CVT transmission OEM Honda or OEM Subaru

OEM Honda CVT transmission

Never had a problem with my Honda insight. But I dont push it too hard. Its now 12 years old and hasn't required any engine work. Or anything non consumable really.

Pros: no problems, reliable
Vehicle: Honda Insight
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OEM Honda CVT transmission

Regarding the DRL: I took mine to the dealer for the DRL swap but the light wasn’t borked enough yet so they couldn’t do it. The ten-year warranty is from the date of delivery so keep that in mind for your specific Accord; mine is at the end of this March, they can search it (as others have said) by VIN.

If going for the CVT, ensure around 100k miles that the transmission fluid gets drained and refilled. Really, aside from that, routine maintenance that you’d do on any car will keep it going till the end of time. If I had to guess on the weakest link in the chain it’d be the CVT, but I still trust it to last.

Pros: trust it to last
Cons: weakest link
Vehicle: Honda Accord
Mileage: 100000 km
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OEM Subaru CVT transmission
AVATAR-X0
  • Smoothness:
Rating 4.0

I have a 2017 Impreza Sport CVT 2.0 and was skeptical of the CVT at first. I had test driven an Outback CVT several years earlier and wasn't impressed with that earlier version, but they've really improved the CVT post 2017. I've driven several 4EATs ranging from 1996-2017, including a WRX (with a VTD 4EAT) and they really weren't as fun - which is surprising considering this car only has 140hp and no SI drive. I would love to try a WRX with the SPT and SI drive, I'm sure I'd like that.

I've got 125,000 miles on this car, and I've probably done 20% of that in manual mode. Normal commuting is mostly in "D". Some times I'll slip into manual to accelerate from a stop, when I don't want to deal with the car upshifting as early; around 20mph it really wants to drop the rpms down to ~1200 unless I'm heavy on the accelerator. Same on a long ascent or decent, or stop-and-go traffic, if the car is hunting gears a little too much for my liking. Taking any corners quickly is better when you preselect your gear. Sometimes merging onto the freeway, as the car has no real power.

I'm in manual the most when I'm having fun. Every Saturday morning, I'll pick a fun road or mountain that I can get to within a day. Usually I'll do 200-400 miles, around 6-12 hours depending on my mood. I'm in the California, Bay Area, so there's plenty to choose from. For this I'm only in "D" for the commute out/back and in "M" most of the time I'm somewhere twisty.

The car is much more controllable in manual on windy roads. Uphill the throttle response is more linear, downhill the speed is much more controlled in 1st and 2nd gear and lets me tap the brakes if I'm coming in a little too fast without upsetting the cars balance. 1st and 2nd gear the car is also very neutral, letting me feather the throttle for a bit of power-on oversteer (like a rear wheel drive car). Not nearly as aggressive (well, 1st gear is), but nice when I just want a little extra slip angle on slower corners (e.g. hairpins).

I've done deep snow and soft dirt only once or twice. The Impreza (and BRZ) are definitely better suited to asphalt. The dirt/gravel road definitely made me wish I had the tires and ground clearance of the Crosstrek. But I prefer pavement so the Impreza suits me better.

Honestly, I'd suggest everyone with the paddle shifters to at least practice using manual mode or semi-auto mode (paddle shift in "D") so you're not scared to use it in the situations where if it might be beneficial. Even if you do so only rarely.

Pros: improved CVT, better control downhill, linear throttle
Cons: underwhelming paddle shifters, car upshifts early
Vehicle: Subaru Impreza
Mileage: 125000 km
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OEM Subaru CVT transmission

I got a CVT. Fell in love more with cars and Subarus after owing one. Am too deep into mods and $ to sell it as it’ll be at a loss. I 110% agree manual provides a better drive and exp and regret my CVT however that being said.. I absolutely love my fkn car. Got all sorts of mods, safe with a safe dyno tune and dialed suspension etc. As my daily, it’s been the best car I’ve had so far. People shit on the auto which I can understand if you were around from the older gen times but the VA CVT still packs a punch and is super fun to drive especially on the twistys!

Pros: packs a punch, fun to drive, best daily car
Cons: regret CVT, manual better drive
Vehicle: Subaru
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OEM Honda CVT transmission
Liter_ofCola
  • Smoothness:
Rating 2.5

They are Ok if your ok getting less then 300k out of your Honda. They can last a decent amount of time but take way more maintenance then a standard Automatic. The truth is they will never be as robust and reliable as standard Automatic with a torque converter. Once the belt snaps its basically fucked too.

Pros: decent compared to other CVTs
Cons: less than 300k lifespan, more maintenance, less robust than standard auto, expensive to repair if be
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OEM Subaru CVT transmission
ItsRuckingJoe
  • Smoothness:
Rating 2.0

I got a cvt wrx after a bad knee injury, it never felt right driving it. Eventually i brought it back to the dealer because I thought something was wrong with it. They checked it out and said it was fine. As soon as my knee was fully healed I traded it in for an sti. I still have the sti and an outback wilderness. The wilderness is definitely better then the cvt in the wrx but still feels like driving a rubber band. It's weird ive also owned a forester and crosstrek and those were fine. I just think the cvt doesn't play well with the turbo motor

Pros: Outback CVT better
Cons: never felt right, like driving rubber band, doesn't play well with turbo
Vehicle: Subaru
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OEM Subaru CVT transmission
IhateTuna
  • Smoothness:
Rating 1.0

Got the VB limited with CVT because my wife didn’t like having a second car she couldn’t drive. After 3 months and her driving it not even once….. I traded it in when the 0% interest hit. Waste of about $1k but was happy being out of the CVT.

Cons: unhappy with CVT, traded car
Vehicle: Subaru
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OEM Honda CVT transmission
H0NDA1993
  • Smoothness:
Rating 1.0

I had a 2015 civic LX, a CVT... it lasted me nearly 8 years. Yes, I changed the cvt fluid with oem like I was supposed to. The transmission failed last month at 166,510.

Cons: transmission failed
Vehicle: Honda Civic
Mileage: 166510 km
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OEM Honda CVT transmission

Same thing just happed to us. 2014 Accord with 88k miles, CVT transmission inside belt snapped. I was in the car when it happened. No warning symptoms, no dash lights, just suddenly stuck on the side of the road.

Pros: no warning symptoms
Cons: belt snapped, suddenly stuck
Vehicle: Honda Accord
Mileage: 141621 km
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Other comparisons

Which cvt transmission to choose — OEM Honda or OEM Subaru?

If choosing cvt transmission across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.

We compare cvt transmission across these categories:

Comparison of cvt transmission OEM Honda and OEM Subaru
  1. PR Score.
  2. Overall ranking.
  3. Vote balance.
  4. Average rating.
  5. Number of reviews.
  6. Feature ratings.
  7. Car owners’ choice.

Which cvt transmission are better — OEM Subaru or OEM Honda?

In March 2026 on PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Honda were overall better than OEM Subaru.

  1. OEM Honda received a PR Score of 66 out of 100, and OEM Subaru scored 29 points.
  2. OEM Honda ranked 2 in the overall ranking, and OEM Subaru ranked 3.
  3. The average rating is higher for OEM Honda (3.4) than for OEM Subaru (2.3).
  4. CVT transmission OEM Honda have better feature ratings than OEM Subaru:
    • Smoothness - owners believe, that this property for OEM Honda is better than OEM Subaru.
    • Noise - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Subaru is outperforms OEM Honda.
    • Shudder - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Subaru is preferred to OEM Honda.

Which cvt transmission are more popular — OEM Honda or OEM Subaru?

In March 2026 on PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Honda were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.

By vote balance, cvt transmission OEM Honda surpassed OEM Subaru:

  • For OEM Honda, the ratio of positive (66) to negative (33) votes is 33 votes.
  • For OEM Subaru, the ratio of positive (13) to negative (31) votes is -18 votes.

By number of reviews, cvt transmission OEM Honda surpassed OEM Subaru:

Which cvt transmission do car owners prefer — OEM Honda or OEM Subaru?

In March 2026, according to PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Honda and OEM Subaru have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.

Other comparisons of cvt transmission

If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.

For example, comparisons of cvt transmission OEM Honda with: OEM Nissan, OEM Toyota.

Also available: comparisons of cvt transmission OEM Subaru with: OEM Nissan, OEM Toyota.

You can also see who is better among other cvt transmission manufacturers: OEM Honda or OEM Nissan, OEM Nissan or OEM Toyota, OEM Honda or OEM Toyota, OEM Subaru or OEM Nissan, OEM Subaru or OEM Toyota.

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