Our Outback 2.5 and Ascent turbo both fake shift sometimes, and other times hold a constant rpm like a traditional cvt. Whatever they're doing, it's not obtrusive and doesn't bother us one way or the other. These are the first vehicles we've owned with a cvt and they're fine.
One difference I've noticed when going downhill in Drive, cruise control off, is that the Outback needs a tap on the brakes for the transmission to shift down (without using the paddles), whereas the Ascent drops down a gear immediately when going downhill without ever touching the brakes or the paddles. When using the paddles going downhill, the Outback controls speed better, whereas the Ascent will often require using the brakes to control speed on the same hills. I'm not smart enough to know if it's a difference in gear ratios or something else that's causing the difference, but do know for sure there have been times in the Ascent that it will not allow paddling to a lower gear because the rpm is almost maxed out, thus needing brakes to control speed, whereas the same hill in the Outback allows me to paddle down and never touch the brakes.
They're both a joy to drive, if I had to choose just one it would be the Ascent because the turbo is a lot of fun and actually gets great mileage if you drive conservatively. On the other hand, the economy of the Outback 2.5 is pretty amazing. We're lucky to have both.
One difference I've noticed when going downhill in Drive, cruise control off, is that the Outback needs a tap on the brakes for the transmission to shift down (without using the paddles), whereas the Ascent drops down a gear immediately when going downhill without ever touching the brakes or the paddles. When using the paddles going downhill, the Outback controls speed better, whereas the Ascent will often require using the brakes to control speed on the same hills. I'm not smart enough to know if it's a difference in gear ratios or something else that's causing the difference, but do know for sure there have been times in the Ascent that it will not allow paddling to a lower gear because the rpm is almost maxed out, thus needing brakes to control speed, whereas the same hill in the Outback allows me to paddle down and never touch the brakes.
They're both a joy to drive, if I had to choose just one it would be the Ascent because the turbo is a lot of fun and actually gets great mileage if you drive conservatively. On the other hand, the economy of the Outback 2.5 is pretty amazing. We're lucky to have both.
