Will we mourn the passing of real automatic trans?

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CVTs are taking over from real automatic gearboxes.
They were first seen in low-end cars and are slowly working their way up market.
I don't think that it's too much of a stretch to see the passing of coventional automatics over the next decade or so, except in either very high-powered or heavy duty applications.
What do all of you think?
 
I'd be happy if this happened. CVTs are what automatics should be. They just need to be able to change ratios more quickly.
 
After reading about so many failures with the ones used in various Nissan vehicles, I'd want to wait until they're more proven before I get one. I was seriously considering getting a new Honda before getting the Firebird until I found out they were putting CVTs in almost all of their new cars.
 
Never impressed with automatics so no. CVT's are the same to me just a disconnected way of driving a vehicle which I enjoy sometimes in my Acura MDX.
 
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I wouldnt mind a CVT if I knew it would last 200K miles without issues. I do like the traditional gear changes of geared autos though. I think Honda/Toyota are where the more reliable CVT's are at. Nissan (who has had them around the longest) is making some pretty bad units.
 
Lament? Nope. Whether we like it or not, CVTs look like the future....but I stil prefer a stick.
 
I was in a Subaru that my GF test drove with a CVT and it felt weird. Nothing wrong, just weird.

But I assume its the best way to improve MPG for vehicles with respect to a transmission.
 
First we need to mourn the loss of the manual gear boxes, increasingly hard to find on newer vehicles. Even some sports/muscle cars seem to be more commonly auto than manual. I will have to admit that typically cars are rated with a higher epa estimated mpg, with a auto trans vs a manual, automatics have come a long way. However I still prefer the feel and experience of a stick shift and always will.
 
Geez I hope not, a glorified snow-mobile trans for a car never appealed to me. But then I don't like DI either so call me old school. Now if they can build them strong enough to handle the torque and HP of a big block maybe we can talk.
 
I look at it the other way... MTs are more efficient from a losses perspective, why wouldn't DCTs become the norm?

If imagine they will find a way to cram 8-9 gears into one, can overlay all the same controls, and probably be lighter and more efficient.

Still stinks because non-MT transmissions still take the vehicle cost up by $750-1500 no matter how you look at it, even if it's built into the price.
 
Originally Posted By: actionstan
First we need to mourn the loss of the manual gear boxes, increasingly hard to find on newer vehicles. Even some sports/muscle cars seem to be more commonly auto than manual. I will have to admit that typically cars are rated with a higher epa estimated mpg, with a auto trans vs a manual, automatics have come a long way. However I still prefer the feel and experience of a stick shift and always will.


This.

It took me a month and a 5hr drive to find my Jetta with a manual transmission. Nothing more fun than going through the gears. I feel so disconnected when driving the Expedition or Equinox in our stable. Never liked the idea of a CVT, just sounds so weird driving it.
 
A good manual with good clutch take-up is a joy to drive.
That ship has long since sailed, though, and sticks are becoming a rarity on new cars, even those of sporting pretentions.
Many of those who now have enough money in their jeans to afford something interesting are of an age where they never learned to drive a stick and are too proud to admit it now, so they buy some sort of an automatic instead.
 
There is more to the dearth of manuals than a portion of the population never learning to use one. There are the usual driving distractions, urban/suburban gridlock, the proliferation of traffic lights, and the vast improvement in automatics.

Manuals are a niche market and will remain so. If you want one, more power to you (pun intended), but there's no point in whining about it.
 
...and, it's really hard to read and answer emails in traffic if you're driving a stick.
 
^Yeah, that was one of my points. Like it or not, it's reality.

And, just to clear the air, I can drive a manual. During the 80's I drove my parents' cars almost as much as my own and they were both manuals. I just choose an automatic. If I lived in an area with fun roads and little traffic I could be enticed back to a stick, but there is no joy in driving around here.
 
It's not only that manuals are sportier, or that they can give you better gas mileage, but the important thing is that with a manual, you are always in the gear you want to be in, not the gear a computer puts you in. If you don't want to up-shift, you just leave it in a lower gear. (Better control of the car).

I often travel to Italy and France, and just like the rest of Europe, most cars are manual, NOT for fuel economy, as they drive their cars hard, but because they have better control. (In addition, they are better drivers on average, than we are). Manuals are so popular, that it is very hard to sell your used automatic.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I look at it the other way... MTs are more efficient from a losses perspective, why wouldn't DCTs become the norm?

If imagine they will find a way to cram 8-9 gears into one, can overlay all the same controls, and probably be lighter and more efficient.

Still stinks because non-MT transmissions still take the vehicle cost up by $750-1500 no matter how you look at it, even if it's built into the price.


Right now it seems step-shift autos with more gear ratios are the norm.

I too prefer the DCT's as they could be controlled like manuals but offer the same convenience as an auto. In addition, DCT's could be designed to handle a lot of torque.

The CVT's are true Mush-O-Matics and until the internals are beefed up and produce faster shifting, no thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
But I assume its the best way to improve MPG for vehicles with respect to a transmission.


Thats true as long as the hydraulic pump doesn't take too much power away. Jatco CVTs in Nissans have improved this over the last 10 years. I like being able to have a wide ratio available, and be able to choose between about 1,000 possible ratios to exactly match demand to max efficiency torque/RPM sweet-spots.

As for reliability, 'stories' you hear of failures in CVTs are real, and some past designs were a bit risky. Check Consumer Reports for reliability percentages and you'll find they are on par with 'normal-shifty' automatics in the world.
 
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