Turbo engine + CVT...a surpise

[JS2000]

I believe the reason for the fake/emulated shifting is so that the engine doesn't sound so monotone when accelerating. Some Honda engineer probably decided that it sounds better if the tone of the engine goes up and down every now and then instead of being stuck on the same note all the time.

I've driven two CVT's that I absolutely hated and two CVT's that I really liked. The ones I hated had no shifting effects and they did have that dreaded sound. The WRX CVT and the Civic CVT were both enjoyable IMO.

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[civicbatchhack]

Aka appeasing customers. What do the engineers give a shit what it sounds like? It's the end user satisfaction they are trying to "improve". A cvt is at its best, performance and fuel economy wise, when it acts like a cvt. I wouldn't loose my boost during the fake "shifts", my engine would sit exactly where it gets best power the entire time. Drone be damned.

A button or an optional ECU reflash or something to eliminate it would have made everyone happy. Apparently the guy who replied after you likes it. To me, this is on the same level as pumping in fake engine noise through the speakers like in VWs, Lexuses, BMWs and a few other makes.

 

[syncro87]

We own a 2016 Civic sedan EX-T with the CVT, and a 2014 Civic sedan EX, non-turbo obviously, also with the CVT.

The turbo makes it a night and day difference between the two cars.

The CVT in the '14 saps every shred of power and fun out of that car. Windy day, hills, bike on the hitch mounted rack, the transmission constantly changes ratios while the engine buzzes up and down in revs, while the car attempts to maintain speed. Super annoying. If you need to pass on the highway, pushing the gas pedal results in more noise, more revs, but very little "go". The CVT in the '14 makes me want to club baby seals.

In contrast, the '16 turbo totally erases the shortcomings of the '14 power train. Car feels much more responsive. I believe the turbo cars use a different CVT than the non turbo cars if I am not mistaken. It is a better one, if so. Much less hunting around, much less weird jolty behavior, etc.

The big wild card is whether either of the CVTs will last 150k or 200k miles. They are incredibly expensive to repair/replace if they fail, at least today. Maybe 5 years from now, less so, but I doubt it.

I'd be quite leery of buying a ten year old Civic with 120k on it and with a CVT. New, under warranty, no worries.

The only time our turbo car felt overtaxed was when 4 of us went out to dinner in it one time. Felt pretty sluggish when I needed to pass with 600 or 700 pounds of people on board, and a touch of the motorboat sensation set in. One or two people, though, no problem.

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