Audi CVT....

[PricklyPete]

My rental car this week was begrudgingly an automatic. One of the benefits of working over in Europe is that my rental cars here are normally decent manual cars that are fun to drive. I had a great manual 3 series last week and I was happy to be getting an A4 this week...but all they had were "automatics". I went ahead and took the car and it turns out it is in fact a CVT and not a true slushbox. Well this was my first time with a CVT, so I was slightly interested in seeing how it performs.

Well as a whole I think it sucks. Not becuase it "drones" when you stomp on the accelerator....but because the uptake when getting going from a stop is atrocious . I would possibly even label it as dangerous. There is no true feeling of when you press against the accelerator and when the car is actually going to move.

I've heard that the Nissan CVT's don't exhibit this behavior...but I was wholly unimpressed with this transmission. And I generally love Audi's.

Just a buyer beware...definitely test drive one before buying...although that should always be the case...I've known some people to ebay a car and then be surprised when they didn't know something about it.

 

[DivideBYZero]

You sure there wasn't a 'Sport' button that would have livened it up a little?

 

[AdamK47]

Test drive a car before buying? That's crazy talk.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Test drive a car before buying? That's crazy talk.

:laugh:

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
You sure there wasn't a 'Sport' button that would have livened it up a little?

It does have this...and it does improve the general "CVTness" of the transmission...but it doesn't really help with the getting going problem.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: AdamK47
Test drive a car before buying? That's crazy talk.

Some times I wonder how some people ever learned to walk...they need these kind of warnings.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
You sure there wasn't a 'Sport' button that would have livened it up a little?

It does have this...and it does improve the general "CVTness" of the transmission...but it doesn't really help with the getting going problem.

Yeah, well a CVT if set up properly should have very little take up. a CVT can essentially dial up whatever ratio is required for best performance. However, some manufacturers pander to a market that often demands to feel different ratios 'changing'. The Smart is a good example. it has 'seven' gears, except it doesn't, as it has a CVT with pre-programmed cone positions.

You may have even been a victim of the following:

CVTs operate smoothly. This can give a perception of low power, because many drivers expect a jerk when they begin to move the vehicle. The expected jerk of a non-CVT can be emulated by CVT control software though, eliminating this marketing problem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...smission#Disadvantages

 

[KDKPSJ]

Yes, as DivideByZero said, that's a charateristic of CVT, which is the best for some, and the worst for some.

If you are MT guy, CVT is obviously the worst transmission you can ever be as the characteristic of CVT is completely opposite from MT. Considering even Automatic (or even DCT as it lacks the third pedal) is hated by most of MT guys in first place, what can you expect from CVT?

But on the other hand, I have several friends who actually love this "shiftless" operation, because it feels very soft and smooth. So yeah, definately you should test-drive one.

 

[Throckmorton]

Sounds like you are just used to an engine starting with little torque, and then ramping up through each gear

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Sounds like you are just used to an engine starting with little torque, and then ramping up through each gear

No...that is certainly not the case.

The car has no feeling as to when the transmission is about to engage. I've driven hundreds of different manual and automatic transmissions and this is distinctly crappy.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Sounds like you are just used to an engine starting with little torque, and then ramping up through each gear

No...that is certainly not the case.

The car has no feeling as to when the transmission is about to engage. I've driven hundreds of different manual and automatic transmissions and this is distinctly crappy.

This is just how CVTs are. There is no 'jolt' as there is with other trans types.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: PricklyPete

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Sounds like you are just used to an engine starting with little torque, and then ramping up through each gear

No...that is certainly not the case.

The car has no feeling as to when the transmission is about to engage. I've driven hundreds of different manual and automatic transmissions and this is distinctly crappy.

This is just how CVTs are. There is no 'jolt' as there is with other trans types.

There is a jolt...when the car starts from 0, it suddenly goes from no power to the clutch engaging and the uptake is not consistent. That is specifically what I'm complaining about. I'm well aware of how the CVT does not "shift" past that point.

So, when you're at a stop, and you want to move forward, you start to place your foot on the pedal. Nothing happens and then suddenly the car has a minor jolt into movement. That jolt is not consistent in any way. This causes you to have no confidence on when the car is about to start moving.

 

[StageLeft]

I've only driven a Subaru Justy with its CVT around 15 years ago. I put many miles on it and hated the entire transmission from day one.

 

[Jeff7181]

My Nissan doesn't suffer from this... at least not that I've noticed. Maybe Audi uses a VERY tight torque converter that doesn't let the engine rev into the powerband before locking up?

*EDIT* By the way, isn't the A4 throttle-by-wire? Maybe that's the problem... not the CVT?