Quote:
Originally Posted by PetitFrereMaxima
I like the points put forward by fflint_18. Lightonthehill, I thought the way you wrote about the manual tranny, you never enjoyed driving one.
As clearly stated by fflint_18, a lot of people in america just want to turn the key and go. But in Europe most of the cars are stick. And yes, they do have tons of traffic and people with busy lifestyles like us here. No big difference. Of course it is a highly developed country too. So, why do think, though they manufacture a lot of luxury cars like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, they still put manual tranny in them? It is rare or almost not available to find recent models of these cars in the US with sticks in them.
I do like my cvt and like its performance. But there is that feeling of being in control that is lacking. The one of YOU deciding the speed and power. Not the cvt being in control. It makes me wonder a lot why they make the cvts and put the manual mode, without a clutch. What is the sense of that? For real. Explain that to me.
It is clearly an auto! How can they put the manual option with no clutch? Is it suppose to be a joystick at that point?
All I can say is Nissan has its reasons for putting whatever in their cars. And I sure do like my 08 Maxima SE, for it comes with all the toys I like, plus the one I added to complete it. But when it comes to fun in driving, on a long trip, I will prefer driving a stick, than a cvt. But I don't have that option, so, I am in my Max with its cvt and all I can say is "Catch me if you can, on the freeway!"
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The European situation is much different than the U.S. For one thing, although you see large cars in Europe, they have always had a much higher percentage of small cars than we have in the U.S. With the insane prices they have always had to pay for gasoline over there, that was almost mandatory.
As recently as around ten years ago, probably between 85 and 90% of vehicles in Europe would fall into what we call the compact and econo-box category. That percentage is not greatly lower even today. Mass-produced cars of that size almost invariably have a manual, either as the only option, or as the price-leader. So through the end of the second millenium, most Europeans began their driving career on a manual.
I have noticed that folks that learn to drive in a manual vehicle (such as my son and daughter) seem to always prefer a manual. By contrast, most folks that learn to drive in an automatic vehicle usually go through life preferring an automatic. With Europeans learning to drive on a manual, they take that preference into larger cars when they can afford to move up.
There is one additional factor: In Europe, through the end of the second millenium, a lower percentage of wives drove the family car. In the U.S., the wife often drives more than the husband. And busy wives that have lots of places to be, and dozens of chores to take care of, are not usually into driving for the macho sport of it. Many have never driven a manual, and have not the slightest interest in learning. They are just trying to get from one place to another, and have their mind on the next five or six tasks.
If you like your '08 CVT, you will LOVE the '09 CVT. It is a much tighter unit, with better anticipation, and better software. And, despite vehement denials, the CVT is not truly an 'automatic'. Automatics shift gears. The CVT has no gears to shift, and applies a continuous, uninterruped flow of power at the optimum ratio. Big difference.
As for the 'manual option' in CVTs, it simply puts the tranny into one of five selected gear ratios, which is exactly what a manual does. Despite the moans, denials and 'nays', the reality is that, once we take the time to truly understand and master this CVT, we have just as much control over the car as we do with a manual. Why require the use of the left foot when it serves no purpose other than to coddle the ingrained habits of those folks who, like trained rats, think eliminating that move takes the driver out of the picture? Old habits can be hard to break, expecially where macho egos are involved.
Yes, I loved my manual trannies. I also loved my electronic tube-type radios, and my one-speed bicycles, and my crank-type wall phones, and my tube-type tires, and my windup Victrolas, and my 78 rpm mono records, and so on. But I have learned that nothing stays the same, no matter how much we may want it to. We can either fight progress, which is both frustrating and useless, or we can assimilate it into our life and move on.