High RPM's 3500-4000 for 5 or more seconds before shifting from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th gear.

Update from Sep 5, 2014: So I took the car for service at the dealership and even went out with a tech. The car did start to shift better but the tech was great in explaining that there are no gears in the CVT transmission. It is basically a cone shaped gear there the belt slides up and down. The computer calculates the rpms and gas peddle pressure to determine when and how far to move the belt. So there is not 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. It just takes getting us to.

In fairness to Subaru, this is the first vehicle I have had with a CVT. And although I have read up on the workings of this type of transmission and even watched a Subaru sponsored video of how the transmission works, I find it very "clumsy," for lack of a better word.

After starting from a stop it shifts into a higher than necessary gear causing the vehicle to accelerate too slowly. When applying just a little more gas pedal it "catches on" and quickly accelerates much faster than it should, almost feeling as though the car is taking off on its own. It is a weird sensation and even now, after several months of ownership I am not sure if these are the normal reactions of a CVT or whether there is something wrong with my particular transmission.

In the colder New England weather (I bought this 2014 model in December 2013) the transmission seems to take an extremely long time before it will shift at all, forcing me to shift it manually.

When I bring the vehicle into the dealership for its first servicing I will mention it to them, although I doubt they will be able to do much about it. Like I said, perhaps it is just me being inexperienced with this type of gearless transmission. Other than that I love the vehicle and it handles quite well in all environments and situations.