Why People Dislike a CVT

[RooflessVW]

They're dog slow and sap the fun out of driving.

Forgot to mention that they're almost exclusively used in cars that I would already consider unrefined, so when you do put your foot down all you do hear is an amplified anemic engine wheezing loudly in a cacophony of mechanical misery. Unfortunately the noise is rarely accompanied by any significant change in speed.

 

[Rolla07]

I like knowing when my car is going to shift. I prefer old skool automatics. CVTs are hesitant and not knowing when it will shift annoys me.

 

[AZjeff]

When we went shopping for a cute ute in 2014 we drove a Forester and The Boss immediately did not like how the CVT drove. DOA, on to the next car. It reminded me of driving a snowmobile, not good or bad just an observation.

Then in 2015 I rented a low miles 2015 Altima with a CVT and after a week with it I wasn't impressed. There were times around town where it didn't seem to know what it wanted to do, and on the highway in cruise there were conditions where I could feel a fluttering vibration that again reminded me of what the T/C in the old sleds would do at times. It wasn't confidence inspiring that the operation of a new car reminded me of snowmobiles from 40+ years ago..

As stated earlier, you have to be willing to embrace how it operates and accept it's differences OR be mechanically tone deaf and not even notice what's different. You always have to get used to little quirks and differences with a new car but the tactile difference of a CVT is more that I/we can tolerate for now.

One suspects that the CVT haters are also still waiting for all the millions of Prii to fry their batteries and destroy their complicated drivetrains.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
CVTs have improved greatly since the first versions. I’m sure the early automatics went through the same critique back in the day.
Why buy something they're still trying to get right? Auto transmissions tend to be rock solid these days.

 

[Kira]

Does a 2006 Toyota Matrix have a geared or CVT transmission?

 

[Chris142]

No shops here will rebuild one. They opt for a brand new one from the dealer.

 

[skyactiv]

Originally Posted By: Kira
Does a 2006 Toyota Matrix have a geared or CVT transmission?


toyota matrix wiki

 

[Imp4]

Own 3 cars.
2015 Civic w/CVT - 45k
2003 Camry V6 w/who knows what non CVT - 257k
2001 Galant I4 w/who knows what non CVT - 157k

No problems with anything ever.
Why do we argue about this stuff?!?!?

On a separate note, I won a Big Green Egg at the local wine fest. Took delivery about 2 weeks ago.

So far, brisket, shrimp, corn, chicken breast.
All quite good. Who here has driven one of these things before?!?

There seems to be a certain amount of technique involved. I'm learning every time!

 

[tomcat27]

Reliability: our 2014 Sentra has been in for CVT repairs 3X; and the 2015 Rogue is making noise and needs repair.
by now we would have bought 2 more new Nissans (we really like the cars, and two kids need cars); but nope. no dice.

 

[andyd]

Stories above is enough to keep me away. I don't get it. The centrifugal clutch on my saw is 47 yrs old. There is what amounts to a CVT on my Ariens Snow blower that is even older. There are 10 spd ATs in cars. I don't see why this is such a problem for automotive engineers

 

[spasm3]

Because;

I don't like the concept or the design.

 

[Dorian]

Oh god. The Saturn VTi transmission was TRASH. We had one. What a nightmare.

 

[14Accent]

I can't stand CVT's in regular cars, but I quite like it in my Volt. It's a planetary type, so it doesn't have that slingshot feel. You just hit the pedal and go, no hesitation and no engine screaming for the moon.

That said, I still can't stand driving any Prius. They're as bad as any other CVT.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
Reliability: our 2014 Sentra has been in for CVT repairs 3X; and the 2015 Rogue is making noise and needs repair.
by now we would have bought 2 more new Nissans (we really like the cars, and two kids need cars); but nope. no dice.

It blows my mind that the company that doubled down on CVTs and stood behind their choice for over a decade still can't get them right from a reliability standpoint.

 

[Pelican]

Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
CTV is better than the CBC, they suck other than Marketplace and hockey.

Yep, plus CBC is too left wing!

Sorry guys, CTV is also a Canadian TV Broadcasting Company, sort of like a mini NBC or ABC.


CTV is also on the left, maybe not as far as CBC, but pretty close.

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Al
No secret that many here dislike them. I am curious what the big complaints are.

Here is a starter. "I dislike them because:"

1. They are slow
2. I question reliability
3. I don't like the better gas mileage they deliver
4. I dislike the fact that I cannot hear them shift.
5. They are too "newfangled"

Disclaimer:I like them. Perhaps I or others will learn something here.

The topic should be-"Why do people here on BITOG don't like them."

Because 90% of the car buying public could care less.

Then you could branch off and have other topics. Such as-

Why isn't Direct Injection liked?
Why there isn't any vehicle better than a Crown Vic?
Why do they make excuses for Dry Rotted Michelins?
Why do people change out perfectly good "factory fill" after 500 miles?
Why do people dislike factory (blind spot warning, etc) installed safety devices that make operating a motor vehicle inherently safer?

You get the picture.

 

[MCompact]

The manufacturers don't put them in anything that I would even remotely want to drive.

 

[Rand]

I dont watch Canadian TV

 

[Kira]

OK, I'm back with some answers.

The Toyota Matrix came with manual and 4 speed automatics only.
The AWD option mandated an automatic.

The one we're looking at is an XR. The X = AWD. The R (in red) includes body color door handles and side mirrors, leather wrapped steering wheel (whoop-dee-doo) and a panic button on the fob.

Sorry for the mini-hijack but the excitement of finding a good car for the fleet got the better of me.


I don't like CVTs because they were designed with teeny-weeny cars in mind. The CVTs available in old Dutch cars used big V belts. CVTs were designed when the gas crises of the '70's occurred. The designers figured that cars would soon weigh 1,000 lbs. and engines would all be 50 hp.

I believe the auto makers dusted off the designs simply because CVTs have fewer parts.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: tomcat27
Reliability: our 2014 Sentra has been in for CVT repairs 3X; and the 2015 Rogue is making noise and needs repair.
by now we would have bought 2 more new Nissans (we really like the cars, and two kids need cars); but nope. no dice.


I just steered my friends away from a Rogue and they ended up buying a CX-5 from Mazda because of the CVT history I made them aware of.
(Why Mazda and not another manufacturer? Because they like the way it looks)