('11+) 2012 Impreza 2.0i Premium Manual Remorse?

[riccnick]

I love my car. Its a 2012 Impreza 2.0i Premium with the All Weather, Alloy Wheels, and Moonroof. It is Ice Silver Metallic, and has the black interior. I love how sporty the car looks, and it drives very well for not being a WRX or STi. Every time I get into the car, the enthusiast in me thinks there should be a 5 - speed shifter chillin' in the center instead of the CVT shifter. I drove both the 5MT and CVT before I bought, and at the time the low speed, around town peppiness of the CVT combined with the fact that a similarly equipped 5MT was a month or more away, swayed me into the CVT model. But its getting to the point where the paddles don't do any justice for replacing the heel-toe experience of a true standard. Plus, from time to time, I just flat out enjoy driving like a maniac (call me names, whatever, lol). The CVT moans and groans whenever you want to hustle, or when going up steep hills (unavoidable seeing as I literally live at the top of a mountain). I know my chances of trading for a stick now are absolutely zero. I already have 1,100 miles on the car in less than a month. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could tho, lol. I guess I'm just whining, unless anyone out there knows of a way... lol.

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[SubyDoWhreRU]

<3 my 5 speed. Though I do think a 6 speed would have done wonders for this car. but I had to wait 3 months for my car. I preordered the first week of Nov and didn't get it till the last week of Jan. besides I wasnt going to pay $1000 extra for less of a car.

[dreezy]

Sounds like I have the same car minus the moon roof, but with a 5 speed. No ****ing way was I getting g a car I didn't want with a cvt.

I got my car a week after my first trip to the stealership.

[4S-TURBO]

Originally Posted by riccnick

I guess I'm just whining... lol.

Nah, that'd be your CVT.

[riccnick]

Originally Posted by 4S-TURBO

Nah, that'd be your CVT.

Instead of Vroom my car goes Wahhhhh!!!! :'(

[rickrobin]

I have to go to NYC periodically, and I can't begin to say how great it is to be relieved of a clutch on the FDR drive! But I've always had a standard before, and I do miss it elsewhere.

Thing is, I really only miss one downshift - to third from fourth or fifth, in the curves. Decide to d/s after you're into the turn, and the paddles are at, like, 12:00 and 06:00 - it's ridiculous. Of course, it's not so nuts if both hands are on the wheel from the start, but who's going to drive around all the time like it's a racing car? Besides, you have to flip the paddles repeatedly, both up and downshifting - it's really an awkward business.

Otherwise, in many situations, I kind of like the CVT - except for the lag. It's instantaneous off the line, but then it's often so slow on the uptake it can be positively dangerous. In some ranges it responds faster, in others slower - what kind of way is that to drive?

So here's what I'd like to see: 1. One lower gear on the main shifter, that gives you a logical downshift from wherever you're at. 2. Instead of the rarely useful full manual mode, make the sidewise notch a "sport" mode, which greatly reduces the lag, so that shifts are as fast via the accelerator as they are with the paddles.

[79letour]

I have the same car, no sunroof, and 5mt. Other tham a broken spring or something in the drivers seat, I'm loving it. I had an Outback loaner with the cvt and hated that transmission.

[CXT]

Originally Posted by riccnick

I love my car. Its a 2012 Impreza 2.0i Premium with the All Weather, Alloy Wheels, and Moonroof. It is Ice Silver Metallic, and has the black interior. I love how sporty the car looks, and it drives very well for not being a WRX or STi. Every time I get into the car, the enthusiast in me thinks there should be a 5 - speed shifter chillin' in the center instead of the CVT shifter. I drove both the 5MT and CVT before I bought, and at the time the low speed, around town peppiness of the CVT combined with the fact that a similarly equipped 5MT was a month or more away, swayed me into the CVT model. But its getting to the point where the paddles don't do any justice for replacing the heel-toe experience of a true standard. Plus, from time to time, I just flat out enjoy driving like a maniac (call me names, whatever, lol). The CVT moans and groans whenever you want to hustle, or when going up steep hills (unavoidable seeing as I literally live at the top of a mountain). I know my chances of trading for a stick now are absolutely zero. I already have 1,100 miles on the car in less than a month. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could tho, lol. I guess I'm just whining, unless anyone out there knows of a way... lol.

I think if you had a manual, you would be missing the torque and still be remorseful.

I drove the Impreza with a manual and it was horrible. Coming from only V8's with manuals, the Impreza was a tough pill to swallow with a manual. The CVT whine isnt the greatest either but it helps to mask the underpowered engine because you are not so 'attached to it' with the stick shift. Plus, I drive in A LOT in stop and go traffic so I would be constantly reminded how weak it is.

[iLoki]

Originally Posted by CXT

I think if you had a manual, you would be missing the torque and still be remorseful.

I drove the Impreza with a manual and it was horrible. Coming from only V8's with manuals, the Impreza was a tough pill to swallow with a manual. The CVT whine isnt the greatest either but it helps to mask the underpowered engine because you are not so 'attached to it' with the stick shift. Plus, I drive in A LOT in stop and go traffic so I would be constantly reminded how weak it is.

I have to disagree with you there. The Impreza is actually more powerful than a lot of other vehicles in its class, and I find that its a blast to drive. Granted.. I'm coming from a 2001 130hp v6 Ranger 4x4.

tl;dr: Everything is relative

[79letour]

Agreed^

[riccnick]

Originally Posted by CXT

I think if you had a manual, you would be missing the torque and still be remorseful.

I drove the Impreza with a manual and it was horrible. Coming from only V8's with manuals, the Impreza was a tough pill to swallow with a manual. The CVT whine isnt the greatest either but it helps to mask the underpowered engine because you are not so 'attached to it' with the stick shift. Plus, I drive in A LOT in stop and go traffic so I would be constantly reminded how weak it is.

^This is exactly why I got the CVT in the first place. I drove both transmissions back to back, twice each, and still came back thinking the CVT was a "peppier" car. Also, the fact that a standard in the trim I wanted was a month away or more made me value the CVT a little more than I should have I guess. As far as the torque thing, I know its not an overly powerful car, but with the manual, that can be remedied a little easier than with the CVT. I already am nervous about the trans slipping when driving up and down the mountain that I live on, so doing little bolt on's like an intake and exhaust to free up a couple HP, aren't an option with the CVT. Plus I don't think it would sound very good anyway.

I've gone out and flogged the car in M mode a few times, and it does perform well, especially for not having any sport package or upgraded suspension. There is a little more body roll compared to my old '08 Impreza, but the ride is ALOT nicer in this car. Try to do the same in D without using the paddle shifters, and the car just falls flat on its face. I guess I really just miss rowing my own gears. The CVT is usually in the right spot around town, and under light throttle, but dig deep with your right foot, or load it up with a hill, and it just revs right past peak torque, and goes nowhere. I think at the time, if they were offering a six speed with this car, I would have waited. But now I really wish I did anyway.

[79letour]

The car deserves a six speed gearbox, imo. But I'm content with the wide ratio 5mt for economy.

[ST Eye]

I test drove a 5-speed and I was not very happy with the performance. The CVT feels so much torque-ier off the line than the stick did. I also bought the CVT because of the extra 3 MPG that it is supposed to get.

The grass is always greener on the other side... Enjoy your car!

[pkL]

Originally Posted by riccnick

^This is exactly why I got the CVT in the first place. I drove both transmissions back to back, twice each, and still came back thinking the CVT was a "peppier" car. Also, the fact that a standard in the trim I wanted was a month away or more made me value the CVT a little more than I should have I guess. As far as the torque thing, I know its not an overly powerful car, but with the manual, that can be remedied a little easier than with the CVT. I already am nervous about the trans slipping when driving up and down the mountain that I live on, so doing little bolt on's like an intake and exhaust to free up a couple HP, aren't an option with the CVT. Plus I don't think it would sound very good anyway.

I've gone out and flogged the car in M mode a few times, and it does perform well, especially for not having any sport package or upgraded suspension. There is a little more body roll compared to my old '08 Impreza, but the ride is ALOT nicer in this car. Try to do the same in D without using the paddle shifters, and the car just falls flat on its face. I guess I really just miss rowing my own gears. The CVT is usually in the right spot around town, and under light throttle, but dig deep with your right foot, or load it up with a hill, and it just revs right past peak torque, and goes nowhere. I think at the time, if they were offering a six speed with this car, I would have waited. But now I really wish I did anyway.

So the best practice would be to shift up with the paddle shifters when you're climbing a hill then? I came from a 2005 Nissan Sentra SE and the Impreza is awesome to drive. After my friend test drove the Impreza, he said it made his 2005 Civic feel like crap, so there are definitely crappier cars out there.

[seaflipper]

Originally Posted by pkL

So the best practice would be to shift up with the paddle shifters when you're climbing a hill then? I came from a 2005 Nissan Sentra SE and the Impreza is awesome to drive. After my friend test drove the Impreza, he said it made his 2005 Civic feel like crap, so there are definitely crappier cars out there.

In manual mode I find I have to downshift from 6 to 5 on freeways going up hill. Staying in manual 6 I can press all the way to the floor and either it takes a really really long time to accelerate or it just doesn't seem to ever accelerate. The instant MPG indicator tells me this is good for the gas mileage but poor for the quick response - which I'm ok with because you can just downshift to 5 and it responds fast enough for me. I think you would get much better MPG by being in a higher gear as long as you can but you will sacrifice performance. In automatic mode its faster to accelerate in the same exact stretch of uphill freeway, the car is obviously responding automatically to your foot pressure on the pedal.

In the city driving in M on hills (Seattle) it might be from 5 to 4 to get that same result or downshift to 3 or 2 depending upon how steep the hill.

The first two weeks of the car I didn't touch M or the paddle shifters at all but now I really enjoy driving it in manual mode especially on in city driving as I get peppier response on short city hills and stop and go traffic but I'm still trying to figure out what that does to my MPG overall.

Also drove my '06 Pilot for the first time in a couple of weeks the other day and OMG that thing drives like a tank - it's sloppy and practically going to tip over cornering compared to the Impreza, I was so glad to get back in the Impreza after that....

[pkL]

Originally Posted by seaflipper

In manual mode I find I have to downshift from 6 to 5 on freeways going up hill. Staying in manual 6 I can press all the way to the floor and either it takes a really really long time to accelerate or it just doesn't seem to ever accelerate. The instant MPG indicator tells me this is good for the gas mileage but poor for the quick response - which I'm ok with because you can just downshift to 5 and it responds fast enough for me. I think you would get much better MPG by being in a higher gear as long as you can but you will sacrifice performance. In automatic mode its faster to accelerate in the same exact stretch of uphill freeway, the car is obviously responding automatically to your foot pressure on the pedal.

In the city driving in M on hills (Seattle) it might be from 5 to 4 to get that same result or downshift to 3 or 2 depending upon how steep the hill.

The first two weeks of the car I didn't touch M or the paddle shifters at all but now I really enjoy driving it in manual mode especially on in city driving as I get peppier response on short city hills and stop and go traffic but I'm still trying to figure out what that does to my MPG overall.

Also drove my '06 Pilot for the first time in a couple of weeks the other day and OMG that thing drives like a tank - it's sloppy and practically going to tip over cornering compared to the Impreza, I was so glad to get back in the Impreza after that....

Thanks I'll try that, my MPG is taking a beating because my drive to work is uphill, my average MPG is around 30, which is pretty bad. I did try putting the car in 6 in M mode on the highway that seems to reduce the MPG on the MPG indicator.

[Brian Vantana]

Can't wait to get my CVT on Friday. No need for a manual in Montreal as there is far too much traffic. I am just going to sit back, enjoy the extending arm rest and let the gearbox do the work.

[golfr61]

I drove both and I thought the CVT was more responsive. The paddles work great for cornering in a hurry lol.

[riccnick]

Originally Posted by golfr61

I drove both and I thought the CVT was more responsive. The paddles work great for cornering in a hurry lol.

The paddles do make things more interesting when trying to boogie down a road quickly. It feels ALOT quicker than just letting the CVT sort things out, because that takes forever. This thing really just needs a six-speed manual, problem solved.

[pkL]

Originally Posted by golfr61

I drove both and I thought the CVT was more responsive. The paddles work great for cornering in a hurry lol.

Also works great for needing to stop abruptly at stop lights.

[SJwagon]

<3 5speed... even tho it should be a 6MT

[Brian Vantana]

My CVT works fine. The paddles make things more responsive but for general driving the CVT is more than adequate.

[iLoki]

Originally Posted by SJwagon

<3 5speed... even tho it should be a 6MT

This... this, this this.. lol

[SubyDoWhreRU]

as much as I would like a 6 speed they probably kept it a 5speed due to costs and it would make the lower power even more noticeable.using a 5speed keeps you in the power band for longer.

and it is kind of nice being able to hit 65 mph in 2nd gear and 90mph In 3rd

my old ranger sounded like it was about to explode if I hit 40 in 2nd. mind you it could have been about to explode because it didn't have a tach so I have no idea how high I used to rev that thing.

[riccnick]

Originally Posted by SubyDoWhreRU

as much as I would like a 6 speed they probably kept it a 5speed due to costs and it would make the lower power even more noticeable.using a 5speed keeps you in the power band for longer.

and it is kind of nice being able to hit 65 mph in 2nd gear and 90mph In 3rd

my old ranger sounded like it was about to explode if I hit 40 in 2nd. mind you it could have been about to explode because it didn't have a tach so I have no idea how high I used to rev that thing.

A SIX speed would allow more time in the "powerband" and would make the lack of power less noticeable. Depending on how it is geared, the 0-60 time might go up because of a newly required shift into third, but the overall drive-ability of the car would be improved. I'm sure the reason they did keep the 5'er is to keep costs down, so they didn't have to raise the prices of the 12's vs. the 11's. They don't exactly have a nice 6-speed to pluck from another car yet, (the cable actuated one in the legacy sucks!) but I'm sure once the new WRX/STi comes out they will filter down the upgrade a year or two after that.

As far as the ranger compare/contrast you posted, even without a tach, and with a 5-speed, the motor was nowhere near balanced or refined enough to rev smoothly to a high rpm like our boxer cars do. That combined with short gears would mean it also would have no chance of hitting anything close to 60mph in 2nd gear. Not bashing it or anything, it's just not meant for that anyway, its designed for being a truck.