I presently own a 2005 Nissan Altima 3.5S with an automatic transmission. I have been looking at the 2010 Nissan Altima 3.5 SR; however, I am concerned that the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) may not yet be ‘proven.‘
All of the hybrid vehicles offer usually either the manual transmission and most of them offer either a standard automatic transmission or the new CVT automatic transmission.
If your really worried buy a Altima with a 6 speed manual. Unlike Honda And Toyota You still can get a Nissan stick shift car. CVT comes with a 120,000 mile warranty on the transmission. Also that design has been around on Muranos from 2003. I personally like to shift for my self CVT is just as reliable as a regular clutch pack transmission. And is better keeping the revolutions of the motor optimum to the speed of the car
Subaru Cvt Transmission Reliability
CVT Transmission is only aimed for fuel economy. In the past Subaru Justy was the first car to have a CVT, back then they were unreliable and if it went bad, it was pretty much considered as replace the whole car sort of thing. Nissan on the other hand did a good job with their transmissions, although I did hear a news about how they did extend their warranty on their transmissions, people have reported about transmission failures but those individuals had warranty so Nissan replaced it of no cost. Maintenance wise, CVT is slightly more expensive because it uses the pulley system, unlike traditional gears, and it also requires more fluids to keep it going. It will hurt your pockets if you don't have a warranty for your car, expect bills more than $3000+. It is more expensive to maintain. Not only that CVT transmissions are slightly noisy. (I didn't find it too bad) Driving with it, you won't really feel that gear shock that you would feel from a normal transmission. (Just like you said, driving it feels very smooth) So that puts a + for the CVT. Very Fuel Efficient and provides quicker acceleration (based on my experience, CVT feels sluggish except a lot better when in manual mode). To sum it all up, are they reliable? Well, it all depends upon how you treat your car and obviously the history, good maintenance is required as well as the warranty. (I would strongly recommend the warranty) Expenses will build up if not maintained properly! IN MY CASE: I know I will get thumbs down for this.but I won't buy CVT transmission ever again. I don't hate it, its just that it feels sluggish, and did not enjoy the maintenance costs. I will only buy them when BMW decides to use CVT in all their automobiles Test drive it yourself and see if you like itGood Luck!!!
As in the other answer so far, none that I have seen. As far as Toyotas, which commands most of the market, the drivetrain is comprised of two electric motors, which are powered by an engine, or the battery. There really is not a transmission in the traditional sense.
