I am a Subaru fan. I owned a 2003 Subaru Legacy. Great car. But....I firmly believe that Subaru blew it big time when the only solution they could come up with for increased fuel efficiency was to make the engines considerably smaller, way less powerful, and then offer them with only a cvt. C'mon Subaru. Yes engines are getting smaller, but every other manufacturer on the planet has figured out how to get more power out of smaller engines. Get with the program Subaru!
As for the cvt, well Subaru has missed the boat there as well. Give me a modern 6 or 7 speed auto, of a good 6 speed manual any day. You can keep your cvt, thank you very much.
I know that Subaru has improved there interiors and good on them for that. The Legacy has always been pretty good (mine was fine) but the Impreza has always suffered. In the modern market place, Subaru is going to have to improve the quality of the interior in the Impreza (and Impreza based vehicles) AND they are going to have to up the option features. A four speaker stereo?? Really?? Has Subaru looked at Mitsubishi lately? Mitsubishi has figured out that the modern young car buyer wants top notch electronics in the car, not some cheap, crappy four speaker system. Again, get with the program Subaru. You can only hang your hat on a bulletproof awd system for so long. Eventually the competition will run you over if the buying public thinks that your "improvements" are going the wrong way.
So here is what I would like to see from Subaru in the near future. (I'll use the Impreza as an example)
1) A 2.0L turbocharged engine that develops about 185p and about 200ft. lbs. of torque using the symetrical awd system.
2) Mate that engine to a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed automatic with paddles. (doesn't have to be a dsg - this is an Impreza) Offer the cvt as an option, but by and large, ditch the cvt.
3) Improve the quality of the interior materials. Subaru is getting killed by the competion now for interior quality
4) Improved electronics and stereo options. Use Harmon Kardon like in the Legacy.
5) Give us a reason OTHER than just the awesome symetrical awd to consider your vehicles again.
That's it. Rant over! Thanks for listening everyone!