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How sporty in this new Continuously Variable Transaxle II transmission?
How sporty is this new continuouly variable transaxle transmission? I test drove a new compass and it's different feel. My wife can't drive a 5 speed. I need to just teach her so I can get the SRT4:)
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The CVT2 will feel different in the Compass just because it's a heavier vehicle I'd imagine.
But its acceleration is computer controlled & is terrible from 0 to 20mph. Past rubberized pulleys had bad reliability. Tho the Carbon graphite is strong, I believe Jatco(who makes CVTs for Caliber & Nissan Versa), has given extra reliability to the CVT by reducing stress at starting speeds. Pushing the gas pedal very hard above 35mph overcomes a holding economy detante on the pedal(is not in Calibers built after November 2006). Acceleration becomes more brisk, tho economy is greatly sacrificed. Yes, the CVT is not for pretend auto racers.
To get the last bit of CVT economy, you must be very very easy on the gas pedal(I mean rrrreeeeaaaaallllllllyyyyy easy). If you drive as you would other transmissions the CVT will take large chucks out of your MPG.
My Caliber is tuned very nicely, & I have gotten as high as 35mpg(vvveeerrryyyy easy driving). But this cold winter, short drives, & lots of cooldowns between gas fillings, & mileage has dropped to 26-7mpg.
But the CVT is a revelation! Throw the other auto transmissions away. You don't need a wallowing big car anymore for sensually genteel pleasurable driving.
The fuel mileage claims are a hoax. We never got better mileage on the CVT, especially on the highway (20mpg city/23-25 mpg hwy). I was expecting lower engine rpm and higher mileage on the highway.
I eventually traded it off because of the poor transmission dynamics that Saturn claimed was normal. (By the way you can no longer get a CVT on a Vue...) Maybe over time other manufacturers can imrove it to make it better. Would like to see what the Nissan CVT's drive like.
During the winter some of my tanks of gas dropped to 25-27MPG, dragging my average down to 28.4MPG. With the warming spring weather & summer mix gasoline, my average has risen to 29.5MPG. By my first year of ownership(September 28, 2007), I hope my average will be into the low 30 MPG range. May not sound impressive, but Caliber owners are having a bad time getting anywhere near EPA averages.
DJP
since I picked up in August 06,however it took
a lot of getting aclimatized to the CVT after
regular 4 spd automatic.
I adapted to the less than spectacular acceleration
from 0-25 mph thinking this was how it was going to
be from day one.
Well I saw TSB# 18-031-07 read the characteristics
profile,printed it out and had my dealer perform
the procedure next oil change.
What a difference it has made,the car accelerates
smoothly now with no dead spot or hesitation
0-25 mph and mpg has risen by 10-11% with my same
driving style.
Definitely a plus for those whose Caliber was built
previous to May 07.
Spent last 2 days driving around for work, outside air temp 95 to 100 degrees and got around 17mpg. Second day a little cooler out, 90 to 95, plus some highway driving and got about 17.5 mpg. Not sure if heat affected mpg or if there's something wrong?
How are you able to get such good mileage?? and are you still getting it?
PS Ours was built in April 2006, my other Caliber which I bought this year has none of those problems.
where most of my driving is normally done after it
has risen to 27-29 mpg US.
Acceleration has gone from ho hum to chirp the tires
I'm out of here.
Lately I have been driving about 70% expressway
at 65-70 mph and average for the mix is at 31.516
mpg US.
I don't know if you NEED the TSB done but if you
read the criteria justifying the TSB and your car
was built before April 28,2007 it is elgible.
Other than that if your happy with it the way
it is now why bother.
The downside to the CVT is a rather weak torque converter... Not weak in regards to durability, but in fluid coupling. The CVT only uses its torque converter to allow the engine to idle in gear at stop lights. A hydraulic clutch "locks out" the torque converter to avoid hydraulic slippage while cruising and also saves gas by allowing the engine to completely shut off fuel to the injectors during deceleration. Two big pluses and one giant leap for automatic transmission fuel mileage.
The one thing many Speed Racer types miss in this tranny is the "LUNGE" of power a big beefy torque converter provides coming off the line when the light turns green. With the CVT, acceleration is more like a jet plane, or rocket... Not so spritely off the line, but remarkably firm and smooth once you get rolling.
I've never had a problem keeping up with the rest of traffic coming off a traffic light, but if you tromp on the gas from a standing start, the lack of oomph is noticeable. Once you're rolling, the CVT is smooth as silk... No lurching from gear to gear like every other tranny on the road, and no "gear hunting" climbing long grades with the cruise control on. Passing in traffic is no problem either... The CVT allows the engine to spool up instantly for a surge of confidence inspiring acceleration, without the lag, waiting for the downshift in a standard auto.
This is the transmission of the future! Sorry if the drag racers are disappointed with the (lack of) "out of the gate" lunge.
(transmission control module) and the PCM(power control module).
It makes the changes to drivability and the way the engine responds.
The dealer can look it up on the Chrysler Service net or check your VIN
number to see if it's been done or if indeed your car falls within the
required VIN or manufactured time frame.
I personally printed it out and went to my dealer and told him that
Iwas experiencing the problems described in the criteria section.
But I do not want a manual transmission. What is it like to drive this new type of transmission? I had an explanation about what it is, but need to know if it is like an automatic.
At the age of 77, I am not about to get a manual trans.
for almost 4 yrs and I am 69 now,love the transmission.
It takes a bit of driving to adjust to the ecentricities of the
CVT i.e. torque converter lock/unlock at 20 mph,the car
playing catchup to the RPM under heavy acceleration.
By the time the car was 6000 miles I was in tune with it,
Original plugs,regular oil changes and 1 software update
it still gets 27 mpg city and 34 mpg US hiway.
"By the time the car was 6000 miles I was in tune with it"
I have to agree that different transmissions - manual, conventional automatic, CVT - all require some adjustments from their drivers. I have now driven 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions (and started years ago with "3 on the tree" and "4 on the floor"); a Nissan Cube CVT; 3 speed auto (Dodge Neon); 4 speed auto (many); 5 speed auto (Honda CRV and Odyssey); 6 speed auto (MINI).
With manual transmissions, the clutch is usually the big difference. Some clutches start to engage low to the floor, some in the middle, some near the top; some engage gradually, some faster. Within a week or two of getting a new manual transmission car I was always "adapted" to the new feel. On those occasions when I had two daily drivers both with manuals, the switch between cars was a little disconcerting and it took two days of driving to get tuned back to really smooth shifting - meaning I try not to have two manual transmission cars as daily drivers anymore (one stick and one auto is better for me).
With automatics, there are tricks as to how much throttle to give them. When coaxing gas mileage out of them, I learned how to give more throttle (for better pickup) without forcing a downshift. Of course that's when automatics were biased towards good pickup. Now that they are biased towards fuel economy, you have to give them a LOT of throttle even when you WANT a downshift - but not so much you get a double downshift. I also learned how to "urge" the throttle, depressing it a little more just before it would usually upshift, if I wanted to hold a lower gear longer. So when people think an automatic does all the work for you, that's wrong, there's a way to "play" the throttle to emphasize fuel economy (by not downshifting) or performance (by not upshifting).
A CVT is a bird of a third feather - the throttle nuance is different. On the Cube (Nissan also makes the Caliber CVT, but Chrysler did their own shift programming), I learned just how to keep it in almost unbearably low-rpm mode to get incredible city mileage. Conversely, to avoid annoying engine roar, I had to learn how to give it more throttle for better acceleration when I wanted it, but not so much that it would jump from 4,000 rpm - which was the sweet spot on the Cube - to 5000-6000, which was the thrashy noisy zone.
Finally, the MINI (one of my current daily drivers) has TOO many gears - 6 - and it takes a lot of artful throttle application to keep it where I want it - too much throttle and my gas mileage goes down, too little throttle and people get impatient behind me. Since there are more gears, it is more willing to shift, but often I don't want it too, either to preserve gas mileage or to preserve pickup. I also try to avoid upshift/downshift/upshift "hunting" in slow and go traffic - partly to preserve mileage, partly because the MINI throws MUCH harder (which means sportier) shifts than, say the 4 speed auto Subaru Impreza.
So I guess my message is that you might think manual transmissions are the ones that require adaptation and adjustment, but bigtsr is absolutely right, automatics, and especially CVT's also require some adaptation and adjustment. So when you switch cars or transmission types, experiment with different throttle under different speeds and loads. You may be surprised how much difference an artful use of the throttle can make in terms of driving enjoyment, mileage, and performance. Simply flooring it or driving like a mouse aren't good solutions. The trick is to learn how to urge the throttle so you don't get a downshift (or it's equivalent with a CVT) when you want better performance, and how to load the engine without throwing a downshift, when you want better mileage.