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Is all ok with my Subaru?
I just bought a 2012 subaru 2.5x forester with 84k miles. This is na auto transmission, not CVT. On the highway yesterday, at 60mph, the tachometer was hovering at 2500. My question: it sounded like it needed to gear shift again. Is that the normal RPM's for this car at this speed? BTW, I went from a 1993 volvo 240 (yes I kept her) so maybe my ears and shifting experience is just different and the subaru is behaving normally.
Our answer:
Hi Caryn,
That is about bang on – the 2012 Forest XT has a fifth-gear ratio of 0.738, with a final drive of 4.444:1. On its standard 225/55 R17 wheels and tyres, that works out as roughly 2,450rpm at 60mph. The car is geared to do 133mph maximum in fifth, so 2,450rpm for 60mph fits in neatly, albeit you’d probably want another ratio for quieter motorway cruising; it’s therefore a pity the Forester wasn’t a six-speed.
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