CVT Gearboxes ?
Discussion
J4CKO said:
Aside from a ride in a Mk4 Escort that had one and sounded a bit weird, I have zero experience of them, I get how they work but someone mentioned on another thread that Lexus use them and they aren't much good.
What are your experiences of them ?
Absolutely fine for cars where you're not paying attention to how they drive.What are your experiences of them ?
Had one in a Honda Jazz runaround, and was no better/worse than a slushbox.
I probably wouldn't want one in an interesting car, but struggle to have a strong opinion for/against them in boring cars. They work just fine.
Went through this with my mother who is 90. She needed a new car, and it needed to be an auto. She’d been driving good old fashioned slush boxes for years, was used to “creep” and the general seamless experience. But she also wanted a small engine. Looking at small cars, most of them are some sort of DSG automated clutch for fuel efficiency reasons. I find them fecking horrible to drive slowly (e.g. around car parks), and they confused the hell out of her.
CVT is the reason she got a Yaris. It provides a totally conventional auto experience, and for someone who is just a “motorist’ it is perfect. When I drive it, it feels all wrong - as soon as you boot it, then engine goes to about 4000 rpm and stays there. But it is reasonably efficient and if you want something that drives like a slush box, its perfect.
CVT is the reason she got a Yaris. It provides a totally conventional auto experience, and for someone who is just a “motorist’ it is perfect. When I drive it, it feels all wrong - as soon as you boot it, then engine goes to about 4000 rpm and stays there. But it is reasonably efficient and if you want something that drives like a slush box, its perfect.
I have one in my Auris Hybrid.
My previous car was a Toyota iQ and when i bought it id have ideally wanted an auto, but i couldnt bring myself to buy a CVT.
With my Auris i couldnt be happier.
Its quiet around town, quiet on the motorway and only really makes its presence known when you stick your foot down (which be honest, how often is that in a daily car?)
If you have music on even moderately loudly then all the CVT noise goes away because of what is actually a very refined engine.
My previous car was a Toyota iQ and when i bought it id have ideally wanted an auto, but i couldnt bring myself to buy a CVT.
With my Auris i couldnt be happier.
Its quiet around town, quiet on the motorway and only really makes its presence known when you stick your foot down (which be honest, how often is that in a daily car?)
If you have music on even moderately loudly then all the CVT noise goes away because of what is actually a very refined engine.
There is a lot of CVT bashing by Journalists which I think is completely unfounded.
My family car is an 2016 Avensis 1.8 with CVT and the box is great for what it needs to do. There obviously is not a lot of driver engagement but the drivetrain is super smooth and box learns form your throttle inputs.
If you give it more beans it tries to mimick stepped shifts like conventional auto. If you give it full beans it gets engine to redline and holds it there.
I also driven Subaru Levorg with CVT and again it was very good around town and for fairly spirited driving.
My family car is an 2016 Avensis 1.8 with CVT and the box is great for what it needs to do. There obviously is not a lot of driver engagement but the drivetrain is super smooth and box learns form your throttle inputs.
If you give it more beans it tries to mimick stepped shifts like conventional auto. If you give it full beans it gets engine to redline and holds it there.
I also driven Subaru Levorg with CVT and again it was very good around town and for fairly spirited driving.
For some bizarre reason, adverts for some Lexus models state the car is equipped with a CVT, even though it isn't (Lexus IS250 that my dad has being one of them - it has a 6 speed torque converter auto)
Most CVT bashing can rightfully be aimed at the dreadful box used by VAG brands in the early 00's - it requires oil changes every 40k miles and even if you stick to those will still blow itself to bits for fun, or suffer an electronics failure from the ECU which lives 'wet' inside the gearbox. Both will cost a significant wedge to resolve.
The Japanese seem to be able to make CVTs that don't destroy themselves - for automotive white goods it's fine, although never particularly pleasurable to drive.
Most CVT bashing can rightfully be aimed at the dreadful box used by VAG brands in the early 00's - it requires oil changes every 40k miles and even if you stick to those will still blow itself to bits for fun, or suffer an electronics failure from the ECU which lives 'wet' inside the gearbox. Both will cost a significant wedge to resolve.
The Japanese seem to be able to make CVTs that don't destroy themselves - for automotive white goods it's fine, although never particularly pleasurable to drive.
A good few years ago I test drove an Audi A4 with a CVT as it was all they had in stock, absolutely horrendous. What is the point of having a petrol ICE car which you can rev when it just sticks at 4k or whatever and then drones on. Auto fine, manual fine, dct fine, ev fine, cvt - I'd rather take the bus.
Had it on a Prius - the whole system was engineered to work together perfectly (electric motor, engine, gearbox etc.). Very efficient and effective, even if it sounds like a moped on acceleration.
Quite simply, I wouldn't have any problem with a CVT on a daily, but wouldn't want one on a sports car. The Toyota CVT boxes are also incredibly reliable when compared to the ZF 8 speeds, 9-speed aisins and VAG DSG's, so for no-frills reliable motoring can't go wrong with a Toyota or Lexus!
Quite simply, I wouldn't have any problem with a CVT on a daily, but wouldn't want one on a sports car. The Toyota CVT boxes are also incredibly reliable when compared to the ZF 8 speeds, 9-speed aisins and VAG DSG's, so for no-frills reliable motoring can't go wrong with a Toyota or Lexus!
Had a 2010 Scenic with a CVT, harsh acceleration was a noisy affair (sounded like a car with a slipping clutch, but actually accelerated quite quickly)
Got a derv Koleos now with a CVT. They've reprogrammed it now to have software 'gears' so you don't get that revving its nuts off anymore. You'd struggle to tell the difference between this and a good torque converter gearbox.
Got a derv Koleos now with a CVT. They've reprogrammed it now to have software 'gears' so you don't get that revving its nuts off anymore. You'd struggle to tell the difference between this and a good torque converter gearbox.
Our old A6 had a CVT, well Multitronic (2010). Some of the earlier ones had some fairly critical gearbox failures, improved on later cars, like ours. Oil change every 40k miles, and it's not cheap as it has to be preheated and injected into the box. Think it cost me nearly £200 at trade price.
Other than that, couldn't really feel much difference from a traditional automatic. Wasn't as quick witted as DSG but suited the car.
Other than that, couldn't really feel much difference from a traditional automatic. Wasn't as quick witted as DSG but suited the car.
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