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The CVT in combination with the terrible traction control also kills any chance you have of getting out of a stuck situation. Subaru's AWD system is now mostly

The CVT in combination with the terrible traction control also kills any chance you have of getting out of a stuck situation. Subaru's AWD system is now mostly just marketing. So it's basically on part with most AWD systems, because most of them really are a joke.

ben7799 2y ago
I'm curious which exact model/year you had and how you got stuck. I've never even gotten anywhere near close to getting stuck in 12 years. But I'm not a Subaru offroad enthusiast. It seems like lots of people really want to use a Subaru for situations where they should have gotten a mountain bike, dirt bike, ATV, etc..
Melatonic 2y ago
I have a CVT in my 2017 H6 Outback and the traction control is very easy to turn off. Two buttons and both the traction and spin control is off and now it is just AWD with a limited slip differential in the back (feels pretty similar to my 2006 Outback H6 which had no electronic traction control). You can wheelspin all day if you want or feather the throttle or whatever - offroad driving has been amazing
asa400 2y ago
I know this is a Subaru hate thread on a site that knows basically nothing about cars so I’m spitting into the wind here, but this is just untrue. I’ve had 3 Subarus over a 20 year period of time, driven the hell out of all of them in snow and dirt, worked on and modified all of them, and the traction control system on my most recent one is categorically, objectively better than either of the prior two. It makes about 100 more horsepower than the earliest one and still gets better fuel economy, at least in part because of the CVT, despite weighing probably 600 pounds more. The CVT works perfectly fine for anything that isn’t doing the Rubicon trail. The AWD is one of the few remaining permanently fully engaged systems, unlike basically every other manufacturer. You can hate on Subarus for the stuff they’re actually bad at (fuel economy, infotainment, wind noise, head gaskets in the EJ series engines) without having to make stuff up.
- snowingsnow 2y ago
  I have a 2014 forester. First time it snowed I slid off my driveway and one tire was off the ground. Had to get towed by a friend because that one wheel kept spinning. I thought the brakes were supposed to stop that automatically. Didn’t happen. Second time I tried to drove through a small patch of snow I lost all traction and had to dig out all the wheels and rock it. It was 2” of melting snow over a 50 foot by 10 foot patch. Any ideas why? I’ve just avoided driving in the snow for over a decade. I really don’t see the hype vs my reality.
  - hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago
    Sounds like a wrong tire problem, not an AWD problem to me. My parents also had a 2014 Forrestor. They parked it next to my shed when they went on a cruise one winter, and it crawled itself out of a 2 foot snowbank without shovelling it when they got back. That thing was a tank in snow and I definitely abused it when I had the chance. For the 'tire spinning in the air', sounds like the other tires must have been spinning too so there wasn't anywhere to transfer the power to, but I'm only guessing.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
      I agree. My RWD 350Z with winter tires would probably have handled both of those situations without batting an eyelash.
    - snowingsnow 2y ago
      Nope just one wheel. Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Lol. Like the claims Subaru makes are only valid if I spend a grand on tires for my new car. If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off.
      - asa400 2y ago
        This applies to literally every car ever made, and doubly so to those that have open differentials. Every single car manufacturer on earth provides cheap tires from the factory to keep the sticker price down. You can either get mad or you can learn something. Good luck to you.

ben7799 2y ago

I'm curious which exact model/year you had and how you got stuck. I've never even gotten anywhere near close to getting stuck in 12 years. But I'm not a Subaru offroad enthusiast. It seems like lots of people really want to use a Subaru for situations where they should have gotten a mountain bike, dirt bike, ATV, etc..

Melatonic 2y ago

I have a CVT in my 2017 H6 Outback and the traction control is very easy to turn off. Two buttons and both the traction and spin control is off and now it is just AWD with a limited slip differential in the back (feels pretty similar to my 2006 Outback H6 which had no electronic traction control). You can wheelspin all day if you want or feather the throttle or whatever - offroad driving has been amazing

asa400 2y ago

I know this is a Subaru hate thread on a site that knows basically nothing about cars so I’m spitting into the wind here, but this is just untrue. I’ve had 3 Subarus over a 20 year period of time, driven the hell out of all of them in snow and dirt, worked on and modified all of them, and the traction control system on my most recent one is categorically, objectively better than either of the prior two. It makes about 100 more horsepower than the earliest one and still gets better fuel economy, at least in part because of the CVT, despite weighing probably 600 pounds more. The CVT works perfectly fine for anything that isn’t doing the Rubicon trail. The AWD is one of the few remaining permanently fully engaged systems, unlike basically every other manufacturer. You can hate on Subarus for the stuff they’re actually bad at (fuel economy, infotainment, wind noise, head gaskets in the EJ series engines) without having to make stuff up.

snowingsnow 2y ago
I have a 2014 forester. First time it snowed I slid off my driveway and one tire was off the ground. Had to get towed by a friend because that one wheel kept spinning. I thought the brakes were supposed to stop that automatically. Didn’t happen. Second time I tried to drove through a small patch of snow I lost all traction and had to dig out all the wheels and rock it. It was 2” of melting snow over a 50 foot by 10 foot patch. Any ideas why? I’ve just avoided driving in the snow for over a decade. I really don’t see the hype vs my reality.
- hmmm-i-wonder 2y ago
  Sounds like a wrong tire problem, not an AWD problem to me. My parents also had a 2014 Forrestor. They parked it next to my shed when they went on a cruise one winter, and it crawled itself out of a 2 foot snowbank without shovelling it when they got back. That thing was a tank in snow and I definitely abused it when I had the chance. For the 'tire spinning in the air', sounds like the other tires must have been spinning too so there wasn't anywhere to transfer the power to, but I'm only guessing.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 2y ago
    I agree. My RWD 350Z with winter tires would probably have handled both of those situations without batting an eyelash.
  - snowingsnow 2y ago
    Nope just one wheel. Factory tires. I like everyone telling me it’s my fault for not having the right tires. Lol. Like the claims Subaru makes are only valid if I spend a grand on tires for my new car. If you have to tie yourself in knots to justify marketing you can fuck right off.
    - asa400 2y ago
      This applies to literally every car ever made, and doubly so to those that have open differentials. Every single car manufacturer on earth provides cheap tires from the factory to keep the sticker price down. You can either get mad or you can learn something. Good luck to you.