Nissan Sentra with CVT

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MaximaGuy

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Over the weekend I drove a rental Nissan Sentra with CVT.

I must tell you folks the joy of riding a CVT, it was truely amazing the feel and how well the 2.0L engine is mated to the transmission.

No loss of power in any RPM range, no bucking, gear hunting.

I was thoroughly impressed with my first experience with a CVT and leaning towards a 2.5L Altima year end with a CVT.
 
I've rented both a Maxima and Altima with CVT and I'm as impressed as you.

The 4cyl + CVT is excellent and the V6+CVT is addictive. I don't know anyone with a V6 keeps their foot out of it!
 
I drove a Murano and it was a little unnerving to me. It seemed to allow more engine RPMs than I felt necessary for moderate in-town acceleration. It reminded me a lot of the sensation of accelerating in a motor boat. On the highway is where it shines IMO.
 
That is the complaint about CVTs, what it does is it puts the engine where it runs most efficiently on the powerband between peak torque and power, and keeps it there as long as you keep your foot in it. A lot of them have "gears" programmed in so people don't take it to the dealership saying 'it doesn't shift!'

I'd liken it more to a snowmobile.
 
I drove a rental Sentra with CVT last year. I was equally impressed. Granted, I am used to having a little more power on tap, but for a commuter car - it was excellent.
 
Originally Posted By: ryansride2017
I'm a buyer of the CVT when I hear of 200K miles without problems.


Well that won't happen anytime soon. You missing the joy of riding in a CVT, u are the looser.
 
Originally Posted By: MaximaGuy
Originally Posted By: ryansride2017
I'm a buyer of the CVT when I hear of 200K miles without problems.


Well that won't happen anytime soon. You missing the joy of riding in a CVT, u are the looser.

A remanufactured JF011E transmission only runs around $2500 (part), which is about the same as any 4,5 or 6-speed automatic.

Most transmissions are only designed to last 150-200k anyway.
 
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
Plus don't forget it's Nissan and a sentra at that.


That fact that it is a Nissan and a Sentra doesn't bother me at all. It has a redesigned 2.0 Liter. I just don't want to be the guinea pig with these CVT's just yet. They had some problems with their early model CVT's in the Murano. I wish Nissan the best in their new automatic transmission line.
 
Nissan + Jatco definitely have committed themselves to the CVT. Chrysler uses the same Jatco CVTs in many of their product lines now as well. My only wish is that they could do without a link-belt as the main drive item. In the right vehicle they are nice to drive. I liked the Murano. Hated the Saturn Vue AWD, 2.2L Ecotec + CVT.

Joel
 
We bought a Nissan Rogue with a CVT in December. I love the CVT's feel and performance. Similar in feel to a snowmobile is exactly how I'd describe it. It's kind of weird when you can turn on too a highway on ramp at about 30 mph @2500 rpm and moderately accelerate to 70 mph and the rpms never move until you let off at 70.

As for longevity, we'll see! We have a little over 6k miles on it now and most weeks lately it sees 700-1000 miles.
 
Originally Posted By: ffracer
So, what do you do with a CVT on snow or slush? Feed it rpms until you spin off the road?


If you continue to up the power while you're wheels are spinning, ANY transmission will spin right off the road...

But to address your question, with my car's CVT (ignoring the issue of whether a Prius' transmission is truly a CVT), the traction control simply kicks in and eases the power back until you regain traction. No big deal at all.
 
Pruis//Camry hybrids use "Power Split Device", which is completely unrelated to a CVT. From what I've seen it's much studier, and has no friction materials to mess things up.
 
Originally Posted By: Ed_T
Pruis//Camry hybrids use "Power Split Device", which is completely unrelated to a CVT. From what I've seen it's much studier, and has no friction materials to mess things up.


I have actually driven a Prius and I must tell you they are quite different in feel and experience.

I loved the CVT on the Nissan.
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: ffracer
So, what do you do with a CVT on snow or slush? Feed it rpms until you spin off the road?


If you continue to up the power while you're wheels are spinning, ANY transmission will spin right off the road...

But to address your question, with my car's CVT (ignoring the issue of whether a Prius' transmission is truly a CVT), the traction control simply kicks in and eases the power back until you regain traction. No big deal at all.


The difference is that you can actually control it with a clutch vs. anything.
 
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