I've had 2 CVT's and oh my a world of difference. When my mother passed I drove her 08 Maxima for a few years with a CVT. I found the Maxima for her with about 12k on it. Remained with her and then me IIRC I sold it around 140k and it was on the original CVT. Never had an issue with it, easy to drain/fill fluid as well.....easier than an oil change actually. BUT I thought the CVT was horrendous to drive. Felt loose all the time, felt sloppy but didn't perform all that bad, if that makes sense. Just never felt solid or inspiring. The Maxima can move out for a family sedan and I always wondered what that car could do with better gearing in a "real" transmission.
The 17 Outback 3.6 in my sig has a CVT. I am the original owner. Just about 105k now. Night and day! The high torque Subaru CVT feels tight and responsive and performs well. No slippage, the response is instant, and the feeling is relatable to a custom tune on a standard transmission. For me, I won't speak to longevity as 105k is not what I consider acceptable. Once I get past 150k (2 more years!) then I would feel CVT longevity comparable to a traditional transmission, at least in my world
As weird as this sounds, the Subaru CVT feels better than most auto transmissions. The Maxina CVT felt like a loose, slipping, auto trans you wondered when would die on you.
I did do a drain/fill at the dealer (Subaru AWD also uses the same sump (if it's even called that) as the CVT) at 60k for $275. I'm running late but will have a full CVT fluid exchange within the next 5k miles. I plan on a UOA for this one. With three kids 10, 14, and soon to be 16, I plan on keeping the Subaru for 200-250k. If all goes well I'll have at least one more CVT fluid sample to compare, possibly two more. I'll post em.
Not related to post: Going to do the plugs today. I'll post them in a separate thread.