Bucky92 Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 They just suck! My 08 5 door just spent 3 days in the body shop to fix a biffed rocker ( dealer didnt have it on the lift right..accidents happen..they took care of it..no biggy.no reason to freak) and they gave me an 08 Imp sedan AT for a loaner. That tranny just sucks..sport shift?? JOKE... I wasnt even beating it ...like most would do with loaners. Here is the major things I noticed: ( note 4K mile 2.5i sedan verses my 20K mile 2.5i 5 door..both base model) 1. slow between gears..and constantly seemed confused on which gear to be in. 2. slow...just slow...I had to use sport mode to get on the highway and found the hesitation between shifts..unbearable..it was a joke. 3. Gas mileage... I get 32-34 mpg with my 5 spd...and thats with roof rack with a bulky bike mount ..the sedan couldnt get over 28. I might be spoiled with my 5 spd ..but the differences were huge IMO. It just re-enforced my opinions on ATs. I hope that they all arent like that...if so...wow..I am terribly unimpressed and thats sad. On another note..I looked at the 09 Forester and was suprised at the price..very reasonable..had one that was only about $1K more then y Imppy. ( it was a base 5 spd..and I had some extras put on my Imp) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry DeMoss Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 That is too bad about the auto not being what you wanted in it. We recently got an '08 wrx with the 5spd and I haven't driven any of the newer auto cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertsubaru Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 My 96 obw auto does the same thing. Its like it gets confused of what gear it should be in. No slippage or anything like that just strange shift times and not a good kick down for getting on the highway. It was just checked,drained, flushed and refilled. I thought it was maybe because of a 2.2 in place of the 2.5, but since you had the same thing with a new car it just might be that since I was use to driving a 5 speed and then going to auto im not use to it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 That is too bad about the auto not being what you wanted in it. We recently got an '08 wrx with the 5spd and I haven't driven any of the newer auto cars. Jerry.. How are you likeing your 08? Did you get the 5 door or the sedan? . I ADORE mine..and have no regrets on it..I have put 20K on it in less then a year and its been flawless. I am just disappointed that ...you would think by now that they could make a somewhat decent AT. Maybe its because I am so used to manuals..instant response..total control..Plus the improvement over gas mileage. I just dont seem to remember the AT in my friends 2006 T Lego being that bad. For Now..I am still adament about it...ATs suck ( IMO )..and I will only have 5 spds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 I know that some of the newer ATs "learn" your driving style and shift accordingly. (I don't know if Subaru does this- just conjecture) Perhaps your loaner was driven by someone previously with a different driving style and you didn't drive it long enough for it to re-learn how to shift with your throttle inputs. I'm strictly a 5MT person myself, but MT Subarus tend to be geared kind of short for quiet high speed highway cruising. We use the '98 Ouback as our "town car" and have an Accord (also MT) for road trips. It's running at under 3000 RPM at 80 mph- no need for ear plugs! Are the new Imps geared any taller than the older Subarus? I thought that as ATs go, the 1st gen Legacy my wife used to own was pretty responsive...it would do a part throttle downshift and would unlock the torque converter on the highway as well. I didn't feel the need to constantly do manual overrides like I do with many ATs. Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwbaru2 Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Whatya mean you don't beat on it:confused: it's a soob it was made to be beat on! I don't drive real fast but I get to whatever driving speed I want fast and hard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerFahrer Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 I like Subaru's SportShift. It's not the quickest sportshift car I've ever driven, but there's one thing I do like: it won't shift for you if you forget. It'll just sit there and bounce off the rev limiter. BMWs and Mercedes and such will shift for you at redline, whether you want them to or not. I don't like that. Defeats the purpose. And no offense Connie, but if you don't like Subaru's automatic, you'd never want to drive any car ever again after driving a Ford automatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted August 17, 2008 Author Share Posted August 17, 2008 And no offense Connie, but if you don't like Subaru's automatic, you'd never want to drive any car ever again after driving a Ford automatic. LMAO.. a Ford AT is what turned me against ATs. I was just seriously disappointed..but like I said..I could very well be spoiled with driving my 5 spd ..And what a feeling..bouncing off that rev limiter..LOVE IT! ( and on a side note..I have owned over 40 different cars of all makes and models... I LOVE my Subarus..only owned 10 of them so far) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 Connie... keep good documentation on the rocket accident on the imp. If that side rusts and the other doesnt.... I see a free repair coming up in 10+ years (I had a brat with a new 1/4 panel and the replaced side rusted out because the seam was not properly sealed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 My parents have an 08 legacy and I thing the tranny shifts great. Actually I was very surprised myself. I believe the car needs to learn its driver before it shifts better. I'm sure the typical old lady (the other people not you) doesn't get on it too much while their car is in the shop. I believe the term is "shift logic". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDave Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 My parents had two nearly identical Olds Cutlass Cieras. Mom was the leadfoot in the family and her car ran great. Dad was the guy you hated getting stuck behind and his car was a dog. After dad passed away and mom started driving his car, she complained that it just didn't want to go! I disconnected the battery for a few minutes then took it out and "blew the soot out of it" and floored it from a stop every chance I got. That fixed it. Mom could be first away from the light again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subeman90 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 My parents had two nearly identical Olds Cutlass Cieras. Mom was the leadfoot in the family and her car ran great. Dad was the guy you hated getting stuck behind and his car was a dog. After dad passed away and mom started driving his car, she complained that it just didn't want to go! I disconnected the battery for a few minutes then took it out and "blew the soot out of it" and floored it from a stop every chance I got. That fixed it. Mom could be first away from the light again. I had a grandma like that except she did it in big ugly caddys (think 70's triple green) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I drove an 08 Outback rental car and wasn't impressed with the power. The auto trans wasn't overly great, but I wasn't expecting leaps and bounds. However I drove my aunt's 08 Legacy SE, and that car seemed to have more power, and the trans seemed a little more responsive. Personally, I think the issue with Subarus' and their AT is the power, or lack of power. With more power, either the flat six or turbo models, you tend not to have hunting issues as much. My ex had an 06 LL Bean Outback with the six, and it drove pretty well, however it was the 5EAT, not the 4EAT. So I don't know. I think the issue is a combination of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 With the new "learning" computers in rentals, they never get a chance to adjust to the person driving it, so they tend to get odd performance profiles. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry DeMoss Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Hey Connie to answer your question about how we like it... It has been a really good car so far. We ended up getting the 5door/hatchback model like yours,but in the charcoal gray. Only thing we have done to the car so far besides oil changes is adding a spt catback exhaust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 A few quick comments. #1 I've got a 96 Legacy with an AT and it is hands down the best AT I've ever driven. No gear hunting, solid shifting, and geared very well. To top it off it's a Legacy GT (originally EJ25) with a 2.2, so the engine is technically under powered for the shift maps in the TCU, but it works just as good! #2 My experiance with my '05 LGT and the sport shift 5EAT are as follows: A) The more open the throttle, the faster it shifts... IE Full throttle = fast shifts, off the throttle = very slow shifts. Electronic throtle body + advanced TCU = poor response. The TCU has too many modes and likes to default back to a mode that atually slows throttle response for better fuel consumption. Makes a 250hp car feel like a big giant brick. Even in sport shift mode if you haven't been driving agressively enough it will go into a mode that slows the initial throttle response. I think for a performance minded person the Subaru autos and programming have gotten over complicated and it has taken away from sporting drivability, although it is nice that I could bounce off the rev limiter in 1st all day (if I wanted) and the 5EAT in sport shift mode would not shift into second. #3 If you want to drive a really bad AT, try a base model Pontiac Vibe like my wife has. Geard to run low RPM on the highway and the motor is just dead below 4000 RPM. With the AC on it has to use 2nd gear to maintain 55 on some of the hills in PA..... Interesting side note, I was actually able to get my LGT to bounce off the rev limiter in first gear on several ocassion in full auto mode. Only auto I've ever had do that. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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