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The Official 2015 WRX & STi Thread

984K views 3K replies 280 participants last post by  blue_subae 
#1 ·
Can we all stop freaking out about the no hatch rumor? Until it's confirmed, there's nothing to worry about.

Remember the iPhone 4S? We were all 100% positive then iPhone 5 was coming out next then BLAM! iPhone 4S.

Mods, can we merge a few of the comments from the 2014 thread on to this one? I think there has been some overlap.
 
#497 ·
Hey all, new member here, not a Subaru owner (currently) though we have a couple in our family and I'm contemplating buying a WRX or STI once the new 2015s are out and the performance numbers are in. I would just like to offer my perspective on the whole CVT thing based on my own experience. I currently own a 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SV which has a CVT. I've put just over 18,000 miles on the car, purchased new in October 2012. Previously I owned a 2000 Maxima 3.0 with a 5 speed manual. I was excited to switch to the Altima when I test drove it as it felt a good deal quicker than my old car (270HP vs. 222HP). Gas mileage and nice amenities such as remote start, power everything, backup camera, ipod integration, yada yada were also selling points. Gas mileage can be good if you drive it gently, I've seen highway mileage over 30 when driving for long stretches, mixed mileage can be anywhere fro 20-27 though,depending on how much stop and go traffic you see. Also the car only needs 87 octane so you can save some additional money on gas there. However, shortly after purchasing the car I began to notice the acceleration wasn't as good as I first thought.

Sometimes the CVT just doesn't quite understand what you want it to do. I'll give an example. Let's say you need to pass someone on the highway very quickly. If you put your foot down you may get the necessary acceleration to pass, or you can get a noticeable lag. The engine revs up almost right away, but the transmission just doesn't put the power to the ground until it figures out the right gear ratio. Sometimes this can take a split second, other times you can literally count out two whole seconds before the car gets moving. Another issue I have with the acceleration is that since the car is front wheel drive and it only has brake-based traction control it is not very forgiving at low speeds when applying throttle. The traction control is extremely aggressive in that when it senses wheelspin it will do one of two things: 1) apply brakes to get the wheels to stop spinning 2) disengage the transmission so that ZERO power is put to the ground. You can imagine how stupid it looks to other drivers as my engine is wailing away and my car is just sitting next to them.

Another problem I have with the CVT is that within the last 1000 miles or so it started slipping under certain conditions. There is a known issue with the 9th generation CVT that has been developed for 2013 and newer model year Altimas (and Pathfinders) where the torque converter will lock up repeatedly when applying a small amount of throttle at low RPM say in stop and go traffic or especially when going up a slight incline. Go ahead and check the Altima forums out there, there are a lot of people having this issue. Nissan doesn't appear to have a definite answer for this problem, unfortunately. Lots of owners report taking their cars to the dealership to have the issue investigated and come back with no answers, or a never-ending list of repairs. Some people say they've had their TCU reprogrammed, torque converter replaced, and CVT replaced (all at separate times) and still have the issue. Sounds like a design flaw if you ask me.

My car is due to have its transmission replaced but the CVT is on back-order so I've been waiting for over a month now. Talk about frustrating. I still think Nissan has good designs but I honestly don't think I will ever buy another CVT equipped vehicle for as long as I have the option to get anything else. Same goes for front wheel drive for that matter. For these reasons I am seriously contemplating selling my car after the transmission is replaced and buying a WRX or STI.

I hope my experience can shed some light on the CVT issue for anyone contemplating buying a vehicle with one, I strongly advise against it. Gas mileage is nice, but really no better than other new auto trans designs that feature 7 or more gears, or even a good manual that is driven properly for that matter.

Cheers! Oh, and Merry Christmas to you all as well.
 
#498 ·
Thanks and I can appreciate the information, but still...Nissan does not equal Subaru. Also...factoring in a turbo and also the Sport and Sport Plus modes in the new WRX may alleviate or change the behavior completely. It's not really a fair comparison. Will I ever buy a Nissan CVT? Probably not. I've heard all there is to hear. Will I test drive and possibly buy the new WRX with one? It's a good possibility...so far. If multiple problems arise and I don't want to deal with it anymore...I sell it. With that said...the new design is growing on me and being that I had '08 4EAT WRX...it's all an improvement from there. I'm willing to give it a try.
 
#500 ·
I still have an issue with the design, now that the "OMG it's not the concept" furor has died down.

I am not surprised that it isn't quite as aggressive as the concept. Nor that it bears a large resemblance to the current Impreza.

I just don't get why the fenders are so mismatched. There's a nice high aggressive beltline for the front wheels, and the rear fender kinda doesn't have a beltline at all. There were actually some people on another forum wondering why it looked like the rear wheels are smaller than the fronts until I pointed this out to them.

I hope it drives as well as these reviews are saying, but I still feel like I'm watching propaganda lol.
 
#508 ·
Hahaha, that's so funny. How can there be such differing opinions on it? The reviewer in this video...



.... (which, to me, felt much more like an advert than a review) thought it was an AMAZING manual gearbox. I'll wait for more reviews before I decide who (whom?) to believe.
 
#507 ·
It's gone all ways, with me. When the new Dodge Dart was shown in pics, I was like "Wow, that's pretty sporty looking!". Then I saw it in person, and was kinda "meh". Other cars have come across the same to me in pics and person, and still others look hot to me when I finally see it for real, though I wasn't impressed with the photos. It's hard to tell the future from photos. Always in motion, the future is.
 
#517 ·
Looks like the CVT only comes on the Premium model...

" Three trim levels are available—base, Premium, and Limited. Major standard features on the plebeian WRX include power windows and locks, a six-speaker audio system with Bluetooth audio and USB connectivity, a rearview camera, and automatic climate control. Moving up to the Premium unlocks CVT availability"

Transmission Double Play

Welp..base model for me! :rotfl:
 
#519 ·
I find it funny how companies still list power windows and locks as a "standard feature."
 
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#533 ·
Any clue on how they'll differentiate, mechanically, between the WRX and STI? Seems like they gave the WRX a bit too much of a boost in the suspension department.
Good question. Only Subaru knows for sure at this point, but we'll probably see the rumors start flying soon enough. I'm confident the STI will retain DCCD, which has been one key differentiator in the past, along with more exotic suspension components, materials, and bracing. Beyond that, who knows?
 
#538 ·
I LOL'd!!!

“A WRX with a CVT is like porn without sex,” read the suicide note of Rex Fanboi of Fap Rock, Massachusetts, whose lifeless body was found behind the wheel of his 2009 WRX modded with a Maganflow exhaust, a totally epic wing, and tires he once described as having “enough grip to rip the panties off your grandma’s ass”.
 
#547 ·
“A WRX with a CVT is like porn without sex,” read the suicide note of Rex Fanboi of Fap Rock, Massachusetts, whose lifeless body was found behind the wheel of his 2009 WRX modded with a Maganflow exhaust, a totally epic wing, and tires he once described as having “enough grip to rip the panties off your grandma’s ass”.
i knew this brotato... good guy. had the flattest brim around.
 
#549 ·
I would be shocked if Subaru doesn't provide significant differentiation to justify the price difference of an STi. However, there are many who look at peak HP numbers and act like everything else is practically insignificant.
 
#556 ·
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Transport Mid-size car
So I saw one the other day while Xmas shopping in foster city. The guy said he is test driving it to put on miles. I think he said this was one of 16 being driven. He was picking up someone to test drive it as well. Wish I could've test drove it. It looks ok but nothing spectacular. Waiting for the STI to be revealed. Land vehicle Vehicle Car Subaru Subaru
 
#565 ·
My '70 Impala with Automatic did not have a tach. In fact, most American family sedans with autos back in the day had no tach. Keep going with the broad, sweeping generalizations, though...good fun!
 
#566 ·
Yep.
In fact I would say that vast majority of USDM vehicles period didn't have tachometers until at least recent years. It was normally seen as a "premium" option/feature. Historically, where they were in vehicles they were FAR more common in manual/stick (where they may serve an actual purpose) but typically NOT in automatics (especially not sporty/premium models). They serve very little purpose in most automatics for the vast majority of folks.. and automatics have always accounted for the VAST majority of vehicles sold in the US.

I was a teen before I saw a tach in a car for the first time.
 
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