My Leaf inspired my wife to trade her car for a Nissan

[asimba2]

It was like an entire different group of engineers made the Altima. The transmission felt horrible. The engine wasn't smooth. It was an AWFUL car.

Many of the latest cars are going to CVT transmissions and dual clutch gearboxes in the name of efficiency. They have much lower spinning losses than traditional torque converter automatics. They definitely take some getting used to. In the case of the CVT, when you put your foot in it, the RPMs go to the power peak (often 5500-6000 RPMs on a small 4 cylinder), and the RPMs stay there while the car accelerates. It's not a nice sound, or a particularly fun and engaging transmission to drive hard. That is some of what you were feeling with the Altima, since it has a CVT. The Prius uses a similar concept and it's just another thing that makes the Prius one of the least rewarding cars to drive.

Dual clutch autos can be thought of as being closer to a manual transmission than an auto. It's basically an automated manual, and can pull impressive mileage figures. But, like a manual, they don't necessarily shift smoothly. Americans perfer torque converter autos, and you'll find American companies like GM that make dual clutch autos in european counties, while they give us the torque converter and CVT autos because Americans complain about the lack of smoothness in dual clutch transmissions. The dual clutch transmissions are technically superior in every way to torque converter autos, aside from service costs.

I'm a manual transmission guy, but if I can't have that, the 1-speed gearbox in the Leaf is hard to beat.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The Prius uses a similar concept and it's just another thing that makes the Prius one of the least rewarding cars to drive.

Not to pick nits, but the Prius uses an entirely different setup, involving two electric motors, the ICE,and a planetary gear. There is no CVT, no transmission in the conventional sense. It's difficult to even picture it. The Volt also uses this "power split device" setup. At least with the Prius you can get more power more quickly on demand with the mode switch.

 

[RonDawg]

It was like an entire different group of engineers made the Altima. The transmission felt horrible. The engine wasn't smooth. It was an AWFUL car.

Many of the latest cars are going to CVT transmissions and dual clutch gearboxes in the name of efficiency. They have much lower spinning losses than traditional torque converter automatics. They definitely take some getting used to. In the case of the CVT, when you put your foot in it, the RPMs go to the power peak (often 5500-6000 RPMs on a small 4 cylinder), and the RPMs stay there while the car accelerates. It's not a nice sound, or a particularly fun and engaging transmission to drive hard. That is some of what you were feeling with the Altima, since it has a CVT.

North American drivers in particular (who aren't used to CVT's which have been available for decades elsewhere) are so put off by this behavior that car manufacturers are now using software to make the CVT act like a conventional automatic. They do this by putting in "steps" rather than having an infinitely variable gear change. For example, the 7 speed automatic available in the current Corolla is really a CVT.

Dual clutch autos can be thought of as being closer to a manual transmission than an auto. It's basically an automated manual, and can pull impressive mileage figures. But, like a manual, they don't necessarily shift smoothly. Americans perfer torque converter autos, and you'll find American companies like GM that make dual clutch autos in european counties, while they give us the torque converter and CVT autos because Americans complain about the lack of smoothness in dual clutch transmissions. The dual clutch transmissions are technically superior in every way to torque converter autos, aside from service costs.

My "range extender" is an Audi with the DCT. It shifts blindingly quickly but smoothness of operation in automatic mode, particularly in city driving, is very dependent on the software and how well it is written. In some cars it is notably awful (like the ICE version of the Smart ForTwo) and even in my Audi there are some situations where it doesn't downshift when I would like it to. If I leave it in "Sport" mode the downshifts are quicker but the shifts are also noticeably harsher. think they are still best used as clutch-less manual transmissions.

Yes service costs can be horrendous with the VW Group DCT's. The fluid change alone is a couple hundred bucks, mostly for the specialized fluid it uses

 

[LeftieBiker]

North American drivers in particular (who aren't used to CVT's which have been available for decades elsewhere) are so put off by this behavior that car manufacturers are now using software to make the CVT act like a conventional automatic.

I got used to the CVT when I was 14 years old, in 1974. I rode a MotoSki Cadet snowmobile with one. Loved it.