4AT transmission and highway speeds

[geoliquid]

I'm looking to get a versa as a commuter car and was wondering how the Versa with the 4AT transmission does at highway speeds. What kind of RPMs does car do at around 70mph? How does it ride at those speeds? Should I spend the extra money on the CVT? Thanks.

[snwbrdraw]

I have the CVT and I love it! I've never driven a V with AT but certainly have on other cars and the difference is extremely obvious.

With the CVT the car seems to get faster and smoother as it accelerates. I've found holding the car at 3,000 RPM gives you the smoothest acceleration possible without the car sounding like it's going to explode.

The CVT does take some getting used to from a mental perspective. I still sometimes find myself waiting for it to pull back a little from changing gears as I am accelerating hard but it never does. It's smooth as butta and purrs like a tiger the whole way up...

[kc5f]

I have the CVT, not the 4AT, and even though it was rated as higher mpg, I didn't expect to come out ahead dollar-wise. (If it gets 2mpg better, over 200,000 miles I'd save $1173 at $3/gallon, so it's iffy...) I bought it because it's so nice and smooth!

For your comparison, mine runs 2000 rpm at 60mph and 2500 at 75mph. I drive 3000 miles per month, about 80% highway, and the car runs smooth, quiet and still has plenty of reserve power at 80mph.

[proxim2020]

If efficiency (or acceleration) is your game, the 6MT is the only player in town. It is simpler than either automatic.

If you're looking for a super-smooth ride, the CVT is king.

If you're looking for a good price, but can't drive a stick, or don't WANT to drive a stick, then the 4AT is for your whip.

[Wings]

I own a 4 AT. AT 70 MPH you are a little under 3000 RPM. You'll get over 30 MPG. DId a trip last weekend holding mostly 70 MPH in high elevations with a lot of steep inclines and declines. The round trip used almost a whole tank of gas. Averaged 30.8 MPG when I finally filled up. It rides nice at that speed, doesn't feel too scary or anything, just remember it's a light car. Wind gusts will move it a little as will a tractor trailer flying by at times. Overall you won't be disappointed. My dad drove an AT and MT. He thought the MT was geared slightly different giving it a higher RPM at highway speeds. The CVT is really nice but will costs you thousands more. Go ahead and get the 4AT. If your dealer has a lot of them at the dealer tell them to take 2000 off the price since you can get the 4AT about anywhere. I got the 4 AT since there were no 6 MT around my area and they were willing to take a lot off since they had so many on the lot.

[Ever Victorious]

By contrast, if you can stand driving a manual, I have some numbers for that... compare them to the last post just above this.

Wings says he was doing 70 in steep inclines on a long trip, and got 30.8 out of his 4AT. I did a round trip to and from my parents, on the other side of the mountains (multiple steep inclines), going different speeds on each tank.

The tank cruising over to the east side was done at an average of 80 MPH, which was around 3750 rpm if I remember. I got almost exactly 30 MPG.

The return tank, I dropped my speed to 70, which dropped the RPM's to almost exactly 3000. That tank, I got a hair over 34 MPG.

For the most part, my 6MT would average 30 MPG in the city.

[geoliquid]

I own a 4 AT. AT 70 MPH you are a little under 3000 RPM. You'll get over 30 MPG. DId a trip last weekend holding mostly 70 MPH in high elevations with a lot of steep inclines and declines. The round trip used almost a whole tank of gas. Averaged 30.8 MPG when I finally filled up. It rides nice at that speed, doesn't feel too scary or anything, just remember it's a light car. Wind gusts will move it a little as will a tractor trailer flying by at times. Overall you won't be disappointed. My dad drove an AT and MT. He thought the MT was geared slightly different giving it a higher RPM at highway speeds. The CVT is really nice but will costs you thousands more. Go ahead and get the 4AT. If your dealer has a lot of them at the dealer tell them to take 2000 off the price since you can get the 4AT about anywhere. I got the 4 AT since there were no 6 MT around my area and they were willing to take a lot off since they had so many on the lot.

This is exactly what I was hoping I would read. Looks like I'll be going with the 4AT. I like the six speed but my wife can't drive stick. I was hoping I wouldn't need to spend the extra cash for the CVT.Thanks guys

[Thaprotender]

My wife's S Sedan 4AT just got 30.12 on the first tank. As soon as I can convince my wife to let me get the cold air intake (which will be soon) from Bob at Versaspeed.com it should pick up some more mpg's. My wife is an easy driver and we only have 250 miles on the car.

[BBISHOPPCM]

You mention spending a lot of time on the highway... the CVT might be a better choice, as it also means you'll be getting the SL model. The SL is worth the extra money, trust me! Better sound system (6 CD with better speakers), armrests, cruise control, power windows and locks, CVT transmission, alloys, and higher quality seating materials. This is all included on the base SL. The CVT is much more comfortable in traffic, and really shines on the highway (especially while passing). Best $18k I ever spent.

[KimberKenobi]

The 4sp Auto Versa I drove was terribly sluggish and after I drove it, I seriously started to doubt my new love of the Versa...

I found it worse uphill than my '93 Loyale (it didn't want to downshift and take the hill, it just puttered slowly and didn't feel very peppy) ... It was like driving an older car, and I don't know if that was just that particular Versa or what (since some people have liked it) but I was not impressed. I didn't feel like it performed near as well as my 4sp Auto Vitara or my mom's Auto Forester (2000) and I felt like a car that was over 5 years newer shouldn't drive like that...

I wanted the 6 speed, but with a family, I decided I had enough to worry about while driving (I'm looking forward to long trips of "She's touching me!" "He hit me!" ;oD) so I opted for the CVT... on the brightside, Nissan wants to offer the CVT at the same price as the other transmission options, but (unfortunately) it may be another 6 months before that happens... Though some people on here have gotten great price deals on their CVT models... (Like the guy who got everything for around $17,000 before taxes, go him!)

[Scotty412]

My 4 AT runs about 2800 rpm at 70 mph. Upon hitting 80 - 85 the rpms jump up to 3200 or so. At 70 mph or so my car runs rather smooth and quietly.

[Jaesin]

Just did a trip home for easter, back roads, cruising at 75-80 or so, around 3200 rpms like the previous poster.

I drive the 4AT, and there was a guy in a caddy going 50 in a 55, with 4 cars chugging along behind him , each with about 3 car lengths in between them, we hit a long empty stretch, so I figured I'd try to pass 2-3 of them...

I dropped it out of overdrive, and by the time I passed the fifth guy (Yeh, I did it all at the same time), I was going 95. 50 to 95 in the time it took me to pass 5 cars. I have absolutely no complaints about the responsiveness of my 4AT, and 32 mpg is definately love.