The transmission, I'd say I do like it. Now don't get me wrong, if it had a regular manual tranny, this car would be PERFECT, but this transmision is much better than an automatic and light years better than a CVT. It's fun to use and drive, but I still like shifting myself better.

I'd naturally prefer it with a regualr manual, but it's all that it comes with and I decided to take a chance with it. The transmission was the only thing giving me some pause in deciding to buy it. The only other transmission I would even consider getting in a car besides a regular manual would be a dual clutch setup, and fortunately this one seems to be one of the best. At least you do get the option to be lazy and let the computer do the work for you, or you can spend all day shifting yourself, your left foot just doesn't get a workout in the process.

I would say this, if you have never driven a manual and hopped in the car, you wouldn't like how it shifts because it shifts and behaves like a manual; it's not going to soak up sloppiness with the throttle. My opinon is you need to know how to drive a manual and how a manual feels to appreciate how this transmission behaves and what is going on with it.

Dino, from what I read reviewers really like this particular dual clutch (in the Ralliart and EVO), so I think it might behave better than the VW DSG, but I can't say for myself. In sport mode it is very, very agressive, like the tranny fluid is red bull mixed with 5 hour energy. It is one expensive part but there are already 500hp to 600hp clutch packs for it out there for it, but for a DD I think it will hold up just fine.

It's down on power by almost 30HP compared to the subaru, but for a DD it's not an issue. It's got enough power it will run a 14.2 1/4 mile stock and that's plenty. And of course just a few mods will fix that anyway :) Actually compared to the WRX it has a little more torque, and at a lower RPM and a broader range. Also, I'm not much of a scooby fan, I like Mitsu (go figure) and the WRX doesn't look anywhere near as good to my eyes. It's certainly an excellent car and I appreciate it, just not my preference.