Subaru Impreza III (2008 -) - What's the Auto like?

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Mon 26 Jan 2009 11:59
What's the Auto like? - Alanovich
I am considering test driving a 2008 (58) Subaru Impreza III 1.5 R Auto, which I have spotted at a local Subaru main dealer. I wish to be as pre-armed as I can be before I get to the dealer, so does anyone have any experience of this model, and specifically the Auto gearbox in non-performance Imprezas? Is it a traditonal auto or does it have a semi-manual/tiptronic type of function?

Any other notes or comments on the model would be appreciated, HJ does not appear to have test driven one. Competitive publications seem to be a bit down on the model, with reference to performance and running costs, so any real world experience would be handy.

Cheers all.
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Mon 26 Jan 2009 13:09
What's the Auto like? - Wilco {P}
I think its the same box as in the other models - 4 speed, fairly widely spaced ratios and very much old skool traditional auto. Top is actually higher geared in the auto than the manual, so if you do a lot of long runs the auto can sometimes be more economical than the manual.

Key on a test drive is to see how the box copes - it sometimes has a tendency to hunt between ratios, seemingly unable to make up its mind. Al least this was my experience in a Leggy. Obviously might bevery different in the Impreza?

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Mon 26 Jan 2009 13:22
What's the Auto like? - Alanovich
Thanks for the tip. The car would be a second car, only really used for local runs and short trips around town.

Our main car is a 6-spd DSG, and the thought of a 4-speed auto seems odd now. I'm guessing that it'll stay in 3rd mostly when in a 30 limit. Will need to see how unstrained it sounds and feels at those speeds as it would drive me mental if I felt it needed to go a gear higher but refused to do so. There are no speed limits over 50 on my commute, which would be the car's main task, and the 50 is only about 300 metres, tops. It's 90% 40s and 30s.

On the Subaru website it calls the gearbox "Sportshift", which I assume means it has a manual mode in a similar vein to DSG and tiptronic, although I imagine it would feel peculiar with only 4 gears. Haven't had a 4-speed car since my E-reg MG Metro!
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Mon 26 Jan 2009 13:36
What's the Auto like? - stunorthants26
I never found our Forester auto hunting for gears and that was a 4-speed. Hunting is less likely the fewer gears you have I would say.
Our Sirion auto is 4-speed and it slips into 4th at about 28mph on the flat and tends to pick a gear and stick to it rather than always be looking to change up.
I guess its to do with the way its programmed.
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