Why a Manual Transmission Subaru SUV is Not Coming
You may have seen the reports. Subaru is asking consumers on the brand’s website whether or not they would be interested in a manual transmission SUV, even going as far as to mention the Outback Wilderness by name.
Here at AutoGuide, we’d absolutely love for there to be a manual transmission Subaru SUV, especially one with a turbocharged engine attached. Although all this talk and rumors are purely speculation, sadly, we’re quite confident this isn’t happening anytime soon – if ever.
Subaru’s History with the Manual Transmission
Of all the brands that could reintroduce a regular, family-friendly SUV sporting a manual transmission, Subaru would make sense. Just 10 years ago it was still possible to get a manual transmission in every single model the manufacturer sold. Manual Foresters? Check. Manual Outbacks? Check.
But as the years went on, we saw these clutch-pedal-equipped vehicles disappear one by one as sales, demand, and costs worked against them. Now, just the sportiest of Subarus, the WRX and BRZ, still offer row-you-own fun when it comes to transmission choices.
Why It Probably Isn’t Happening
Slapping a manual transmission back into a SUV isn’t an easy thing to do, especially with a Subaru. Famous for symmetrical all-wheel drive, the brand’s transmissions co-house the mechanisms that distribute power between the front and rear wheels. This means switching transmissions also means making changes to the all-wheel drive system, adding to costs.
The Subaru Forester and Crosstrek still utilize a 2.5-liter engine that, in earlier iterations, were attached to a manual transmission. So, theoretically, it might not be too hard to reintroduce a six-speed manual transmission to these vehicles, especially if some of those gearboxes are still sitting around a warehouse in Japan. But that begs the question, if this were easily possible, why didn’t Subaru already do it with the latest generations of Crosstrek and Forester?
Why would the company suddenly now put the manual back in?
Even harder to rationalize would be putting a manual transmission in the Outback Wilderness. The only vehicle to have a non-automatic transmission paired to the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine is the WRX. Could the performance car’s six-speed easily swap into the Outback? Maybe, but would it be able to handle the strain of towing 3,500 pounds or getting pounded off-road?
Also, and maybe more importantly, what happens with X-Mode? This software and accompanying components, such as hill descent control (HDC), are tied to the automatic transmission’s programming. Subaru has never included X-Mode or HDC on a manual transmission vehicle. X-Mode is an important aspect of the Wilderness brand’s capabilities, and removing it would seem to dilute it in our opinion.
AutoGuide's Take:
As mentioned, we don’t anticipate a manual transmission returning to a Subaru SUV anytime soon. We’d love to be wrong and hope we are. But the business case to put one in, sadly, doesn’t appear to be there.
Our idea, if Subaru is really keen to bring more manual transmission vehicles to our shores, is simple. Bring us the Levorg, put in a manual, and now we have the automotive enthusiast's dream, an all-wheel drive, manual transmission wagon. Make sure it’s available in brown.
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A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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Manual transmissions, while being a purists proper way to put power to the ground, makes better, more engaged, more attentive drivers. This, per conversation with a traffic law enforcement officer.