@raksrules
@whatsinaname
@rdst_1
Okay, you want to know CVT vs normal automatic.
Look, CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission.
And it does just that.
The transmission continuously varies the gear ratio. So in a sense, you have infinite gears.
But, you'd say, thats a good thing.
But then there is a catch.
The CVT is tuned for efficiency.
There is a particular RPM at which the engine produces its peak power. A particular RPM at which it produces its peak torque. And a particular RPM at which it gives the best fuel efficiency.
Now in India, the CVTs are designed to stay in the 3rd(fuel efficiency). So when you press the pedal, you get no surge of power, and essentially the gearbox also changes its ratio, and you go faster.
But then you do not have a control over the car, because you are essentially running at the same RPM for the whole life of your car.
And this also leads to what is called in the motoring parlance as the Rubberband effect.
When you press the pedal, the engine instead of giving you the power straight away, gives you power slight by slight, and you feel like a rubberband is being stretched, because the gear is altered like a 1000 times.
Conventional automatics, on the other hand, have normal gears, but instead of you changing them, you have a chip in the engine which changes them for you.
Now in an automatic, you can also manually override the chip and stay in a particular gear.
Imagine a scenario:
You want to climb a steep hill.
In a normal automatic, you just tell the damn chip to shut up, plonk the car in a gear, and drive off.
But in a CVT, you are at the mercy of the stupid CVT 'box.
So if it wants, you get the power, and if it doesnt, you just stand there, spinning your wheels.
And now to complicate matter further, say you are stuck behind a truck on a hill slope.
The truck suddenly brakes, and then so do you.
The CVT, being tuned for efficiency, doesnt want to give you loads of power, because it is tuned that way.(India's most fuel efficient automatic)
So you can, theoretically, fail to climb the slope.
However, things are not usually that catastrophic.
But then, I hope I have made it clear the Auto vs CVT.
Your normal Activa and Access is CVT, and honestly tell me, how exciting they are? Have you ever pressed the accelerator on those? You get the power a lot later than you want to. Its like you get it 2-3 seconds after twisting the throttle.
Thats pathetic.
It should be natural and involuntary.
