CVT or MT?

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jimboburgess

Go fast, Go Cheap
So for a little bit longer than a year I've been driving a Hybrid with a continuously variable transmission. It took some getting used to since the car never shifts, there is some planning into merging and passing since the power isn't there from the engine and the tranny takes a little bit of time to catch up.

The CVT does have benefits though. The engine picks the 'ideal' revs for my throttle position and i rarely disagree with it.

if I'm cruising on the highway it is as low as it can be, if i mash the pedal to the floor the revs go up to where the horse power is at it's peak and stays there until i am done accelerating.

that last little bit is what swings me over to choosing a CVT over a MT and definitely over an AT. with no shifting the engine just pulls the car smoothly. imagine in bracket racing if your car never shifted, talk about cheating.

the only reason i can see choosing a MT is because it makes driving more engaging. I like roaring around back roads and quick shifts.
oh yeah a cvt weighs more than a MT too so that may be a reason to choose it too. but what's 100lbs in a 3000lbs car, you might as well kick you girlfriend out if you really need to save the weight that much.


edit* this questions comes up with the CR-z 6 speed MT or CVT, which would you choose?

what do you guys think?
 
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Personally I'm going with a MT. I like manuals and will continue to drive them as long as the fed government deems its ok for me to do so ;/. Though, I do hear that the CVT is slightly faster on the track. We have three CR-Zs here (two MT and one CVT) and I haven't yet had a chance to drive one. I think as soon as spring comes around I'll be picking up a white EX MT. Its time to finally own a car past the year 1992.. and I can't believe it's going to be a hybrid.. though after it's paid off it probably won't be a hybrid anymore...
 
CVT, because the CR-Z is supposed to be an econo-car and it's set up for efficiency(supposedly).
 
I would chose the mt without question. i have no interest in a cvt or any other manumatic of any kind.

unless i was a delivery person/etc for a living, i don't care enough about gas mileage to make it worth the non-driving aspect of it.
 
cvt seems too boring for an every day car. also, from my one experience with a cvt equipped car, the strange lag and surge of power was unsettling. cant beat a good ol' manual transmission for driving fun.
 
I choose MT ive test drove a 2010 Lancer GTS with CVT and it was weird not feeling the car shift plus I think its fun to be able to run thru the gears
 
I'm going to get the CVT.

Honestly, I like the idea of ideal power output all the way through the car's usable ground speed. Besides, then it'll be an experience.
 
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