Overview This car is simple. That’s the whole point of it. The 2022–present Subaru BRZ runs a straight-up rear-wheel-drive layout. No AWD hardware. No transfer case. No extra nonsense hanging off the driveline. Engine, tranny, driveshaft, diff. Done. And in the shop? That simplicity shows. Fewer moving parts means fewer things to break—but when something…
Overview This isn’t your typical tranny discussion. Not even close. The 2023–present Subaru Solterra doesn’t use a conventional transmission at all. No CVT, no planetary automatic, no DCT. What you get instead is a pair of electric drive units—front and rear on AWD models—that each contain a motor, a fixed reduction gearset, and a differential…
Overview The 1992–1997 Subaru SVX is one of those cars that looks like it should be something exotic… and then you get underneath it and realize everything depends on one transmission. Just one. The 4EAT. No manual. No backup plan. No stronger option tucked away in some rare trim. Subaru bolted a 3.3L flat-six to…
Overview Simple car. That’s the whole point of this platform. The first-gen Subaru BRZ (2013–2021) keeps things old-school: rear-wheel drive, a flat-four up front, and either a 6-speed manual (TL70) or a 6-speed automatic (TX6A). No AWD nonsense. No transfer case. No extra junk spinning under the car. And honestly? That simplicity is why these…
Overview The 2003–2006 Subaru Baja uses the same AWD drivetrain layout Subaru was running across Legacy and Outback at the time. Longitudinal boxer engine. Transmission bolted straight to a front differential. Then you’ve got some kind of center coupling deciding how torque gets split. Simple on paper. In practice… a little fussy. I’ve worked on…
Overview This platform is simple. Almost boring, on paper. The first-gen Subaru Tribeca (2006–2014) runs one transmission setup the entire time—Subaru’s 5EAT paired with their VTD AWD system. No CVTs. No dual clutches. No weird experiments. Just one automatic, reused and recalibrated. Sounds good, right? Fewer variables. Easier life. In my experience, that’s only half…
Overview The first-generation Subaru Ascent (2019–present) runs one setup. No options. No variations. Just the FA24F turbo boxer and the TR690 CVT driving all four wheels. I’ve worked on a lot of these. Early ones especially. And this drivetrain? It had a rough start. Not subtle issues either—recalls, software problems, internal damage that showed up…
Overview The 2022–present Subaru WRX with the CVT setup… it’s a weird one. I’ve had a few of these in the shop already, and the pattern is clear pretty quick. You’ve got a turbo engine that actually makes real torque, and then you bolt it to a CVT that’s been pushed way harder than Subaru…
Overview This WRX CVT setup? It’s a weird one. You’ve got a turbocharged FA20F pushing into a TR690 Lineartronic CVT, then that power gets split through an AWD system using a transfer clutch bolted to the back of the tranny. On paper, it’s clever. In the bay… it’s sensitive. Real sensitive. I’ve seen plenty of…
Overview Simple drivetrain. Old-school layout. No tricks. The 2008–2014 Subaru WRX sticks with a mechanical setup that feels almost outdated compared to newer AWD turbo cars. No CVT nonsense. No dual-clutch drama. Just a 5-speed manual bolted to a viscous center diff and a driveshaft going straight back. That’s it. In my experience, that simplicity…
Overview This generation WRX drivetrain? Simple on paper. Not simple in real life. You’ve got a longitudinal AWD layout, manual or automatic tranny bolted to a front diff, then a center system trying to keep all four wheels happy. Sounds rugged. And it is… until people start driving them like rally cars on stock parts….
Overview Subaru didn’t reinvent anything here. They stuck with what they know. The 2024–present Crosstrek runs the same basic drivetrain philosophy they’ve been pushing for years—TR580 CVT, full-time AWD, electronically controlled transfer clutch. Same bones. Slight tweaks. And right out of the gate—first model year—you already get a driveline recall. Not a great start. NHTSA…
Overview This generation Crosstrek? Simple on paper. Messy in the real world. You’ve got a longitudinal CVT—Subaru calls it the TR580—bolted to an AWD system with an integrated front diff and a transfer clutch shoved inside the tranny. No traditional gears. No step shifts. Just a steel chain riding variable pulleys and hoping fluid pressure…
Overview This generation Crosstrek CVT… it’s not a traditional failure story. It doesn’t usually grenade in a dramatic way. It slowly goes weird. You’re dealing with Subaru’s Lineartronic units — TR580 in the gasoline cars and TH58A in the hybrids. Everything’s packed together. Transmission, front diff, AWD clutch. One housing. Sounds efficient. It is… until…
Overview This generation of Impreza is simple. Almost too simple. One transmission, one AWD layout, no alternatives. Subaru went all-in on the Lineartronic CVT here, and if you’ve worked on Subarus long enough, you already know what that means. Everything runs through that CVT. Power comes in, gets routed through an integrated front diff, then…