[Trevor]

Originally Posted by oab_au

Phil to understand why this is so, you need to understand why Subaru did it in the first place.

When this transmission was used in the Sporty WRX and RS Turbo, the change was fast and solid, just what you would expect of a Sporty car. When the SVX was designed it was aimed at the higher end of the Luxury Grand Touring market. The same fast solid change did not suit this market, so they programmed the TCU to lower the line pressure during the change, to remove the solid engagement.

Because the reduced pressure would allow the clutch and band to do a lot of slipping to smooth the change, they turned the Engine torque down to prevent excessive wear. The result was that silky smooth gear change that suited the Luxury profile that they wanted, but at the expense of clutch and band wear.
Harvey.

The above statement constitutes no more than a personal opinion, unless additional published supporting evidence is quoted and is verified.