Subaru AWD vs The Rest

[dirtyRU]

I saw this vid once and have looked everywhere for it in the past year & finally came across it again. That Nissan Rogue has the CVT - that's the main reason i've been against those types of trannys from the beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_MXK2nzt2Y&feature...

To be fair to CVTs, a lot of that likely comes down to transmission programming - these are all vehicles running electronically-controlled gearboxes, and if it ends up in a situation that the software doesn't know how to cope with that'll throw the 'box for a loop. And when the AWD systems are also electronically-controlled and tied in one way or another to the transmission and wheel speed sensors... You can see where this is going.

As an example: there's a spot (uphill, slightly off-camber, washboard surface with gravel/scree over it) on a local trail that the 5EAT in the 2007 H6 OBW we have in the family completely freaks out on. It basically turns into a one-wheel-drive vehicle in a spot I've taken FWD hatchbacks through with no issue. FWIW, disabling traction control (which also kicks out VDC) solves the problem, but that's a traditionally-geared electronically-shifted automatic.

One thing (and about one thing only) I'll say in favour of the Freedom Drive II Jeep Patriot is that the CVT works well and is capable of altering its shifting to simulate a traditional low range. I really wish that Subaru would do something like this with the CVTs they're now using, because God knows these vehicles could use it.

[Rally]

Or just get a manual transmission and get where you want to go. The Nissan X-trail that was with us at Wee Jasper proved to me that the marketing department designs hopeless cars

[NachaLuva]

Awesome vid... go Subie!

Originally Posted by Rally

Or just get a manual transmission and get where you want to go. The Nissan X-trail that was with us at Wee Jasper proved to me that the marketing department designs hopeless cars

Thats the problem now, cars are designed to look good first, go well second.

The marketing dept should have nothing to do with design!!!

[mr turbo]

Originally Posted by Rally

The Nissan X-trail that was with us at Wee Jasper proved to me that the marketing department designs hopeless cars

Originally Posted by Nachaluva

Thats the problem now, cars are designed to look good first, go well second.

The marketing dept should have nothing to do with design!!!

You're not wrong there
If only car manufactures listened to the public (their potential buyers) as to what they thought & said a little more, then their vehicles & sales would definitely be better

Regards
Mr Turbo

[Ratbag]

Gidday Folks

Not wishing to rain on anyone's parade, but ...

To be even fairer, am I the only one who noticed that the two Subie tests were the only ones that didn't have rain drops showing on the front element or filter of the camera lens?

That having been said, I don't think that Roo2 would have any trouble with that at all in the dry; and in the wet it would very much depend on what the surface was, and my tyres.

I also suspect that the almost nominal AWD of the Subie automatics (90%/10% F/R) would not work very well there either. It is my understanding that the manual gearboxes from my model Impreza on (1993) have a power distribution that varies between 60%/40% and 40%/60% F/R. AFAIK, none of the manuals fall outside of this range. However, I am more than happy to be corrected if wrong ... .

These things are far more complex than just gear ratios, IMHO.

[mr turbo]

I think you're right re the manual gearboxes Ratbag
From what I've been let believe, the manual in my MY05 Forry is a constant 50/50 split all the time.
But please correct me if I'm wrong

Regards
Mr Turbo

[Ratbag]

Gidday Mr T

Originally Posted by mr turbo

I think you're right re the manual gearboxes Ratbag
From what I've been let believe, the manual in my MY05 Forry is a constant 50/50 split all the time.
But please correct me if I'm wrong

Regards
Mr Turbo

I don't know, but I doubt that.

Even Roo1 had the computer-controlled, viscous LSD in the middle that varied the output to front & rear within those limits depending on some arcane magic that I don't profess to understand.

[saf]

Subaru AWD vs. Everyone Else - YouTube

[El_Freddo]

Originally Posted by mr turbo

From what I've been let believe, the manual in my MY05 Forry is a constant 50/50 split all the time.

It tries to be - with all four wheels rotating at the same speed in a straight line you're 50/50. If you launch it from a stand still with a wet road the power will try to go to the front wheels as they're the ones with the least amount of traction which is the reason why Subaru have incorporated an LSD in the centre diff.

This LSD is what changes the power split front to rear when one axle (front or rear) loses traction. It can be constantly changing as you drive but in a straight line with all tyres the same brand/model/wear/psi you'll have a 50/50 split. The LSD only works once it starts to bind - on a stock 2L foz it's not often that the LSD will be doing any work if at all. Where as a 2.5L turbo foz it'll be a different story on a wet road, full ball from stand still. They'll probably also have a higher rated LSD in the centre.

Cheers

Bennie