CD Article: 2008 Subaru WRX sedan, four-speed automatic

[AVToller]

Why not 5 speed!!!!???  all Honda and Toyota already left 4 spd auto for a while!

Other than the top selling Corolla of course.

And the Yaris of course.

[Seafoam]

Why all this obsession with the amount of gears in an automatic transmission.Sounds like the "Malibu" topic. We don't want to go there do we?In a small 4 Cylinder it is going to hunt.
" WRX" and "automatic "do not seem to go together but others may disagree.

[johngenx]

The problem is that Subaru is not the best at choosing ratios for the four speed AT.  I often wish the Forester had five speeds and better ratios.  In contrast, the MB's five speed AT is much better matched to the power curve of the engine and the fifth speed allows more relaxed highway cruising and less aprupt downshifts.

I think Subaru should ditch the four speed, BUT, only if they can replace it with a reliable five speed.  Many makes have produced very unreliable five speed ATs and I would NOT trade the reliablility of the current four speed for one more gear...