Are there any good CVTs?

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Shadow
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Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Shadow »

More specifically, has anyone here ever driven a car with a CVT and not hated it?

In the earliest days of the CVT, I know plenty of people hated them, but I was wondering if the latest CVTs have been massaged a bit to make them less offensive....or perhaps people may have gotten more used to them. Either way, do they still suck?
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watkins
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by watkins »

No, there are not.

The CVTs in Nissans still suck. The rare CVT in Chrysler products sucks. I have no further experience.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Maybe there are:

"The new Nissan Altima has a solid 2.5L 4-cyl, but the continuously variable transmission makes the whole experience fairly lackluster. A week after driving the Altima, a Honda Accord arrived with the re-engineered 2.4L direct-injection 4-cyl. mated to an all-new CVT.

On paper, the Honda 2.4L has a slight performance edge over the Altima, but the Accord’s CVT is superior – quiet, smooth and even sporty under hard acceleration. The driver can select between two modes, Drive and Sport, and they’re both good.

Honda has delivered what arguably is the best, most enjoyable CVT yet, one that distances itself from the staid applications in numerous hybrids.


Thanks in part to the CVT, the Honda 2.4L earns a trophy this year, and it doesn’t hurt that a 6-speed manual also made a favorable impression during our evaluations.

A great engine needs a great transmission, in the same way a Hall of Fame pitcher needs an outstanding catcher.

http://wardsauto.com/vehicles-amp-techn ... transition
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by potownrob »

anyone (shadow?) know how are the audi cvts?? one of the arguments against an automatic audi in the vw gli vs. audi a4 dilemma (for example) is that the gli's dsg box is said to be better (more fun, sporty, etc.) than the audi's cvt. do you have any insights into this??
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Shadow
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Shadow »

I don't think Audi has a CVT. The A4 uses an 8-speed automatic and is now faster than the stick version of the car. Better fuel economy too...
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by AHTOXA »

My CVT experience is limited to Nissan. Drove an Altima with one for a few weeks on a number of separate occasions. Truthfully I didn't really mind it, however it wasn't impressing me either. A very solid 'meh'.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Stelcom66 »

I like the CVT in the Jeep Patriot. At 65mph the engine is running at only 2000rpm, low for a 2.4L at that speed. It does achieve good gas mileage - around 28 to 30mpg in warmer weather. That makes for somewhat quiet highway cruising. It's adequate for accelerating, but that's kind of an unusual experience. When entering a parkway in my state the best thing to do is floor it as there's no merging lane. The rpms shoot up and stay there - when up to speed let off the gas and the rpms drop. I'm not paying for the gas in the Jeep - but I'm impressed with the economy, it's better than my Subaru Forester 5MT, but the Jeep is just FWD. Most others seem to prefer a conventional automatic. I've heard the 2014 Patriot's automatic will be a 6 speed.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by potownrob »

Shadow wrote:I don't think Audi has a CVT. The A4 uses an 8-speed automatic and is now faster than the stick version of the car. Better fuel economy too...
color me confused; i thought they had cvts instead of dsg or regular autos.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by watkins »

Stelcom66 wrote:I like the CVT in the Jeep Patriot. At 65mph the engine is running at only 2000rpm, low for a 2.4L at that speed. It does achieve good gas mileage - around 28 to 30mpg in warmer weather. That makes for somewhat quiet highway cruising. It's adequate for accelerating, but that's kind of an unusual experience. When entering a parkway in my state the best thing to do is floor it as there's no merging lane. The rpms shoot up and stay there - when up to speed let off the gas and the rpms drop. I'm not paying for the gas in the Jeep - but I'm impressed with the economy, it's better than my Subaru Forester 5MT, but the Jeep is just FWD. Most others seem to prefer a conventional automatic. I've heard the 2014 Patriot's automatic will be a 6 speed.
The Compass/Caliber/Patriot with the CVT is one of the most unpleasant driving experiences out there. Slow, unresponsive, and harsh.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by rei »

potownrob wrote:
Shadow wrote:I don't think Audi has a CVT. The A4 uses an 8-speed automatic and is now faster than the stick version of the car. Better fuel economy too...
color me confused; i thought they had cvts instead of dsg or regular autos.
DSG is their own tech so I'd imagine Audi uses it as thoroughly as VW does.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by daleadbull »

rei wrote:
potownrob wrote:
Shadow wrote:I don't think Audi has a CVT. The A4 uses an 8-speed automatic and is now faster than the stick version of the car. Better fuel economy too...
color me confused; i thought they had cvts instead of dsg or regular autos.
DSG is their own tech so I'd imagine Audi uses it as thoroughly as VW does.
Yep Audi has tiptronic (which is basically a regular auto) and s-tronic (which is a dual-clutch (DSG for VW)). I don't think they have any CVT's and thank goodness for that.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Krimsalt »

watkins wrote:No, there are not.

The CVTs in Nissans still suck. The rare CVT in Chrysler products sucks. I have no further experience.
+1

they make the car feel like it's accelerating like a boat with no ratio jump between gears. Supposedly they are to always hold the engine in the power band, but again there is nothing wrong with a low gear for accelerating and a high gear to coast. It's redundant technology to replace something that worked fine the way it was
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by tankinbeans »

I vaguely recall a Nissan commercial from when the CVT was first introduced into their lineup. The upshot was that you could accelerate briskly with an open cup of piping on coffee and not get burned. Presumably because the car never shitted. My friend's Sentra sounded like a 6,000 sewing machine. He finally got rid of it because it annoyed him so badly.

I drove a Patriot a couple years ago so I could test drive it for a friend and his then hippopotamus, the seatbelts wouldn't fit and Minnesota is a primary seatbelt state (meaning that a cop doesn't need another reason to pull you over in order to cite you). Long story short, I pegged it as much as I could around town and it made a lot of noise, but didn't get very far.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Squint »

AHTOXA wrote:Truthfully I didn't really mind it, however it wasn't impressing me either. A very solid 'meh'.
This is really my reaction to CVTs. They are like autos - a tool that is useful, but less fun to use than a manual. Between all the different CVTs in Toyotas now, and renting a Prius a couple of times, I have probably a couple of thousand miles under my belt.

It's just.. meh. I'd rather have more fun driving a manual.
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Re: Are there any good CVTs?

Post by Boston Fit »

Squint - Sounds like you work at a dealership. Can you tell us a little bit about buyers who come in looking for stick shift vehicles - how often does it happen, do they usually fit a certain demographic, why do they want one, what kind of car do they usually look for, etc? Just trying to get a sense of the typical m/t buyer in today's market.
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