6 Speed Better MPG Than CVT - I am reading these posts right ?

[madversa]

Hi all....been lurking here the past few days reading up as I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Versa. I am just befuddled on the transmission choice. Normally I would opt for the manual however I am looking to get the best mpg out of this car AND.......:

In looking through a number of posts in the forum the general picture I am getting is that the 6 speed trans gets "better" overall mpg than the CVT in real world driving - in spite of the EPA rating favoring the CVT. Is this true or am i just misreading the posts?

Thanks for any feedback - Curt

[biggie]

Either way I'd say its very close and comes down to preference, but also how you would drive the 6MT.

I'd say if you do 90% or more highway the CVT should see better mpg, the 6MT is at 3,600rpms at around 80mph (too high). Not sure what the CVT sees at that speed, but its gotta be lower.

Think for some reason the CVT is getting the same or lower mpg in city driving, not sure why.

[Ever Victorious]

In the fuel economy study I performed last winter, the Manual transmission overall outperformed the CVT.

Individual vehicles will vary, especially with driver's style. There are some people with CVT's reporting mid-30's. The average user, with either transmission, seems to be reporting 28-30.

If you can drive a manual, and your focus is fuel economy, you may still want to get the manual. I will give you a hypothetical reason why.

Let us say that both a CVT and a manual, throughout their life, average 30 mpg. They are identical in fuel economy. The manual is more likely to cost less over its lifetime, partially due to the fact that it's much less expensive to buy in the first place.

Just something to think about.

[KimberKenobi]

the 6MT is at 3,600rpms at around 80mph (too high). Not sure what the CVT sees at that speed, but its gotta be lower.

It's about 2600-2800 depending on the slope of the road (on a generally flat surface)

[biggie]

It's about 2600-2800 depending on the slope of the road (on a generally flat surface)

Wow with that, the CVT should get 5-6 mpg better at highway speeds.

[matt_a]

I think the two are going to be close enough that the MPGs alone wouldn't be enough to make your decision for you. I think you'll need to consider other factors too. Like, which would you rather drive? Do you like the sportiness of shifting? -or- Do you deal with a lot of city or stop-n-go driving? If so, a manual trans might drive you nuts. My car (Scion xA) has a manual trans. Most of the time I kinda like shifting. But I only have a 10 minute drive to work. There are many times when my wife and I go out together and I will choose to drive the Versa simply because I don't feel like shifting. I like the CVT because it gave us the ability to get the luxury of an auto trans, but with better fuel economy than they normally get.

[madversa]

Excellent point - thanks for the feedback. Even giving the CVT a couple mpg advantage over the 6MT one would still be talking about a lot of miles to cover the cost difference between the two.

Curt

[matt_a]

Excellent point - thanks for the feedback. Even giving the CVT a couple mpg advantage over the 6MT one would still be talking about a lot of miles to cover the cost difference between the two.

Curt

That's true too. But then again, a car with an auto (or CVT) will be worth more when you decide to sell or trade it someday. Like I said above; to me, deciding on either a manual or an automatic has more to do with what you will want to be driving every day. A few MPGs either way, or the initial cost of purchase won't bother you a year from now anywhere near as much as if you pick the wrong one and you don't like driving it. Just my two cents.

[bikeman]

Just my two cents.

That's worth a heck of a lot more than two cents. The three transmission choices for the Versa are so different that getting one based solely on initial cost or minor mpg ratings is short sighted. Get the one you want to drive every day.

David

[srellim234]

The revisions to the EPA ratings no longer rate the 2007 CVT better than the manual. They're tied at 28.

Based on people reporting actual mileage at the EPA site, in real life the CVT is getting 27.9 mpg, the manual is getting 30.1 and the regular automatic transmission is only getting 23.8.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

It doesn't make any difference to the numbers, but the EPA classifies cars based on cabin space so the Versa is a midsize car according to them. We have quite a bit of room inside these cars for what they are!

[biggie]

Based on people reporting actual mileage at the EPA site, in real life the CVT is getting 27.9 mpg, the manual is getting 30.1 and the regular automatic transmission is only getting 23.8.

Hadn't heard this, glad I wanted the 6MT now though. And with that 4AT you are better off with a 2.5 Altima or maybe even a Spec V, wow that's bad.

[matt_a]

.... And with that 4AT you are better off with a 2.5 Altima or maybe even a Spec V, wow that's bad.

It's all relative. The 2008 EPA numbers are very different than what they used to be. All cars are going to be rated by the new formula, so they will all post lower numbers than they used to.