Question about CVT transmission versus traditional automatic

[JerseeJerry55]

Hello all hope everybody's well. My wife, and I have leases on each of our Kia vehicles ending in May and we are seriously considering Honda as replacements. My question is what is the major difference between a CVT transmission and the traditional automatic? Is there that much of a difference in either? Did anybody have an adjustment to CVT from automatic? If anyone could explain it would be most appreciated. Thank you.

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[gtman]

My last car was a Kia Forte SX with a traditional automatic. My Civic is my first CVT.

There are some differences but overall I think this CVT is excellent. One thing that takes a bit of getting used to is the lack of the traditional shift sounds and feel. CVT's work a bit differently.

But here's where you will love the CVT. It keeps power exactly where it needs to be for any situation. There's no hunting for gears like a traditional auto will do at times. Sometimes you'll look at your speedometer and be shocked how quickly you got up to speed. Gas mileage is better too.

This Honda CVT does it's job very well.

 

[JerseeJerry55]

Thanks for the reply. Just trying to be sure since I've had Hyundai's/Kia's as my last five vehicles.

 

[K04]

This is my first CVT car and I am impressed. I came from a 2001 Audi A4 with an automatic 5 speed. I find the CVT to be very responsive and it feels strong even under hard acceleration. There was no learning curve for me. The test drive was great and I found the CVT to be a lot better in terms of smoothness and on demand acceleration.

 

[Billy4202]

As far as CVTs go, it's very livable and intuitive.

Drive a Nissan to see the opposite.

 

[Civics4Ever]

My first Cvt car and it is so smooth compared to a Nissan Versa I've driven.

 

[dallasjhawk]

Hello all hope everybody's well. My wife, and I have leases on each of our Kia vehicles ending in May and we are seriously considering Honda as replacements. My question is what is the major difference between a CVT transmission and the traditional automatic? Is there that much of a difference in either? Did anybody have an adjustment to CVT from automatic? If anyone could explain it would be most appreciated. Thank you.

Of all the CVT cars out there, the Civic and Honda get lauded for having the best of the CVTs. Its easy to get used to and if you arent wringing it out you wont really even notice its there. It will do simulated "shifts" when pushed to 100% throttle. For tooling around town or long road trips it gets great gas mileage and does its job. you wont be disappointed at all.

 

[jrschultz]

CVT's can be a great transmission if they are allowed to operate in they way they were intended. The problem is the general public didn't understand how they worked when they were first introduced, so everyone thought their car was broken as the car stayed at a set rpm while accelerating. That's a big reason why cvt's now simulate shifts. The simulated shifts make the cvt feel more like a traditional automatic, thus pleasing most of the public. Unfortunately, this completely defeats the purpose of what makes a cvt so good. A cvt can be at the best ratio for acceleration and then be at the best ratio for efficiency while cruising. Honda has been able to create a good cvt that does it's job while pleasing the average car buyer with how it feels. Research the Williams FW15C F1 car. F1 banned cvt's, because it was so good as a performance transmission.

 

[gtman]

I really don't feel those simulated shifts you're talking about. The CVT feels like a CVT. Maybe the simulated shifts are more pronounced in "S", which I rarely use. The only time I really feel a simulated shift is at full throttle.

 

[charleswrivers]

As stated above, CVTs shine at allowing the engine to hold at peak power, with the CVT dynamically changing hearing to allow a car to accelerate. It can be designed to start lower and go higher than a conventional automatic. On the downside, despite their relative simplicity and the fact they've been used sporadically in mainstream vehicles since at least the 80s, and have gotten very common in the last decade, most mechanics, including dealers seem to replace and not repair. I can go down the road to a local transmission shop and they charge $1500-2000 for a rebuild for either a manual or automatic transmission. The best they could do is replace a CVT.

CVTs are somewhat torque sensitive as well, and software generally limits torque so off the line, they tend to feel a touch underpowered for a moment. I've driven maybe 4 or 5 CVT cars and they all felt the same off the line. Once they're going, they accelerate very well... better than other autos or manuals. They tend to have a higher final ratio so they can have better fuel economy. They can have a weird runner band feeling when initially accelerating, but I think this is a mix of the torque limiting software and whether their belt is rubber or more of a chain.

If you like it... you'll love it. If you don't like it... you'll probably hate it.

If I wanted an automatic and could get replacement parts for a CVT because my ATV has one, I know how it works and is painfully simple, I'd chose a CVT over a conventional automatic all day long. Because they're practically irreparable and I still like driving a manual, I didn't give them a first glance. They're the only game in town so far as autos go on a Civic, and isn't the first generation a Civic has had a CVT.

If you look at other forums, like the Mini Cooper guys, you'll see why some very poorly implemented CVTs have really vilified them. That and you can't buy a replacement belt for our CVTs from any of the parts stores I've seen... so if a belt breaks... well, it's a tragedy.

 

[arsh88]

CVT expert here, okay not really but I've driven a CVT since June of 2013 and apparently that's a rarity. My old car was a 2012 Lancer SE. I actually picked the honda civic partially BECAUSE of CVT, i know that's almost blasphemy. The common complaints with CVTs are "they're sluggish" and "they're dull". Not all of this is true. The powerband on a CVT has what's known as a "rubber band effect". It's pulley based so you can't stomp on your brakes, then on the gas, and then do this over and over and over and have a good time in it. CVTs are meant to make your drive smoother. The upside to them is you can coast in them a bit easier than geared transmissions since it's maintaining power. The down side is in stop and go you need to let your RPM balance before you re-accelerate or it gets jerky.

In general I think CVTs get shit on way too much by people who don't understand them, or were only exposed to Nissan's CVTs which are complete trash. i had 78,000 trouble free miles on the lancer, and probably would have had more had i not got in an accident that totaled it out. And I actually really appreciate how smooth it is when driving. I had a rental with gears and the constant jerking of the transmission at 40mph when it couldn't decide if it wanted 2nd or 3rd gear was enough for me to realize why everyone replaced them.
Now yes, a CVT then doesn't allow it to be a great race car, or have a ton of tuning capability, but I do think they're great. You just have to know they drive differently. Some appreciate the difference like myself, and some just hate that it's different.

 

[BallisticSquid]

My '19 EX Hatch is my first CVT and I was a bit gun shy about it after reading so many bad comments about the on the internet. The fact that the Honda CVTs got pretty consistent praise convinced me to give it a chance.

Coming from my Volvo 2012 S60 with a traditional manual, it felt weird at first. It was very strange to be accelerating up a hill and the tach is dropping.

I've gotten used to it and I really like it now. Overall the car is a blast to drive with great handling and spunky acceleration, even when compared to my S60.

 

[gtman]

Now yes, a CVT then doesn't allow it to be a great race car, or have a ton of tuning capability, but I do think they're great. You just have to know they drive differently. Some appreciate the difference like myself, and some just hate that it's different.

Actually, it's amazing how my KTuner tune has changed the engine/transmission dynamics of my car. Sure, it's still a CVT vehicle, but, the improved power, throttle response and reduced lag makes the driving experience quite a bit better.

 

[Alj888]

CVT expert here, okay not really but I've driven a CVT since June of 2013 and apparently that's a rarity. My old car was a 2012 Lancer SE. I actually picked the honda civic partially BECAUSE of CVT, i know that's almost blasphemy. The common complaints with CVTs are "they're sluggish" and "they're dull". Not all of this is true. The powerband on a CVT has what's known as a "rubber band effect". It's pulley based so you can't stomp on your brakes, then on the gas, and then do this over and over and over and have a good time in it. CVTs are meant to make your drive smoother. The upside to them is you can coast in them a bit easier than geared transmissions since it's maintaining power. The down side is in stop and go you need to let your RPM balance before you re-accelerate or it gets jerky.

In general I think CVTs get shit on way too much by people who don't understand them, or were only exposed to Nissan's CVTs which are complete trash. i had 78,000 trouble free miles on the lancer, and probably would have had more had i not got in an accident that totaled it out. And I actually really appreciate how smooth it is when driving. I had a rental with gears and the constant jerking of the transmission at 40mph when it couldn't decide if it wanted 2nd or 3rd gear was enough for me to realize why everyone replaced them.
Now yes, a CVT then doesn't allow it to be a great race car, or have a ton of tuning capability, but I do think they're great. You just have to know they drive differently. Some appreciate the difference like myself, and some just hate that it's different.

The cvt in the newer Nissan maximas is amazing... I would place it way higher on a day to day basis and a performance basis Then my civic I currently own. I miss my Nissan Maxima sr more then anything and wish I would’ve kept it....

 

[arsh88]

Actually, it's amazing how my KTuner tune has changed the engine/transmission dynamics of my car. Sure, it's still a CVT vehicle, but, the improved power, throttle response and reduced lag makes the driving experience quite a bit better.

Yeah i do plan on doing ktuner eventually still. CVT just can't do as large of a PSI boost but it can definitely still have one.

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