CVT transmission any good/bad?

[10thG]

The next car I get will be my daily driver for commuting so it can't be a manual unfortunately. I was reading in the press release that the auto transmission will be CVT. Never owned or even drove a car with CVT so what's it like? Seems like CVT in general has a bad reputation, at least in the past. Gimme the lowdown - what's good and bad about it ?? Thx.

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[randY49]

The good: Fuel Economy.

The bad: Everything else.

Honestly though, I think a lot of work has gone into the CVTs lately. Most now come pre-programmed to have "shift" points so it feels more like a traditional automatic. One of the biggest complaints is the engine noise when it revs up and sits at an RPM that drones.

 

[10thG]

Ugh. Sounds lovely :S

So it behaves and sounds like it just has a single gear and never has the gear change feel? Sounds like an electric car feel.

No performance benefits over an auto?

 

[randY49]

Correct. It winds the engine up and you accelerate.

It may have a very marginal benefit in terms of acceleration because an automatic still "shifts" and has fixed gear ratios, but I would be surprised if the difference was more than a tenth of a second to 60.

 

[05 Si]

Pros - better gas mileage, engine wear, potentially (theoretically) better performance

Cons - maintentance costs, no fun to drive

 

[Izze]

Accords of the last 2 years have had CVT. Test drove one when my wife was shopping cars. It actually felt sort of sporty. Please don't ban me for saying that

 

[randY49]

Pros - better gas mileage, engine wear, potentially (theoretically) better performance

Cons - maintentance costs, no fun to drive

Can you elaborate on the maintenance costs as a con? I've not heard of this before.

 

[05 Si]

Can you elaborate on the maintenance costs as a con? I've not heard of this before.

Maintenance is a con compared to a traditional auto box. CVT transmissions usually require fluid flush/changes while automatic transmissions are sealed and basically maintenance free.

 

[Tap Out]

Maintenance is a con compared to a traditional auto box. CVT transmissions usually require fluid flush/changes while automatic transmissions are sealed and basically maintenance free.

How often?

 

[RobbJK88]

I have a 2014 civic coupe with the CVT and honestly i like the transmission. I was skeptical as well when i went to test drive, but, i had a 2013 civic sedan with the 5 speed auto and in comparison the CVT feels stronger, the car pulls harder, feels alot faster (peppier). It does drone a bit when you get on the gas hard because it puts you in the peak torque rev range while you accelerate, but then "shifts" down when you let up a bit. Honestly, day to day i don't hear/feel anything different from the old 5 speed except that it shifts are smooth as butter. Honda definitely did their CVT the right way. I would absolutely have no issues owning another with a CVT.

Though i've heard that the CVTs that nissan makes are still terrible. Loud, droning and slow to react.

 

[10thG]

I have a 2014 civic coupe with the CVT and honestly i like the transmission. I was skeptical as well when i went to test drive, but, i had a 2013 civic sedan with the 5 speed auto and in comparison the CVT feels stronger, the car pulls harder, feels alot faster (peppier). It does drone a bit when you get on the gas hard because it puts you in the peak torque rev range while you accelerate, but then "shifts" down when you let up a bit. Honestly, day to day i don't hear/feel anything different from the old 5 speed except that it shifts are smooth as butter. Honda definitely did their CVT the right way. I would absolutely have no issues owning another with a CVT.

Though i've heard that the CVTs that nissan makes are still terrible. Loud, droning and slow to react.

Well that's somewhat of a relief!! I was almost thinking I might have to consider another car if CVT was that horrible.

Thanks for your feedback it's great to hear. Sounds like there's not much downsides then on the Honda CVT transmission. Do you know if you have to maintain yours with fluid changes?

 

[RobbJK88]

As far as i know the CVT uses transmission fluid like a normal automatic. However, i haven't yet hit the point in needing its first service (its way under miles for how long i've had it). But i would assume it uses a standard transmission fluid, but i'm not a mechanic either, i just know how it feels to drive.

Glad my input could help. I had the same reservations about the CVT when i traded in my 13 sedan for my 14 coupe. But honestly, the transmission definitely feels and drives better than the old 5 speed ever did and makes the car alot more fun in my opinion (sport mode is mostly useless it just throws you into the peak rev range so it sucks down gas, but it definitely helps with passing and having some occasional fun on the back roads)

 

[Miguel]

You said it pulls harder, is that just a butt dyno feeling from how CVT transmissions behave, or does this transmission actually outperform the old 5 speed auto?

 

[RobbJK88]

It's hard to say if it's the CVT that outperforms the old 5 speed. I know the initial launch isn't as hard as the old auto was, but i believe when they updated it, honda did say that the CVT increased the performance of the car slightly. The fact that you don't lose power between shifts and the car stays in the optimal rev range the entire time its accelerating it's hard to believe that it doesn't outperform the old 5 speed. The new exhaust also added 3 more horsepower and like 1 torque which i doubt is what makes the difference in feel. The way the CVT operates lends me to believe that yes, it outperforms the old auto. You might not have as hard of an initial launch, but take away shift time power loss and the fact it jumps into the peak torque range faster and stays there, it just pulls and pulls hard until you let up off the gas. Personally, i'd like to see a drag race between a 13 and a 14 to see which is faster, and by how much.

 

[Viet_Racer]

Curious, does CVT have any manual shifting mechanism like steering wheel paddles or shifter action that you can manually 'shift' with?

Or does that not even make sense since CVT technically doesn't have gear changes and run through gears like a standard auto/manual?

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