Thanks for the updates. Seems even with the issues Subie is on a tear the last couple of years.

Which is amazing given their ailing transmissions and the bland interiors of the Impreza and Forester. ...still, Ill wait (mostly because I have no money) to get a new Subaru when they are up to date.

As far as I know, it is only the 2010 Legacy/Outback CVTs that have a problem; no other Subaru transmission......and that is only with one hose.

Still, I agree.....I had some misgivings about that transmission when it debuted last summer, despite its good efficiency. And it also makes the 2.5L H4 run like the old N/A H6.

The newer Impreza/Forester interiors, IMO,actually look pretty good as far as general design goes, but I agree that the materials are not very upscale, and there is too much hard plastic on the dash/console and door panels.

My friend just traded in her nightmare of a Forester for a new one after talking to Subaru of America and a little haggling on her part - even though it's a base model, she's happy with it.

Oh, I haven't driven a CVT equipped Subaru yet, nor have I heard of any complaints about it. I am more taken aback that Subaru is still trudging forward with the 4EAT. My bro's new Impreza shifts just as crappily and tachs as high as my '96 LGT did. This is a transmission that slammed into gears and made trading up to a 5MT Legacy no question. You wouldn't think that more than a decade had gone by.

4EATs are not just used on lower-line Subarus, but on a number of other lower-line and entry-level vehicles as well. Subaru's big mistake, IMO, was giving the new 2.5 Legacy/Outback the unproven CVT instead of their proven 5EAT. The previous N/A 2.5 Legacy/Outback, of course, had a 4EAT which was rather inflexible.....and, IMO, for 2010, should have gotten a 5 or 6-speed instead of the unproven CVT. But, for now, we're stuck with the CVT.......though you do have to give the CVT credit for its efficiency and acceleration. The lower-line Imprezas, and all Foresters, still carry on with the 4-speed.

But how can a transmission, in this case a CVT be proven, if you don't equip cars with it?

And if I were shopping for an automatic I would steer clear from these.

I agree. But many car buyers (and I don't blame them) want to be guinea pigs or serve as test-beds for new designs. There was way too much of that, for example, back during the bad old days of Detroit's junk. Subaru is a good manufacturer (IMO, one of the best), but they can have defects, too...particularly on some of their newer models. Engineers, of course, test out new designs on track and simulated real-world conditions, but nothing beats the test of consumers over time.

We've kind of got off-topic, guys, with Subies. But thank you for all your replies and comments.

sounds like things are ending up on the plus side bummer about feeling a little less "built" but great to gain the extra room.