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Sedans Nissan Altima Nissan Altima CVT
85 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 7:45 PM
You are in the Nissan Altima Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: karpediem (Mar 24, 2008 8:32 pm)
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Replying to: dajani (Apr 16, 2009 11:25 am) You made a great choice. I wish you years of great fun and operation in your new car.
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Replying to: greengoddess (Apr 16, 2009 11:37 am) BTW, before that I drove a Maxima (V6) for 6+ years and am so glad that I "downsized" - a lot better fuel economy. Plus, I don't miss that torque when accelerating..... 
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Replying to: godeacs (Apr 17, 2009 3:58 pm) However, I do get some jerkiness at speeds under 40mph. My guess is it's just because the CVT has a limited number of set ratios at lower RPMs. I know it's the CVT "shift-logic" because if you move it over to manual mode and shift it that way, the engine is very smooth and pretty refined feeling. There's absolutely no jerking in manual mode other than what you feel when you shift between ratios. (Now enter theory stuff) I believe that with the next generation of Altima we'll see both engines get significantly redesigned. Now that Nissan has established that CVT-based vehicles are what they wish to pursue, I think they're going to start designing their engines around this. As of right now, they're currently designing the CVT to be compatible with their chosen engines. However, if you design the ENGINE to also be compatible with the CVT, the refinement will reach a whole new level. The current engines are very content with a manual gearbox, but a little sluggish with the CVT. That's because the engines aren't designed to take advantage of a CVT's gearless system. In other words, the engines have very specific power bands, and thus, it only feels energetic when the engine is in that power band. I believe we're going to see more torque and horsepower from lower RPMs and the peak will be far lower in the rev-band as well. That way, cars will feel much more energetic from a stop AND there won't be a "flat line" on power between 2000-3000RPMs (in the 4-cyl). This should also eliminate jerkiness from the lower revs, as the CVT won't have to shift as much to keep the power up. 1st generation CVT: high rev acceleration, rubber-band feeling 2nd (current) generation CVT: smoother acceleration, higher horsepower engines 3rd (future) generation CVT: engines designed for CVT, MUCH quicker acceleration, more linear power delivery. This is only speculation, but if you're a fan of CVT based Nissan cars, I think it's about to get a lot better in the 3rd generation. The first 2 generations were test beds to see if it would work. Now that Nissan knows it works (and is selling well) they should invest a lot more in their powerplants this time around. Only time will tell though.
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Have owned a 2008 Altima Coupe V6 SE since it had 5 miles on it, now has 21,000 miles. The car drives like I would imagine a slot car driving, just push on the throttle 0 to 100 mph (freeway on ramp) and you would never know that the transmisson found another ratio except for the tach movement. The only thing that I have found disappointing in the Altima Coupe is the electronics. My 2000 Ford Expedition's electronics were much better in the fact that the drivers seat, inside rear view mirror, and outside rear view mirrors could be set and would adjust according to which remote control was used. Am also disappointed in the navigation system, it cannot find housing tracks that have been in existance for 10 plus years! For the price of it, it should be up to date one would assume. |
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I have been a Nissan customer for years. I've had a 1999 Nissan Altima, a 2003 Nissan Altima and now drive a 2006 Nissan Frontier. I'm looking into a new 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe but have been reading so much about the problems with the CVT on this car. Any suggestions??? Get another Frontier or get the Altima Coupe? I love this car but very unsure about this new transmission. I've never had a problem with a Nissan, that's why I have stayed with them and don't want to start having any problems now. HELP!!!! Chilady
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Replying to: chilady (Apr 27, 2009 12:30 pm) I did my own research and Edmunds was one place. It basically comes down to this. I believe it's the 3rd generation of the CVT. It's been in some of the Nissan fleet since 2003 when they introduced it in the 2003 Murano. THere were known issues with it breaking down around 120,000 kms which is just after the warranty period. To quell any issues, you could consider getting the extended warranty. Some people complain about noises at lot speeds. That's just the CVT tranny doing it's thing and it's not really loud at all. A test drive will show you that. I've had mine for a month now and have zero complaints. |
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Replying to: chilady (Apr 27, 2009 12:30 pm) |
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Replying to: madpistol (Apr 18, 2009 8:19 am) This may be true with the 4 cylinders, but I find my 3.5 V-6 to have tremendous pull at all speeds. I love the CVT--in fact it was the reason I decided on a Nissan. I had had experience with a CVT when I test drove a Saturn several years earlier, and altho I didn't particularly care for the car itself, I liked the utter smoothness of the transmission. Also, in the Saturn any desired increase in speed was accompanied by a tremendous revving of the engine almost to 6,000 RPM. None of this is present in the Nissan--the engine seems to be able to increase speed without having to scream itself to death. "3rd (future) generation CVT: engines designed for CVT, MUCH quicker acceleration, more linear power delivery" There's just one problem--with the influence of the government pushing for lower emissions and higher gas mileage, we may enter another era similar to the 70's when cars actually lost ground in the areas of horsepower and performance. The more powerful V-6 may not be made available in all the models that it is currently available in. In fact, I average 24-26 MPG in my car consistenly.
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Replying to: chilady (Apr 27, 2009 12:30 pm) |
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