Hey ,what is your feedback on this transmission?The mag writers all seem to hate it, I like the 6 speed in the 350Z.Please let me know.

Oh, i have had many Hondas - the manual transmissions are the only problems i have had with them all going over 125,000.

best, M

well, this being the only car with a stick that ive driven (minus a 1989 rebuilt mustang... a total of 25 yards, and a 1999 cavalier... for like 10 mins; both not enough to give a decent comparison)... 1st gear is EXTREMELY short, 25mph and your damn close to redlining.... and 6th gear is more like a 2nd 5th gear then it is an overdrive =\ but it is a very enjoyable car to drive =]

I driven the 6-speed and was set on buying it before the test drive, I test drove it and like xtwoonamatchx said the 6th gear is really short. They kind of put an extra first gear and moved some gear ratios so that the 6th becomes really short (compared to normal five speed gear boxes).The next day I went with my wife to take a test drive with the CVT (when we still were set on the 6 speed) and right after that we signed the papers to buy the versa with the CVT.

It is a smoother transmission. as discussed in many threads while the 6 speed has ~2,900 rpm @ 100 km/h the car with the CVT only runs at ~2,050 rpm.

I find it to be one of the nicer manual transmissions on the market, from a shifting standpoint.

Some people call it "clunky", but I find that it has a very positive engagement feel. Most manuals that are "smooth" are too vague for me, sometimes it's hard to tell when another transmission is in gear. no such problem with the V, I can always tell exactly where the gear thresshold is.

Some people complain about the high RPMs in 6th gear, I don't find it to be too problematic as I don't have a tendancy to cruise faster than 65 MPH for any significant period of time.

The CVT's fuel savings are supposed to come from its lower RPMs, but it seems that the need to pay more constant attention to your throttle modulations combined with the complexity of the CVT transmission have a negative impact, giving the manual transmission a higher efficiency in real-world studies.

i enjoy my manual, tho i haven't had any experience with the CVT transmissions. i have to agree, tho, that 1st is WAY short. i was beginning to think it was just me. almost redlining and only going about 25mph lol. also, like EV said, the 6th isn't TOO bad if you don't really cruise above 60-65mph.

Its not a really bad transmission.

1st is really short (if you are hitting 25mph in 1st, your engine isn't going to be around long). About 15 or so is as high as I'd want to be in 1st.

6th is a problem for me due to highway driving at 75-80mph all the way to work, 80mph is 3700rpms, which is way too high. 5th and 6th are too similar and they should have made 6th much longer (you can be in 6th at 40mph around town).

Again, its not bad, but could be improved. But I got the 6-spd cause I knew it would be the only way I could have any fun out of this car.

I don't like the gear ratios either...but I just recently drove to Sacramento and back which was a 12 hour trip both ways and just about the whole time I was going 80mph which everyone else was still passing me up. So I was at a cruise for most of the time at 3.7rpms.

Once I get enough money I'm going to tune my Versa. It cost like $600 out here.

I like the 6 speed in the Versa a lot. It very direct with a good feel. I hate rubbery shifters.

If you want to feel a bad transmission, I've driven a early 90's Ford Ranger with a 4 banger & 5 speed, a early 90's Ford F150 with a 5 speed (that's a leg workout), mid 90's Jeep Wrangler (now I know what a WWII era transmission feels like), a late 90's Ford Mustang (another leg workout, with a wierd kink in the shifter.

My '91 Toyota Tercel had a very similar feeling transmission, very direct, light clutch. The Versa feels better than my '03 Toyota Corolla.

The Versa's gearing is the biggest criticism. It's clearly geared for city streets and rural roads. If you've ever driven in a congested European city, you'll appreciate the short 1st and 2nd gear in the Versa. I've driven for 20 minutes and never went over 50kph, but had to rapidly accelerate around parked cars and pull into small gaps in traffic. FOr hte USA, it's too tall for highway use. I think dropping the final drive ration about 5-10% would be a better compromise and would space out the gears slightly more.

On the other hand, I occasionally tow a 900lb trailer (motorcycle). The short gearing works perfectly in that application. It keeps me from using 5th gear. Same when you're loaded down wiht 4 passengers and luggage. I'd also estimate that in stop and go traffic and city use, the short gearing will double your clutch life. You can crawl at under 5mph without using the clutch.