CVT gearboxes

Thks ben....
My understanding is that CVT dispenses with the use of a torque converter, which is the 'slippage' component that accounts for the increased consumption in a 'normal' auto (as opposed to a manual). This is the argument that the dealers put forward in support of BETTER fuel consumption. When you drive one of the CVT vehicles quietly, it is very apparent that the revs keep dropping back to a low fig, less than you would get even in a manual. i.e. you seem to be running along on absolute min revs if there is no significant load on the engine.

Ths ben,
Good site. Will have to investigate further but i think that cvt by its very nature doesn't need a torque converter.

Yes Ray , 1958 DAF sold a small car with CVT and you might remember that blond haired showoff who used to be on tv about 15 years ago, Albie Mangels who drove around Africa in one. Claimed he sold it to the DAF museum for megabucks. Reckoned he shagged every bird he ever met but it wouldn't have been in the DAF.
On Scrapheap Challenge the other night the teams had to build a tractor unit to pull chariots and one of them used a DAF engine and trans because it meant that they didn't have to worry about cables to effect gear changes. You could actually see the pulley arrangement

Peter,
It's not all that new. Honda used it in the early Civic, and still uses it. All Mitsubishi cars us it as their "auto" box. The problem has been in developing it to cope with increasing power levels.

New X trail is available with CVT but their site hasn't got any reportbacks on it yet. Nissan have also fitted it to the Maxima and there aren't any complaints on motorsm .com which is where all the horror stories can be found.
A couple of years ago I was in a workshop at Rushcutters Bay and they were working on a Micra (about 8 yrs old) with CVT and the guy said that it was going to be expensive to do the trans. but unfortunately i didn't get any more details.
I am going for a CVT because the manual X Trail is now fitted with a dual mass flywheel and if one of these goes, as have Patrols, then you are up for more money than the cost of taking the 'auto' option cost when buying the vehicle.
If longevity is roughly equal and repair costs are comparable, then why wouldn't you go for CVT because it's lighter, has fewer moving components, and gives better fuel economy than a traditional auto box using a torque converter.

Hullo Phil,
Yes these are the figs I got from them but the curious thing is that while Nissan are saying that the cvt is using .2l less, Mitsubishi are saying that the 2l Lancer engine uses .5l more. Are they operating differently?
Why didn't you like the T31, because by all accounts they have improved it by shifting the instrument binnaccle and getting rid of the understeer. I looked at one previously in 2001 and it might have been the tyres fitted but it was a chronic understeerer. We have to climb the winding steep road out of Murwilllumbah to Kyogle and on a narrow road, you can't afford to run wide.
Suppose you are aware that ther is an X trail owners forum.

I would have definitely preferred the CVT and the traction aids in the T31. The extra airbags don't make much difference to safety - still only 4stars. But I didn't like the changes in the body. It was a fair bit longer, so would have been a tight squeeze into our garage. That extra length was not well used - no extra seating space, and it had more overhang. And we really like the centre dash and layout in the T30. And of course saved a fair bit of $$ by doing a deal on a runout demo with a heap of extras.
We potter around in ours, so handling doesn't matter - we have to drive a long way to find a hill in Adelaide, but we use ours in 4wd all the time, so I don't spin the wheels and annoy my wife :-))

Phil,
We human beings are very idiosyncratic creatures and this is why manufacturers can take advantage of the fact that dishing up an alternative will always attract more buyers.
I was having a bit of a mental problem buying one with the centre binnacle because it took me back to the time when I had to drive round in a Morris 1000 and I have never hated anything as much as that thing. Even the lo light that I had before it was less humiliating.
You're right, the runout price was great. Usually I'm trhe tightarse
but my partner said the equivalent of " I'm a bling girl and I want a bling car" . It was being paid for out of her car allowance so I just smiled and said YES.