First CVT experience

[Dave Sherman]

I got back from vacation and had a Nissan Versa. I could tell right away it had a CVT. It was... Underwhelming. Probably made worse by the fact the poor little car is only 109 horsepower.
Seems like it was giving all it could give to go up hills, and coming down hills it would not offer any engine braking. Seems like Honda and even my Traverse have some grade logic that would recognize if you were going up or down hills and hold a lower gear on downhills. It did have a "L" position, but it was only useful for engine braking if you were going very slow. The O/D off button was a little better, but it still made for a very low gear ratio. It seemed like it was always very quick to adjust the CVT with the slightest change of the gas pedal, and it alternated between acting like I would expect a CVT to (gear ratio changes linearly), and actually simulating distinct gear shifts. The most unsettling thing was the engine RPM varying so considerably even if the road or throttle position were changing very little. It certainly made me miss a conventional automatic.

 

[Rolla07]

Yeah, I have yet to drive one I like. 6 speed auto is about as far as Id go.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Reading about cvt's,they seem worthless. Why are they even made,and will they maybe realize the total f-ups they are and discontinue them? I've never driven one but would love to just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[FutureDoc]

There are good CVTs and bad CVTs. Nissan is known as the "worst".

I would rather have a Subaru CVT than a traditional automatic (any speed) or a DSG.

That being said, Subaru has a 10y/100,000 mile extended warranty for their CVTs... for what it is worth

 

[HondaRULZ]

I'm looking forward to the 2018 Accord which will feature both CVTs as well as a new 8 speed AT. Yule C. Until then or not, keep hating the CVT unabated.

 

[Andrew1972]

You unfortunately rented a terrible car(likely one of worst) at best that happened to a CVT.

I would not let this iteration form your opinion of them.

 

[Stevie]

I drove my sister-in-laws Rouge and was very impressed with the CVT and the car. Now I see why it is the best selling SUV.

 

[zzyzzx]

You should fell lucky that that CVT didn't break on you! They really are that bad (at least the Jatco ones that Nissan uses).

 

[L_Sludger]

With a title like "First CVT experience" I wondered if your story would have ended with smoking a cigarette and hearing the CVT say "You should take me to brunch!!"

 

[bbhero]

I have 196k miles on my Nissan Altima 3.5 with a CVT. It has been very good with no problems. I do believe that the 3.5 VQ motor motor is a better fit with a CVT. The CVTs in the year model 2013 onward have had more issues than my generation have.

 

[Popsy]

Funny, I had a really good experience with a Nissan Maxima CVT. Ok the 3,5 V6/300hp engine helps, but it was reactive, kepts mostly adequate rpm (imo) in every situation. Even going uphill it just slightly raised the rpm, no issue. In trafic it was fast and smooth to react.

Compared to a bad experience with a conventional automatic (Dodge Journey withh Pentastar V6), wich was always downshifting (too much imo), was slow to decide when changing gears, etc. Most of the time I had it in manual mode, and even there it was slow as [censored] to change gear. Sure the fuel economy of the Journey was impressive compared to the size of the vehicle, but when I switched from the Journey to the Maxima at the rental car agency, I was like "OMG, finally a decent gearbox" !

(Please note that it's coming from a guy who only drove manuals until the Journey and the Maxima, and a few rental Hyundai with disastrous conventional automated gearboxes before that)
I also heard Nissan CVt aren't very resistant...

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Stevie
I drove my sister-in-laws Rouge and was very impressed with the CVT and the car. Now I see why it is the best selling SUV.
The Rogue is a great SUV. I made a thread about one about a month ago.

 

[6starprez]

It's not the CVT's fault the car was doing what it did. Nobody should be expecting much from a car only 109 HP in the first place. A CVT mated to an engine with a lot more power is a totally different story. Like night and day.

 

[BJD78]

We ended up with a Legacy sedan while renting a vehicle for a Wyoming Trip back in 2012 I found the M mode paddle shifters kind of nice for bleeding off some speed and saving brakes for several long down hill grades, but most of the time I just prefered to keep it in D.It seems like the computer is pretty good at shifting the CVT according to conditions. Still having the manual option is nice for going down a long grade but the CVT will also get to the right gear but it may take a second or 2.

 

[JTK]

I love my past and present Subaru CVTs for sure, but the CVT in our 2016 Nissan Quest with the VQ 3.5L is really awesome in terms of performance and feel.

I do believe Dave's experience with one in this particular make/model vehicle has more to do with the fact it's an economy car.

 

[Doc8404]

2012 Nissan Altima wasn't bad.
2014 was much smoother.
2017 subaru, hate it.

 

[E150GT]

For whats its worth, I have not driven any CVT equipped cars, but my wife has a yaris with pitiful power and a traditional 4 speed auto. Its a drag to drive in my opinion and I bet the engine has just as much to do with the terrible experience as the transmission.

 

[tcruise]

My cousin has a Ford Five Hundred with the CVT and I like it quite a lot. She gets amazing MPGs from that huge thing too. I had a chance to drive hers and one with the 6 speed and I liked the CVT better. It's non intrusive and keeps the engine exactly where it needs to be. Stomp on it and it's at peak power until you let off. Go 80 and it chugs along at low rpms returning 28 mpg. CVTs with the programmed "steps" are not good.

 

[BHopkins]

The Versa is one of the least expensive (aka cheapest) cars on the road. What were you expecting?

I've got 90k miles on my Outback now, and honestly, I love the CVT. It is so awesome to never feel a shift point. It does a great job at finding the right rpm level. I never feel a neck jerking shift-down when accelerating hard on the highway.

My only concern is reliability. The first two generations of Subaru CVTs have not been quite as reliable as a traditional AT. But Subaru has addressed this by giving owners a 10 year/100k mile warranty. That really does relieve a lot of the worry.

I do not want to go back to an old fashioned AT. In my opinion, there is no question that the CVT design is superior. They just need to become more durable. But hey. The very same thing could be said about automatic transmissions 50 years ago. I distinctly remember in the '70's being advised to never buy a Japanese car with an AT, as you would have to replace it within 60k - 70k miles.

 

[dblshock]

CVT another born of CAFE..that said I guess they're comming around, mine has good effeiciency, never stumbles..great on a steady cruise up and over hills and then it flies when I nail it for such a small displacement. I get north of 40mpg. traveling hard passing and left lane often. I'm sure the CVT is a big part of that.