And that's completely missing a point of a CVT where you can keep the engine at a its most efficient speed and vary the transmission ratio to accelerate or decelerate in response to throttle input.
Agreed, it's sad that in chasing more market share subaru is making multiple decisions based on marketing and not on engineering.
Forcing a CVT from the ideal RPM to entertain drivers seems impressively silly.
Kind of like the Golf R, which installed a vibrating/unbalanced motor under the winshield to make a more pleasing vibration. Or the Mustang EcoBoost, various BMWs, and other cars that are using speakers to make more vroom noises to hide the less appealing note of their smaller turbo engines.
Maybe the automatic folks should install a manual looking stick between the seats and whenever you move it it kills power for 0.5 seconds.
So, when you step off the accelerator on a car with an automatic transmission, the ECU has to decide whether it will switch to the tallest ratio to let the car coast and save on gas, or keep the same ratio and engine brake using the intake vacuum. On a traditional automatic, you either use the paddles to keep in the required gear, or on older transmissions use the 3 or 2 position on the column lever.
CVTs have no fixed ratios, and do not need to in order to engine brake. My preferred control would be a small column-mounted stick with 2 or 3 positions that would enable automatic engine braking at varying strengths, kinda like the controls for an electric retarder on big trucks or buses.
