So, we’ve put a few hundred km on this so far and I’m happy to say I’m completely thrilled with it. It’s everything I’d hoped it would be! And of course my wife is over the moon as well. As others have said, WAF on these things is off the charts.
I had a short test drive in a CVT before we ordered, but had never actually driven the manual. Maybe I’m not too fussy, but I think the gearbox in this is great. Shifts don’t have the crisp, clean and quick feel that my GTI with the Dieselgeek short shifter had, but it’s really nice nonetheless.
I’ve heard the shifter being described as rubbery or mushy, and yeah, I can see that. But after a few days of getting used to it, I’m inclined to just call it smooth and well-damped. It fits in just fine with the rest of the car IMO.
Even my wife agrees. She said she never liked the way the GTI shifted - said it felt “harsh” - but the shifter in the Crosstrek is just smooth and easy. I agree (well, about the Crosstrek. GTI shifter was pure sex with the Dieselgeek!)
Besides, the Crosstrek gearbox is the same as in the WRX, so there’s lots of aftermarket stuff available if I eventually feel it could use some tweaking. Really don’t think I’ll bother though.
The clutch was a bit of an adjustment though - engages right at the top of the travel, not close to the floor like in the GTI. Took me a day or two to get the hang of it, but, somewhat embarrassingly, my wife figured it out pretty much right away!
And now, the elephant in the room - rev hang! Again, something I’d been reading about for months and was kind of nervous about. That’s probably why it took me a bit longer to get the shifting down in this thing - was looking at the revs and trying to match them up, and kind of overlooked the weird clutch engagement point. Anyway, I’ve got it all figured out now and every shift is smooth as butter. Yeah, there’s some rev hang, but it’s a total non-issue IMO. Nobody should be trying to bang off Fast and Furious shifts in a Crosstrek anyway!
Will get some better pics later. Also want to mention that I’m happy to have a conversation about any of this stuff without following the usual “only say nice things in Show ‘n Shine!” rule. I never did make a shopping thread for my Crosstrek purchase, so mostly missed out on the “trading a GTI for a Crosstrek? Are you insane?” comments. Happy to discuss it now, though.
