CVT transmissions - are they that bad?
Discussion
Can't drive the Jag through the winter so want to get a day to day car to get to the office etc. Considering a Subaru (maybe a Crosstrek), want an automatic though, I just don't enjoy manual cars anymore.
The only automatic option Subaru offer is CVT. Have heard some pretty disparaging things about them - anyone with a CVT car care to give a real life opinion?
The only automatic option Subaru offer is CVT. Have heard some pretty disparaging things about them - anyone with a CVT car care to give a real life opinion?
Junk IMHO.
Well a friend had a Primera GT W reg era anytime you put the right foot down it just sat at 5.(-6k revs everywhere loads of noise for little acceleration.
Real disappointment - never driven any other CVT so could be a bad example.
In theory they are great they hold at peak torque for max economy or peak power for max acceleration.
Well a friend had a Primera GT W reg era anytime you put the right foot down it just sat at 5.(-6k revs everywhere loads of noise for little acceleration.
Real disappointment - never driven any other CVT so could be a bad example.
In theory they are great they hold at peak torque for max economy or peak power for max acceleration.
I have one now, murano V6 and had a Lexus GS common to both is imperceptible limo like gear change however if you don't want to cruise / drive normally you won't like it.
The satisfying surge when an auto changes or kicks down isn't there but apart from that I think it's great within my statement above.
The satisfying surge when an auto changes or kicks down isn't there but apart from that I think it's great within my statement above.
DSLiverpool said:
I have one now, murano V6 and had a Lexus GS common to both is imperceptible limo like gear change however if you don't want to cruise / drive normally you won't like it.
The satisfying surge when an auto changes or kicks down isn't there but apart from that I think it's great within my statement above.
Yes its for mundane normal driving, mostly in the bad weather we get here (snow etc) - I already have something for spirited driving. The satisfying surge when an auto changes or kicks down isn't there but apart from that I think it's great within my statement above.
CVT is perfect for pootling. My rav4 has it, suits the car and way a soft-roader should be driven perfectly. Smooth and efficient.
It isn't any good for spirited driving, but then slush-box equivalents aren't either. Modern ones come with flappy paddles, pseudo-gears and sport mode should you want to overtake or press on. I use the paddles about twice a year, it's not a sports car. Fit for purpose.
It isn't any good for spirited driving, but then slush-box equivalents aren't either. Modern ones come with flappy paddles, pseudo-gears and sport mode should you want to overtake or press on. I use the paddles about twice a year, it's not a sports car. Fit for purpose.
I had an Audi A4 TDi with their CVT as a company car for a while and in most circumstances it was brilliant.
Lots of low down torque so it just felt effortless and refined most of the time.
Where it fell down was if you drove it at more than 7/10ths in auto mode and expected it to feel sporty - it always felt like it had a slipping clutch in those circumstances. I ended up using the pretend manual 'gears' if I wanted to get a move on and then it felt ok.
I think a lot depends on the characteristics of the engine the cvt box is fitted to.
Lots of low down torque so it just felt effortless and refined most of the time.
Where it fell down was if you drove it at more than 7/10ths in auto mode and expected it to feel sporty - it always felt like it had a slipping clutch in those circumstances. I ended up using the pretend manual 'gears' if I wanted to get a move on and then it felt ok.
I think a lot depends on the characteristics of the engine the cvt box is fitted to.
Claudia Skies said:
Nissan have got CVT very well developed.
Drive one, and I bet you'll think it was just an "ordinary" automatic.
Yep- we had a Nissan Altima with a CVT while we were in California earlier this year. Was genuinely surprised to find out it had a CVT when I googled it after we got home. Had a sort of "steptronic" type mode with 5 discrete ratios so you could avoid the rubber band effect. Drove fine, although when in normal mode it was a bit lethargic at times when it fussed about adjusting the revs and ratios to achieve some sort of acceleration. Not as nice to drive as the ZF slushbox in my E39 but the engine was a 2.5 4cyl so it was always going to be a bit rough.Drive one, and I bet you'll think it was just an "ordinary" automatic.
However, lot of horror stories about reliability. Same goes for the Audi CVT 'boxes.
lufbramatt said:
However, lot of horror stories about reliability. Same goes for the Audi CVT 'boxes.
actually there aren't. google it and you find very horror stories for modern CVTs. There were some horrors a decade ago (Murano comes to mind) but on google now you'll just find the same few stories being repeated on forums.
I've no doubt any faults would be very expensive, another reason not to treat it like a sports car as i suspect sudden inertia changes could build up issues over time. I'm not advocating you buy a CVT as a hard-driving 300k mile car, but the OP wanted a winter auto to potter around in.
My own will struggle to reach 60k in 10 years so i was happy to take the risk.
lufbramatt said:
Yep- we had a Nissan Altima with a CVT while we were in California earlier this year. Was genuinely surprised to find out it had a CVT when I googled it after we got home. Had a sort of "steptronic" type mode with 5 discrete ratios so you could avoid the rubber band effect. Drove fine, although when in normal mode it was a bit lethargic at times when it fussed about adjusting the revs and ratios to achieve some sort of acceleration. Not as nice to drive as the ZF slushbox in my E39 but the engine was a 2.5 4cyl so it was always going to be a bit rough.
However, lot of horror stories about reliability. Same goes for the Audi CVT 'boxes.
I drove a Nissan Rogue (Qashqai) rental and it was "OK" but had an abysmal drone at a certain rpm (such that you cannot hear what a passenger is saying). I was about to return it as defective but I googled the symptoms and found it was just a known thing about that model, I think there was talk of a class action lawsuit.However, lot of horror stories about reliability. Same goes for the Audi CVT 'boxes.
A friend's father had a Lexus RX400H which has a CVT. Worked quite well on that car as a hybrid, there being loads of torque available instantly, and the transmission making the most of the petrol/electric combo under hard acceleration. It was actually genuinely fast from 0-40 where the engine and the motors were working at their best. I think we timed 0-40 using a V Box device at something like 2.5 seconds on a good day. It was very impressive.
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