With my car what I do is let it idle for about 15-30 seconds or so, just long enough to pick my music and then put it in neutral which usually lowers the idle, then I put it into drive/reverse. Since I have had the car it hasn't really been colder than the mid 40s, so that may not work once winter comes around, but that's what I do.

 

you can shift into gear and drive immediately. Don't rev past 3k rpm until your blue coolant gauge turns off. That last line in the manual is just saying you cant start it unless you are in P or N, like any car. Reading to much into this.

 

When is it safe? Immediately. Overthinking everything. Why would you even think otherwise?

 

Perhaps it's the hard jerk that happens when you put it in drive, this is normally a bad thing but I doubt many wait the extra minute for the revs to drop.

 

Since none of the other lubricants in the drivetrain benefit from idle warm-up, I don't see an advantage to more than 30 second warm-up. I just don't drive aggressively until the blue light goes out. This is a pretty good read on the subject.

Brands - TEGNA

www.verifythis.com

Doug

 

Every EFI engine is efficient in fuel usage, especially on cold startup. The coolant sensor sends coolant signals for the ecm to determine fuel enrichment for cold engines without ever using the gas pedal. As soon as the engine starts up and idles high, sensing coolant temps allows the ecm to continuously reduce fuel enrichment while lowering high idle until the engine reaches approximately 140F/60C when normal idle occurs. In theory, there are no restrictions to driving off immediately. Our Subaru's have torque converters to allow limited slip of engine power to the cvt, no different from conventional automatics. The torque converter allows us to stop in gear at every stop, light, whatever, without the engine stalling. Consider torque converters as slipping hydraulic clutches. In any temperature, starting up should allow driving immediately but a little prudence can help. In cold weather, letting the engine warmup for at least 30 seconds allows engine oil to warmup as coolant circulates continuously. Drive off but refrain from jack rabbit racing to the next stop sign or light until the engine warms up. A few blocks of normal driving will allow engine, coolant, torque converter and cvt oil to warmup for normal driving. Just remember, the torque converter uses oil to act as the slipping clutch, engaging the cvt for shifting without gears. Even better; remote starting from your free 3 yr Starlink subscription, using Subaru's MySubaru app to remote start your engine.

Using your phone's MySubaru app, startup a minute or so before leaving the house. No long term idling, just starting up before leaving the house. When snow or freezing sleet covers my other car windows, I used remote starting (preset rear/front defroster, blower on medium speed the night before) to prewarm front and rear windshields for easier scraping. My ritual was to remote start, put on shoes and coat, step out of my home, open a car door to retrieve scraper blade and snow brush, and start scraping/brushing off side windows, roof, hood and trunk if front and rear aren't melting anything. By the time those are done, front and rear windows allow easy snow/ice removal from warmth. Using a few minutes of snow/ice removal warms up the car too. Other times in cold weather, I startup and slowly drive away a few blocks before getting onto the highway when the engine's already warmed up. I'll do the same for my Crosstrek without too much concern about its cvt.

 

The car is parked in my garage. Basically I start it and wait until all the idiots lights go off and then I 'm off. I don't "push" it until the blue goes out. I then put it sport mode and drive normally.

 

If you want to, you can drive off when the idle drops or drive conservatively until the engine reaches operating temperature. Keep an eye on your temp gauge and watch the needle slowly move to where it normally sits.

Just know during the colder days, the CVT will not "shift" into the lowest gear until the CVT reaches operating temp. If you're wondering why the engine rpm is so high during your drive it's because the CVT isn't up to temp and will be in a virtual gear until it's warm enough to shift into the lowest gear.

From my experience on really cold days, the CVT won't shift into the lowest gear until the engine temp is around 80 degrees (176F), and sometimes it may not because it depends on ambient temp.

 

Appreciated everyone's input. Sounds like consensus is to let the car idle for about 30 sec and then drive off without pushing the engine hard until it's fully warmed up

 

It takes longer for the idle to drop on either of our Crosstrek 2.5s. I wait the minute or so to let the idle drop, you can hear it rev up a tiny bit more right before it drops, that's my cue. My wife only waits about 20 or 30 seconds, not long enough for the idle to drop so we'll see. If I'm in a rush I only put enough pressure on the brake to put it in Drive then release the brake as it engages Drive , this causes the car to go forward instead of just dropping the RPMs as it's put into gear.

 

you can hear it rev up a tiny bit more right before it drops

I think I noticed it once too, though haven't spent a lot of time behind the wheel of my Crosstrek to see the pattern yet. Will keep an eye on it.

 

There's no need to even wait 30 seconds. Turn it on, put on your seatbelt, shift into gear and drive. Keep RPMs low until the blue light turns off.

 

The CVTs in the first 2020 Outbacks needed their software to be updated to prevent them from being put into gear before the hydraulic pressure had been sufficiently built up. If you started up the vehicle and immediately shifted into gear the chain would slip as the pulleys didn't have enough clamping force (which is created by hydraulic pressure).

The cold start high idle is primarily to get the catalytic converters up to operating temperature to reduce emissions.

As others have recommended, it's a good idea to give the engine and transmission a few seconds to get their fluids flowing before shifting into gear and driving off. Excessive cold idle time will increase fuel dilution of the engine oil and can necessitate changing it on the severe service schedule. I generally wait 30 seconds regardless of the weather - plug in my phone or place it on the charging pad, wait for the infotainment screen to fully initialize, pick music or input a destination, put on my seatbelt, check mirrors, etc.

Once on the road it's also good to drive gently until the coolant and oils are up to regular operating temperatures so that they have the correct viscosity to protect and perform as designed.

That said, you could also drive it hard right away and it'll be fine for thousands of miles, but given the importance of oils and how their properties are temperature dependent, it's logical to expect them to wear out faster than if you avoid high load until operating temperature is achieved.

 

The high idle is for the CAT to heat up to lower tail pipe emissions.

 

You are correct

 

you'd have to really be trying to hurt your car to be fast enough to cause damage and even then it's unlikely. is this your first car?

 

Ha. Same exact question occurred to me...but bit my tongue...first time for everything.

 

Firm pedal brake, [engage Reverse], garage door opening, cleared for take-off, no jerk or loud sounds, purr off the pad onto the roadway.

Go.

 

 

It's not my first car @erader , but it is my first Subaru

I admit, sometimes I'm reading too much and overthinking it, hence asking questions here when I'm not sure if I'm reading it correctly, ha-ha

 

There are no stupid questions. I haven't owned a Subaru in 20 years and recently bought a '24 Crosstrek Limited. Even though I have owned about 20 cars in my 50+ years I had never bought a NEW one. I also tend to overthink things at times but I want(ed) to find out as much as possible about my $30k "investment" I have already done a break in oil change at 1000 miles and plan to do most of my own maintenence and baby this car until the wheels fall off. I live in a cold hilly place and my work commute is only 10 minutes. I DO let my car warm up until the indicator reads "normal" and I drive gently until I reach the intersate a couple mile away. Because I only have about 10 minutes daily at highway speeds at least once a week I take a more circuituous 20-30 minute route on the highway just to get everything up to ideal operating temps and get its "juices flowing". Will any of this add any more longevity/durabilty--tiime will tell? Remember it's YOUR car. Treat it the way YOU value it--because everyone has an opinion and different experience. Enjoy your new car!

 

By the time I've started the engine, then.... Safety belt, turn off the AS/S, Turn off the Froward auto, Set the heater and seat warmer......etc.. By that time the engine has done its RPM bump and I know the hydraulic pressure in the trans is up to specs.

 

I had the same question about idling at cold start and asked @terrum .
Thank everyone for the answers, some of us newbie in the Subaru world ask “silly” questions for you older members, we might overthink….
but is it difficult to answer without judging driving behaviours?
It’s not my first car, I drove quite few of them and none had this long idle even in warm weather.

 

Should You Warm Up Your Car Before Driving? - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports fills you in on whether you should warm up your car before driving. Letting your car idle might not be the hottest idea.

www.consumerreports.org

 

Do You Need To Warm Up Your Car? Modern Cars And Warming Cycles

Cold Starts: How Long Should You Let Your Car Idle To Warm Up Before Driving?

Is warming up your car before you drive really necessary, or is it just a myth?

carbuzz.com

Getting your car up to the perfect operating temperature by letting it idle for a while is a concept carried over from the days when most cars made use of carbureted engines which were notorious for cold start issues. These engines make use of manual fuel and air adjustments and use what is called a choke to restrict airflow during cold starts, which in turn creates a fuel-rich mixture ready for combustion. This is because cold air is denser than warm air and makes a lean air to fuel mixture. New fuel-injected engines use electronic sensors to automatically adjust the air-fuel ratio so that the car will start, even on the coldest of mornings, and will continuously adjust this ratio until the vehicle reaches its optimal operating temperature.

Another thought that has carried over from older engines suggesting that warming up your car is vital is that when the engine is cold, the gasoline takes longer to evaporate, and when too much is introduced into the combustion chamber, excess fuel can make its way onto the cylinder walls. Gasoline is a solvent and can wash away the protective layer of oil that keeps the cylinder walls lubricated between piston strokes. Without the friction protection offered by motor oil, the cylinder walls can eventually become scored and damaged. While this is a true concern, most modern engines are fully lubricated within twenty seconds of start-up, ensuring sufficient lubrication..

So, the question remains - should you warm up your car before driving off? According to most experts and manufacturers, modern vehicles don't need a dedicated warm-up time and starting your car and spending twenty to thirty seconds adjusting mirrors and buckling up is usually more than enough. In extremely cold weather, most manufacturers recommend driving gently for the first six to ten minutes but do not recommend idling your car for extended periods to warm it up. Many performance car drivers and motoring enthusiasts still prefer to spend a few minutes getting their engine up to temperature before driving off, even if it's not mechanically a requirement.

 

I forgot to mention, if you shift into Neutral and wait a moment before engaging Drive or Reverse the revs will drop down and it wont jerk when put into D or R.

 

I drive a 6MT and I move as soon as I start the car up. My muffler delete is LOUD at cold start and don’t want to be pissing anyone off at 6-7am. I do keep the RPMs below 3k until the blue light turns off.

 

Treat it the way YOU value it--because everyone has an opinion and different experience.

Thanks @asa3066 ! Wise advise that apply not just to cold engine start
My daily commute is roughly 40 minutes (one way), half of it on mostly flat, rural roads and the rest is typical to/from work driving experience in a moderate size city. My car is still less than half way thru the break in, so for now I'm letting it idle for about 1 minute until the rpm make a slight drop to 1700 and then I gently drive away. Within first minute of driving the temp indicator turns "normal", though I suspect the time it takes to turn is going to increase as the ambient temps fall. Haven't tested yet the P to N and from there to R/D trick that @PDawg suggested, but it's on my list of things to try. May revise my routine once the break in is over and/or nightly temps stay below freezing on a regular basis - which is only a few weeks away by the look of it.

 

I am lucky to have remote start. I hit the button as I am putting on shoes and by the time I get to the car the idle is good.

 

Great point. I do the same. Is remote start in the app standard across the lineup? My limited has it.