And Another CVT problem.

[Mark]

Speaking of CVTs, I recently had a conversation with two people who drove a 2007 Nissan Versa SL and a 2009 Nissan Rogue back in the shop. The Rogue's CVT decided to pack it in while he was driving home from work, while the Versa's started going bad. Although the former had an extended powertrain warranty to replace the entire transmission, the latter's warranty had already expired. After looking at a $5,000 CDN estimate to replace the faulty CVT, she decided to scrap the entire car altogether, with over 130,000 km on the clock, and bought herself a new car, this time with a traditional 6-speed automatic. Knowing Mitsubishi and Nissan used Jatco as their transmission supplier, I wouldn't be surprised based on the number of YouTube videos I watched regarding CVT failure.

As long as manual transmissions are still available, I will be buying them. When Subaru went from a 4-speed automatic in their Forester to a CVT, the towing capacity of the vehicle dropped from 2500 pounds to 1500 pounds. The tiny Ford Ecosport is rated to tow 2000 pounds, which isn't bad for a very small SUV. I believe part of that rating is related to the 6-speed automatic transmission in those vehicles.

I understand the logic & appeal of the CVT, but I don't feel it improves the quality of the vehicle. If I had to replace my 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X (manual), it would not be something with a CVT. Since Honda CRV & Toyota RAV4 had dropped their manual offerings years ago, it was the main reason I bought a used Subaru in 2013. My favorite vehicle was a first generation 2000 Honda CRV LX AWD (manual). It was a little quirky like the Mirage, but super dependable. Did what it was suppose to do without much flash. If it hadn't been rear ended by a Chevy Tahoe, I may be still driving it today.