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Neither of my cars "tap". Sounds like it was an issue with something besides the transmission.
It was an uphill turn and the engine was revving at a higher rpm. I simply didn't like it. When I drive my vehicles neither make any discernible noise.
I'm not the only person who finds these transmissions objectionable. A relative who was in the market for a new car road tested a new Altima and rejected it for the transmission alone. And much has been written about it. I would also add that I didn't find it yielded up any better fuel economy than a regular six speed automatic. I found that surprising in and of itself.
What will demonstrably yield better fuel mileage are the double clutch auto-manual transmissions. They take a little bit to get used to but once underway there is zero slippage that will always be there in an automatic that uses a torque converter. To mitigate that loss a lot of manufacturers went to lock-up torque converters that effectively eliminated the slippage for their automatics.
This U-Tube shows how the double clutch units work in action. This was in a Ford Fiesta that I also owned and it really did get some eye popping fuel mileage figures. Once I nearly broke 50 mpg on a highway trip.
How is the CVT working out in the Dodge Caliber/Jeep Patriot & Compass?
I just passed 60,000 on my 2011 Caliber. Works great love the no shift feel. Gets great mileage at 70mph in cruze control (35mpg) and 30 mpg around town.
CVT'S CAN BE GOOD if you do not push it really hard. I had a Honda 2000 Civic HX with a CVT and was getting 38 MPG a lot when I barely put my foot on the pedal. If you drive normal you get about 33 MPG. I did read a lot of complaints on the web about the CVT breaking down. Luckily I didn't have any problems while I owned the car. I sold it and the person I sold it to has enjoyed the car. I did own a 1998 Honda Civic HX 5 speed and got 45.6 MPG driving from Sacramento to Los Angeles. If you do not mind driving stick I would get the stick over the CVT. I would still own my Civic HX but it was stolen in front of my house.
Both the Corolla and the Civic now use the CVT so I'm glad someone bumped this thread. My grand am is 14 years old and I'm looking to replace.
I had thought about getting a manual transmission 2014 Mazda 3 because there's one in stock nearby that I love, but I have this feeling I'd get tired of stick because I don't really have a 'stick shift' personality.
That leaves the Corolla and Civic, or perhaps a used out of lease 2010-2011 Civic in the $12-13K price range... haven't decided what to do yet. These 2014 models seem better designed than there 2011 counterparts but I can get a 2011 with only 35K miles for $6000 less...
Of these 3 only the Mazda offers a hatchback... and I love the way the focus hatchbacks look but will not use a dual clutch automatic transmission. The Mazdas still seem to get heat about Rusting as well....
Then there's a Prius, but they cost as much as a new Corolla or Civic just to get a used Gen 3 model... I'd get a Gen 2 but I hear they handle snow terribly. I also hear they are over-engineered and will probably last 250K+ miles compared to the Gen 3's... so if I lived somewhere with no snow I could easily buy one with 100K miles with confidence... the thing with me is, if something will last for 15 years, I'll use it 15 years... companies make products disposable because of people like me.. I've been wearing the same belt for 15 years now. I do have newer computers though because they have improved so much.
Just want to share what I've learned. The biggest part of vehicle ownership that IS NOT an illusion, is the money that you will have to part with to own it. There are a variety of technologies in any vehicle that when combined, will move a vehicle down a road. Making a decision about whether or not to acquire a certain one, based upon just one of a vehicles technology applications isn't logical. In the case of a CVT transmission; I move a snowbird lady's 15 2WD CRV, 1400 miles twice a year. So far 3 trips since she got it. The predominant feature I notice about the car is that IT USES NO GAS. It's like a damn hybrid. I need to get off the road and get a hotel, before I need to pull in for a fill up. Swear. Now, when it comes to owning a car, seems like nothing could be better than that. My vehicle knowledge is pretty extensive. My guess is, historically, the current generation CRV will end up being the most iconic, and most sought after on the pre-owned market over the course of the model's lifetime.
Had a 2008 Altima, drove it while in college, sold it at around 300k miles. Currently have a 2014 Altima. 72,000 miles, no issues whatsoever. I'd say they're reliable. And I don't baby my cars.
It might be worth noting that I do get the fluid changed every 50k miles or so.
2013 redesigned Accord came with CVT. Many people are reluctant to buy it because of uncertainty about its reliability. Some would feel save to buy the Accord after five of six more years after it has worked out all the potential problems with this new CVT.
Chances are the newly redesigned 2017 Camry is going to come with a CVT, since the 2014 Corolla comes with it. Will the 2017 Camry have a well-tested CVT, since its younger sibling Corolla would have had it for few years already?
I have a 2017 Camry and it doesn't have a CVT - nor does it really need one, as the admittedly aging standard transmission performs well and has proven reliable in Toyotas for many, many years. But, I wouldn't be surprised to see a CVT in a Camry eventually; hopefully not.
I would hope engineers know how to develop a reliable CVT even by now. Many of the economical compact cars have CVTs, like the Civic, Subaru cars, etc. Most of these cars are known as "long-lasting" which means they easily reach 200k miles without major issues. I am going to be optimistic and say manufacturers know what they're doing.
I'm pleased with my 16 Nissan Versa with the CVT. I've asked other Nissan owners, if they have had problems. So far no one has complained about problems with the transmission. Prior to my Versa I had a Focus, with the dual clutch transmission. That car had major transmission problems. I would take the CVT any day over a Dual Clutch Transmission.
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