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For those of you with the CVT WRX, need your opinion. S mode or S#?

6K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  mikepj 
#1 ·
Although i'm absolutely loving the CVT in the 2016 WRX, I still cant quite figure out if there's a real difference between the two. S mode seems to behave more like a CVT should, consistent power throughout whereas S# seems to have a more sensitive throttle response while "climbing" through the gears.

Personally, I feel S# has a very weird feel to it, you step on the gas and the car accelerates only to step on the break and hear the engine moan like you missed a shift. Every tuning map I've always seen has the corresponding tunes in S# mode so I kind of assumed this was the mode to be in at all times.

Whats everybody's opinions?
 
#2 ·
Sport Sharp is meant to give the car the best performance. Track days, canyon runs, etc. The engine moans because it's maintaining RPM's so that if you get back on the gas, it doesn't have to work to get back into the powerband.

It's definitely not the best mode to be in at all times, though. Being as it's the less conservative of all the modes, it's the hardest on the car, and if it's anything like my STi in S#, it also eats much more fuel that way.
 
#3 ·
There's a huge difference between the two. Just sitting in the car, my 2015 would bump up the idle a tad when I pushed the button. There are 8 simulated gear shifts in S# versus 6 in S. S# does a fantastic job in the mountains or canyons, but is a bit of a nuisance for daily driving. Does the 2016 have the nasty rpm dip or bog down to 1500 rpms after taking off from a stoplight around town?
 
#4 ·
Definitely noticed going from stoplight to stoplight S# can be quite annoying. I've noticed the rpm dip myself after letting off the gas . Overall ghe CVT performs a little funky, but I think I just have to get used to the sounds and nuances of the CVT, sometimes my girlfriend will ask if I'm in manual mode and I have to explain that it's just the CVT lol
 
#8 ·
I'm always in S-manual around town, or S#-manual when I want to have some fun. S# in 8th is a shorter gear ratio than S in 6th, so you'll get better mileage on the highway in S over S#.

S and I seem equivalent as far as their final gear ratios are concerned. I've gotten great mileage on road trips just leaving it in 6th gear on S. Maybe I in auto would be a little more efficient if the car needs to accelerate to pass or up a hill, but there isn't much difference in mpg in my experience.
 
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