust valves.
But for those who still possess the increasingly arcane skill of shifting gears, a manual transmission would be the way to go. There is some detriment to the fuel mileage, rated at 25 city and 33 highway for the hatchback with stick, but I say it’s well worth it for the much-improved drivability.
I’ve driven quite a few Imprezas in the past, but according to my fuzzy memory, each was some variation of the performance-oriented WRX equipped with manual transmission. So this is my first shot at an Impreza with CVT, a second-generation unit that Subaru calls Lineartronic Continuously Variable.
The CVT was OK around town, although as usual with these gearless transmissions, there was always a slippery, wheezy feel to the power surge. The transmission does include a “manual mode” that allows the driver to shift between six pre-set ratios that imitate actual gears, which helps somewhat. Still, I would much prefer a regular six-gear automatic to CVT.
2014 Cadillac CTS
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