I agree with the OP that such an arrangement is odd and does not work well. For my Hondas, and the BMW before them, a gentle flip increases/decreases the speed by 1 MPH, holding it down to get continuous changes. The way Forester is set up now, it is very difficult if you want to precisely change the speed by 1 or 2 MPH, but this is very easily and precisely done on my other cars. There are better ways to do to and hope they can change in the future.