#Auto cvt series#

If you’d like to know what type of transmission a car has before buying it, it’s easy to do for new vehicles, as this is usually printed on the window sticker, but you can also find it on the manufacturer’s website or printed brochure. Some European car manufacturers also started adopting it for a few of their models, including Mercedes-Benz A-Class and B-Class, as well as Renault Koleos and Megane. European manufacturers – although CVTs are more common among Japanese brands.Honda & Toyota – with over a dozen models that feature a CVT transmission, these two Japanese automakers are also on the rise.Mitsubishi, Nissan & Subaru – these car manufacturers often use continuously variable transmission not just for their regular models, but also for their SUVs.But here are the car makes and models that most often use CVT transmissions: This is also the reason why vehicles with four-cylinder engines are often the ones with CVTs.Ĭars with continuously variable transmissionīecause cars with a continuously variable transmission and ones equipped with a standard automatic look the same, you may not be able to tell the difference when car shopping. Many automakers use CVTs because it can get maximum power out of a small engine, therefore delivering a quicker, more reactive acceleration. Needless to say, driving a vehicle like this is a unique experience, and it’s becoming more and more popular with some auto manufacturers. This means it will almost effortless for the car to take off from a stoplight, as well as easier to climb even on difficult terrain. Since there are no gears in a CVT transmission, your vehicle will find it easier to get to the ideal torque ratio and maintain it. So that feeling you get in an ordinary automatic, where you climb through the gears, just isn’t there.Īnother difference you may notice, when driving a vehicle like this, is an easier take off. When you slam on the gas, the car will immediately zoom to a nice, brisk speed – but then, it will hold steady at that speed, even as you continue to apply pressure to the gas pedal. Say, for instance, you try to speed up to pass another car. The unusual thing is that it essentially chooses the ideal speed for any given situation and holds it constant-even if you’re accelerating the car. In that sense, it might make for a smoother ride. You’ll just notice the car getting faster or slower.

For instance, when you’re driving a vehicle with CVT, you won’t notice or “feel” gears shifting.

There are several differences between the automatic and continuously variable transmission, apart from the basic functionality of each. Unlike the individual gears in an ordinary automatic, this gear can handle all speeds. With a continuously variable transmission, though, you do not have all these gears. You see, with ordinary automatics, there are a set number of gears-so, for instance, you may see a vehicle marked as a “6-speed automatic.” Each of these gears accommodates a certain speed range, so as you start driving faster, the car may automatically shift from first gear into second, and maybe then on to the third. To a certain extent, you do operate it more or less normally-sliding the shift lever from Park into Drive, then zooming off! From there, though, the CVT gets a little bit more complex. The CVT also works a little differently from a conventional transmission. Because their width is variable, it changes depending on how much power the car needs, hence the term “continuously variable transmission”. One pulley is connected to the engine, the other to the wheels. It features a pair of pulleys of variable width, connected by a belt. The CVT, on the other hand, doesn’t have any gears.

#Auto cvt series#

The standard automatic features a complex series of gears that transmit the power of the engine to the wheels.

What does this term mean? And more pointedly, is it something you should buy – or something you should avoid?ĬVT stands for continuously variable transmission, which is different from a conventional automatic transmission. If you’re shopping for a new vehicle, you may come across the term CVT Transmission.