I surprised at how many people like the CVT here. I have been in and out of loaners for a few months now and I have found all of them to be clunky, especially when maintaining a low speed (25mph). I work on a military base where its mostly 25 everywhere so I may notice it more than others. The first 2 loaners (2019 Ascent, 2020 Forester) were the worst. Now I am in a 2020 Crosstrek, which feels the best. The steering feels more engaging than the others and I notice almost no clunking at low speed.
I was also quite surprised to see the Crosstrek has a 2.5l DI engine. Maybe they are just calling the FA24 a 2.5l on the window sticker?
^ EDIT: its a FB25. Shows how little I know about Subaru NA motors.