cant find an SL with CVT.. how is the 4spd?

[jbrocious]

we are looking for a CVT SL with out all the options... but we have found S models with the 4spd and power package.

has anyone drove the 4spd auto?? impressions??

hold out for the SL or save the money on the S??

[Ever Victorious]

A couple questions:

Can you live without cruise? If the answer is no, you need to go SL... you can't get cruise on an S period.

what are "all the options" you are looking at not getting?

[proxim2020]

I once was in the same predicament as you although we were looking into the manual. I was trying to hold out for any SL that I could get and I was having a really tough time. My wife and I sat down and compared the S to the SL and we noticed there wasn't much difference between the 2 base models besides for little convience items. We didn't use cruise control much, didn't really need alloys (which would be swapped out later anyway), and we didn't want to buy all the options when we really only wanted one. We decided to save some money and take the S. so we ordered an S the way we wanted it and the price still came out to be 1k below the SL base price.

[MIdnkight-lude]

I once was in the same predicament as you although we were looking into the manual. I was trying to hold out for any SL that I could get and I was having a really tough time. My wife and I sat down and compared the S to the SL and we noticed there wasn't much difference between the 2 base models besides for little convience items. We didn't use cruise control much, didn't really need alloys (which would be swapped out later anyway), and we didn't want to buy all the options when we really only wanted one. We decided to save some money and take the S. so we ordered an S the way we wanted it and the price still came out to be 1k below the SL base price.

i did the same as you on my 6speed. i would have taken everything that made a different out. the only thing i miss from my former car is cruise control.

but ya wheel and headunit are coming out. so it wasnt worth it to spend the money on a SL.

But from everything i hear, i would stick to a CVT. 4speed auto as an after thouht isnt my idea of a good unit.

[dalversajock]

If I were you, hold out for the SL. I test drove both the S and the SL to compare the two. The difference was tremendous. The S was good but not great. Plus it you can hear the engine. To me, it felt like I was in an economy rental car. Then the sales person showed me the SL and I was in love with the look of it. I test drove the SL and found a big difference in the ride. the CVT is very smooth and picks up really well. I liked the fact that it felt like I had all the bells and whistles that a Maxima would have- sunroof, bluetooth, SAT radio, power everything, wireless key, etc. I finally made my decision and went for the SL.

As for the CVT, its a really cool technology that other car manufacturers will want to follow. When I got onto the tollway this morning it was very easy to pick up speed. And you can actually see the other cars shifting while your SL doesn't shift (its one smooth ride). I really like how this car picks up speed also. As for cruise control, that works well too but I hardly ever use it. If you get the S, you'll regret it. There's just something about the SL that makes it special. I've had many people ask me about my car. They all love it.

My advice, wait for the SL or find it and test drive bot the S and the SL. You'll definitely feel the difference.

[CFRage]

I test drove the CVT SL before I bought the S with the 4AT and while the CVT was nice I went with the 4AT. To me the CVT just doesn't seem prooven (sp?) yet. I know the technology has been around for a bit but look at how long the automatic has been in use. I really wanted the 6 speed but that wasn't an option, though from the sounds of it I'm glad I didn't get the 6 speed now. One major difference between the CVT and 4AT is highway cruising RPM, being that the 4AT is a bit higher. Engine noise hasn't been an issue with me, keep in mind though I keep the radio on. The CVT my be a bit better profrmance wise, but it may not. I didn't get to drive the CVT enough to test performance all that much. The 4AT seems to perform well to me, of course a golf kart seems fast compared to my 05 Frontier XE I traded. Long story short, I'm far from disappointed with the 4AT, I love this car

[Caddy65]

I have the 1.8S with 4AT and it's fine. I see a lot of other people complaing that the CVT is slower and it actually gets worse gas mileage (check out the gas mileage forum). I have never had any acceleration problems and I am sitting at about 31 mpg combined driving (about 50/50 highway/ city). On top of that, since you really want an SL, you can tell the dealer that you are going to look at a Ford Focus because you are tired of waiting. Tell them the ford comes with all the bells and whistles and it gets better mpg. Watch how fast they drop the price of the 1.8S. It's astounding that people pay sticker price for their vehicles. On a side note, I do miss the cruise control.

[proxim2020]

On top of that, since you really want an SL, you can tell the dealer that you are going to look at a Ford Focus because you are tired of waiting. Tell them the ford comes with all the bells and whistles and it gets better mpg. Watch how fast they drop the price of the 1.8S. It's astounding that people pay sticker price for their vehicles. On a side note, I do miss the cruise control.

Nice, I like your style. When the dealer starts giving you grief, threaten him with moving to a different manufacture and watch them scurry.

[kc5f]

When I mentioned I was thinking about a Focus, the salesman said, "Yeah, that's a nice car, too." So much for scaring him! Of course, that was two months ago when they only had seen two Versas and didn't have to worry too much about not selling them!

[jbrocious]

apparently the SLs with ABS are a rarity.... both the dealers i went to have searched the eastern states and only can spot a couple of them coming in before the end of the year.

We do want the SL for the cruise control, alloys, better stereo, and refined interior. I also think it comes with a center armrest!! If only we could find one with ABS... we would skip the convenience and sunroof packages.

frustrating!!! nissan needs to get building all the models with ABS standard or optional!!

[Ever Victorious]

apparently the SLs with ABS are a rarity.... both the dealers i went to have searched the eastern states and only can spot a couple of them coming in before the end of the year.

We do want the SL for the cruise control, alloys, better stereo, and refined interior. I also think it comes with a center armrest!! If only we could find one with ABS... we would skip the convenience and sunroof packages.

frustrating!!! nissan needs to get building all the models with ABS standard or optional!!

There were a couple SL's with ABS out here in WA, but they were both 6-speeds.