The coworker I know who has one has a 2005. I guess she is safer

 

I think that has more to do with Japanese vs German than modern or not. In ZF's defense though, their other transmission applications seem to be fine, such as their Porsche PDK (of course, "fine" indicating not more problems than might be expected....).

I never understood this line of thinking. An examination of gear ratios on these units shows that the gears above 6 are almost entirely overdrive, meaning that it's just for improved gas mileage while on a highway cruise.

 

They might have some merit on the extremely high speeds of the Autobahns, but, on most American roads (and, BTW, on many other non-German roads as well), those ultra-tall high gears, IMO, are just not necessary. They make the car just more complex and expensive to produce than necessary....at a time when, IMO, automakers are already bean-counting too many things as it is (thin sheet metal/glass/trim, not enough paint-colors, manual hood prop-rods, no body-side mouldings, no true spare tires, etc...)

 

You're right. Nissan upped the CVT warranty on those vehicles for a reason.

 

Everytime I get a CVT rental I hate it. Surprised anyone would buy one.

Conventional slush box, manual, or a DSG are all great though.

 

Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and Lexus Hybrid Drive (and the hybrid system on the Altima Hybrid) use what Toyota calls an eCVT, an “electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission”, not a CVT (as used in the Mini or conventionally powered Nissan Altimas with automatic transmissons).

It is a transmission that transmits the torque of the power sources – electric motor or gasoline engine, or both – to the drive wheels, but it is not like a conventional gearbox that has a clutch, torque converter or true CVT and different gear ratios between a low gear and a high gear. The Toyota hybrid transmission is not a real CVT, with infinitely variable gear ratios; it is a VIRTUAL CVT with no gear ratios that change between low and high gears.

Toyota’s hybrid transmission has only one gear ratio and the car’s speed is driven by the electric drive motor which is always running and so always driving the wheels; the engine provides extra torque -- at a constant speed – only when needed (the electric motor is not powerful enough for all driving situations). It is because the engine runs at a constant speed – just as in a car with a real CVT (as in the Mini) – that Toyota calls their hybrid transmission an eCVT.

The Sequential Shift in the eCVT -- or any CVT for that matter -- is simulated by software since there are no fixed gear ratios to shift between.