Has anyone else noticed a lack of power?

[nchckyfan]

I've owned my Versa for just about two months now and have begun to notice how this car doesn't have enough power to get out of its own way. My Versa came equiped with CVT and for the first month I didn't notice anything wrong. But now that it has gotten over 2K my frustration with it has grown. There are times when I'm trying to accelerate onto the Hwy and I depress the gas pedal and it takes forever to get up to speed. And if I need to make a left turn from a dead stop I have to do so with plenty of room because it is sooooooo slow. I'm concerned that I may cause an accident because of its performance. And I am contemplating getting rid of the car.

[BenDupre]

No lack of power here. It houls my 300lb butt around quite handily. You do have to remember you're driving a 1.8l 122hp car. One thing I learned early on is that flogging the beast doesn't make it any stronger.

Ben

[nchckyfan]

I'm not flogging it although you're right it probably wouldn't help. I'm just disappointed that when I need to get up to speed quickly it's just not there. Trying to get up to 65mph is difficult and this combined with the way people drive in Ral, NC makes it extremely frustrating. The only plus I see at the moment is the MPG which is alot better than the Chevy S-10 I used to drive.

[kc5f]

I haven't had any problems with power in my CVT here in the mountains or in the SC Piedmont, and mine's got about 5000 miles on it. In fact, when I picked it up and was pulling out of the dealer's lot I accidentally squealed the tires a bit. I certainly hadn't expected that!

But I can understand why you'd want to get away from Apex. Good luck with the chemical plant!

[nchckyfan]

Or maybe I'm just not used to the CVT - Is there a specific technique? I've read one person state that they had to depress the accelerator and then let off, "virtually" shifting the gears. Is that true?

Apex is the peak of good livin why would anyone want to move away from there LOL

[BenzTech Gone Versa]

Try To Turn Off The Overdrive When Speeding Up,Works For Me.I Noticed Once In awhile My Versa Seems Slow Too,Mostly Cold Weather.

[loyman]

I have only 200km on my AT but did notice a lack of power when I went against a Honda Element. I did beat him off the line but expected to pull away but was suprised he was on my tail. I had another opportunity to try against him at the next light but I chose to drop it to second car to start off with the o/d off. This also did not make much of a difference. Must remember that output is only 122HP I guess unless we go for the mods route.

[proxim2020]

In another topic (Link Below) Versabbo provides links to videos that may help. It give techniques for driving a CVT. If you're following all of the tips and you're still having the problem, you may want to bring the V into a dealership to make sure nothing's wrong with the transmission. From what you describe, it sounds like you may have a real problem.

zerothread/205278

[Cowboys Fan 87]

...when I'm trying to accelerate onto the Hwy and I depress the gas pedal and it takes forever to get up to speed. And if I need to make a left turn from a dead stop I have to do so with plenty of room because it is sooooooo slow.

I noted on several other posts that the issue you describe is my one hang up about the CVT. The turn out of my kids daycare is onto a 55MPH 4 lane seperated Highway (so everyone is going 70). I've got to turn right out of the parking lot, dead stop, no shoulder, and gun it or risk being killed by the idio......er.....other people on the road. I'm fine when I'm getting on the Interstate, as the ramps give me plenty of time to get up to speed. Once the car gets moving, I've got no problem passing or playing the 'speed up, brake, speed up' game on the interstate.

[Jemdawg]

I'm not too sure what you guys are talking about, but my V gets plenty of power. I have no problem getting up to 60mph in about 8 or less seconds.

[Ever Victorious]

I'm not too sure what you guys are talking about, but my V gets plenty of power. I have no problem getting up to 60mph in about 8 or less seconds.

Odd, since a Versa's 0-60 time is 9.5 seconds, with an almost 17 second quarter mile.

Well, I guess the best way to tell if there is a problem is to find someone else with a Versa and make them race you, but sadly there aren't enough of them around yet, much less drivers that can be convinced of that.

We can all say "hey, yeah, that sounds like a problem" or "nah, it's just a slow car to begin with" all day long, but without first hand knowledge of the road we're talking about here and how the car is behaving, it's entirely speculation.

So I propose a test. We know the V should have an approximate 0-60 of 9.5 seconds. Take yours to a wide open road, and have someone time you with a stopwatch when you take off (flooring it), and stop the watch when you hit 60. 9-10 or so second range, everything's normal. 11-12, might be something to be concerned about. 13+... take it to the dealer asap.

[ilusha55]

Yeah i noticed a lack of power, only i knew that BEFORE buying a car. I also noticed the fact that on each and every forum in compact car domain there is thread about missing power...interesting, are you guys reading specs before getting the cash out of your pocket??

Ever Victorious If the car 0-60mph is measured the same way the fuel consumption is, we all better loose weight, i expect around at best 10 seconds, not the exact 9.5 seconds, but you are right - it s all speculation 'til someone gives the actual numbers.

[Ever Victorious]

No, they're not tested in a lab with automated drones.

0-60 and 1/4 mile times are actually calculated by strapping a driver in at a drag strip and sending him down the strip several times. They use all kinds of timing and speed sensing equipment to get the data, but in short, the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times end up being the average value of all the runs. They're somewhat more accurate than fuel economy ratings.

yeah, 9.5 seconds exactly may be a bit much to ask, but if someone tested and it took 13 seconds, that's a pretty good indicator that something's wrong.

[ilusha55]

hmmm...you mean they are giving us real numbers?? thats boring: i am already used to measure everything myself

[Jemdawg]

I've timed myself, obviously not enough for statistical significance, but I've averaged around 8 or 8.5 seconds. Which isn't bad, I just can't wait until I start modding it; I want to see 0-60 at about 5 or 6 seconds at most.

[Cowboys Fan 87]

I don't think anything is wrong with my car. I think the CVT doesn't 'understand' or that it just takes 1/2 second to 'get in the right configuration' to apply maximum torque. It starts moving when I press down on the gas, very slowly and then all of sudden, it 'understands' what I'm doing and the RPM's shoot up and I'm moving.

Maybe this will help....it feels like I'm pulling out in 2nd Gear, if I were driving a stick and then I figure out that I'm in the wrong gear and drop to 1st to get the RPM's and torque up. I haven't tried turning off the "Overdrive" when I pull out yet...maybe that's the answer.

I don't know that there is a problem, it just could be how the CVT works, either way, I've learned to adjust for it by giving myself a lot more room when pulling out from a dead stop directly onto the Talladega Speedway that runs in front of the school.

[Ever Victorious]

I've timed myself, obviously not enough for statistical significance, but I've averaged around 8 or 8.5 seconds. Which isn't bad, I just can't wait until I start modding it; I want to see 0-60 at about 5 or 6 seconds at most.

Quite a tall order... you're talking about making a Versa beat a Hemi 300C (6.3 seconds stock) or a '96 Viper RT-10 (5.0 seconds stock).

Oh, and for the record... 8.0 is what a '95 240 SX SE-R will do.

You know what? I hate do to this but..

[Jemdawg]

I suppose I should have said it was around 8 seconds from 10-15mph rolling.

I still think it has potential for a 6 second run though, it's not very unlikely, especially if I go for forced induction.

[Ever Victorious]

I suppose I should have said it was around 8 seconds from 10-15mph rolling.

I still think it has potential for a 6 second run though, it's not very unlikely, especially if I go for forced induction.

6 seconds with forced inductionand all the associated goodies sounds very plausible. And fun.

[Caddy65]

My 4AT seems to have plenty of power. I am really glad I didn't get the CVT after reading all these threads. It seems that the 4AT has more power and gets better gas mileage- contrary to what Nissan is advertising. I wish I got the 6 MT, but I have given up on teaching my wife how to drive a manual. I have to merge onto a busy highway (60 Mph speed limit) every morning from a dead stop. I have no problem squeezing into the traffic- if I put the petal to the metal.

[proxim2020]

Quite a tall order... you're talking about making a Versa beat a Hemi 300C (6.3 seconds stock) or a '96 Viper RT-10 (5.0 seconds stock).

Oh, and for the record... 8.0 is what a '95 240 SX SE-R will do.

You know what? I hate do to this but..

Wow, that's the biggest BS Flag I've ever seen . You can easily get the V to beat a Hemi. Just drop the Hemi in there. Yea, it will be a very tight fit, and you'll need a lot of custom parts, but it will beat the 300C. It's possible, I never said it was practical tho .

[Jemdawg]

Anything is possible in the car world.

[Ever Victorious]

Anything is possible in the car world.

True... anyone ever watch those videos of the New Beetle with a jet engine in its trunk?

[Cowboys Fan 87]

Try To Turn Off The Overdrive When Speeding Up,Works For Me.I Noticed Once In awhile My Versa Seems Slow Too,Mostly Cold Weather.

At your suggestion, I tried this Friday. (Day off with the kids so we went everywhere)....and to my surprise, the CVT was more responsive during a dead stop take off. The 1/2 second "2nd Gear Pull out feel" is almost completely gone when using the technique.

I've been using the Overdrive button for engine assisted breaking, just have to get used to using it during take off as well....

As for cold weather, Since we have had about a week of mornings in the low 20's, I've noticed just a little less power out of the garage. I'm guessing since all cars work better when they are at a normal working temp (hince the Blue Light when we fire ours up), that this is somewhat normal.

Thanks again.

[versa2007]

Well I just got my Versa last night. It has the CVT and to be honest it seems to have more acceleration than the 4spd auto. For the past week the dealsership loaned me a 4spd versa S to use until my SL model came in. I noticed a big differece between the two cars. The CVT seems to have the advantage. I also noticed that at 75mph the CVT runs about 250RPM lower.

[FrayAdjacent]

The one thing you have to know about the CVT is that it has to adjust it's gear ratios depending on engine speed, vehicle speed, and throttle position. If you step on it, it takes a moment for it to get to the right ratio, get the engine to the best RPM for torque, and then let the transmission do the work.

It might feel like you stomp on it, then a moment later it starts pulling.

That's just how a CVT is going to behave.

[motoguy128]

One thing ot remember, when a engine is cold, a large portion of the energy released when the fuel is combusted is absorbed by the engine block, heads, and oil. That's several hundred pounds of metal that's being heated. The smaller the engine, the more noticeable the affect since it has more surface area for the same dispalcement.

Overall, this is a rediculous post. "can't get out of it's own way". This is a economy car, depite that, at speeds under 60mph, it has excellent acceleration, especially wiht just the weight of the driver. I also have hte 6 speed manual which I suspect accelerates much quicker than the CVT... or at least gives the sensation of greater performance.

Bottom line... you're an idiot if you bought any car without test diriving it. Any proper test drive will tell you how the car performs. A test drive should always have a few turns, a bumpy road, a short stint on the freeway, and a couple stop signs to acclerate from a dead stop.

[proxim2020]

Bottom line... you're an idiot if you bought any car without test diriving it. Any proper test drive will tell you how the car performs. A test drive should always have a few turns, a bumpy road, a short stint on the freeway, and a couple stop signs to acclerate from a dead stop.

I must point out that in the original posting by nchckyfan did state that they did not see the problem for the first 2 months. Only after 2 months and 2k, did to problem show up. A test drive would not have found such a situation. Unless you are suggesting a test drive to be 2,000 miles or 2 months long, then your comment wouldn't be valid in this situation.