2021 Subie Forester w/ 62K miles here.
The last (2) months or so the CVT was acting a little bit jerky & “lurchy.” When the car was cold, and you’d quickly accelerate up our 12-13% (steep) driveway, there would be a bit of a hesitation & then slightly jerky engagement. Def not silky smooth like it’s been the past 2-3 years.
We bought the car @ 28K miles and completed a drain & fill (~5 quarts) on the CVT @ 30K miles and again last week @ 62K miles. To my surprise, the CVT engagement & acceleration has now become much, MUCH smoother. I didn’t think swapping fluid at only 30K would make that much of a difference.
So yeah, a friendly reminder to swap your CVT fluid. Our location here is mountainous w/ stop-n-go driving & we get a full span of 90 degree summers & 0 degree winters. I don’t tow w/ the car.