CVT transmissions

[Punknoodle]

Yet again I find myself away for work, and such the rental car I have been blessed with this time is a Nissan X-Trail.

This is the first car I've driven that has a CVT, and I gave it a few days to prove itself to me, but it's not nice. Floor the throttle, revs stay the same, slowly rise while the vehicle speed increases at a different pace - the same feeling you get flooring a manual with a slipping clutch - awful.

Now I don't mind autos, they can be pleasant to drive (although in my opinion not as fun to drive), so this isn't an issue with torque converter transmissions I just can't see what benefit a CVT would have over a standard auto.

There are probably factors going on I haven't considered, I've never bothered researching and I'm not about to now as I'm on my iPhone, but in terms of driving feel it's not my cup of tea.

Thoughts?

 

[Keef]

At full throttle CVTs offer constant power. Instead of the engine travelling up and down through the powerband like with a normal transmission, hitting the power peak only once with typical engines, the CVT rises to the power peak and stays there. No wasted time shifting, no wasted time above or below ideal power, and less fuel wasted above or below ideal power. They also have the ability to imitate traditional shifting so it feels less awkward. While puttering around town though, the transmission is very efficient and very smooth, though the sound is definitely weird.

 

[Dotini]

I've recently acquired a vehicle with CVT, a Suzuki SX4. This is equipped with a 6-speed slap-shifter with which you can manually override the normally fully automatic operation of the transmission.

Let's say you are cruising along at 60 mph or so, and want to make a lane change and a pass slower vehicle. The manual mode allows you to bang it down two or three gears and gas it for a much quicker passing maneuver.

Respectfully submitted,
Dotini

 

[homeforsummer]

At full throttle CVTs offer constant power. Instead of the engine travelling up and down through the powerband like with a normal transmission, hitting the power peak only once with typical engines, the CVT rises to the power peak and stays there. No wasted time shifting, no wasted time above or below ideal power, and less fuel wasted above or below ideal power. They also have the ability to imitate traditional shifting so it feels less awkward. While puttering around town though, the transmission is very efficient and very smooth, though the sound is definitely weird.

This. And for the Average Joe they tend to be more fuel efficient than a torque converter auto or a manual transmission too, especially around town where light throttle openings will generally result in running around at fairly low revs, and therefore not using a lot of fuel. It's one of the reasons they're popular on hybrid vehicles, and the other is that it's apparently easy to integrate series and parallel hybrids with a CVT.

They're also a very, very simple transmission. Certainly more so than a regular torque converter auto.

 

[E RaK]

My dad's Nissan has a CVT transmission, as well as many of the Subarus at work. All I can say is that from a technical and efficiency standpoint, CVT transmissions can't be beaten, as they can offer exactly the power and engine speed necessary for the desired acceleration. The engine sound and lack of any shift shock takes a while to get used to, but eventually it feels natural and very smooth. Throttle response is also very good as the transmission can change ratios very quickly.

 

[niky]

Nissan's current CVTs are among the best out there. Yes, they drone (all CVTs do) as you accelerate, but it's something you get used to.

But find a nice twisty piece of asphalt, shove the shifter into "L" and hoon away... full power, all the time. No need to fiddle with paddles or sticks or whatnot.

Can't argue with that.

 

[ChadSpeed]

I have driven the 2011 Maxima with the CVT. At first its very odd, then I moved the shifter into the S position and it seemed a bit more revvy, holding higher RPMs as I slowed down for corners. I then tried the manual mode, but the shifts were very soft, even softer than that of my old 04' Maxima SE. It still moves the car well and is more efficient, but I prefer the old 5 or 6 speed auto with a manual mode, to the CVTs boring personality. Or a manual.

 

[Eric.]

I guess CVTs do eventually run out of "ratios" and would hit the rev limiter if the car had enough power, wouldn't they?

 

[niky]

Depends. But yes. There is often a maximum ratio.

 

[Jim Prower]

They're standard equipment on all motor scooters, at least those built recently.

If it bugs you that much, just pretend you're running a sprint kart. I mean, after all, that's what most F1 drivers start out driving. And those only have one speed, and a centrifugal clutch.