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Looking at a used Toyota with a CVT drive. I've heard lists of bad things, but it's all hearsay.
Anyone know one way or the other if they're a headache waiting to happen?
Car ?
TBH, Toyota's are more reliable than most - it's more about the car's history and condition.
I’ve heard lists of bad things, but it’s all hearsay.
From who?
People who don’t like the CVT no doubt.
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We had a Toyota auris hybrid touring Excel with the cvt transmission and it never missed it a beat in 56k its done.
For sale for 11.5k if anyone is interested email in profile 😉
There are videos on YouTube speaking if secret recalls but not enough information to tell if it's really, or just one upset nutters with a gopro and a YouTube account.
Well, I have the cvt in my car.
I’ve read all sorts of crap from people who essentially hate the cvt, and their stock answer to any questions regarding it is “it’s like a rubber band” & “why can’t they put a manual box in it or a normal auto”
Thing folks forget, is it’s designed to mate to the engine & hybrid system. This means the gearbox doesn’t interfere with the stress of the engine going up a hill, it just adapts to the right drive for the conditions.
Its simple, and effective, and not at all intrusive.
You start the car, select drive and get on with your day not even considering whether the gearbox is in the right gear or the hybrids taken over or whatever people think about whilst driving vehicles.
Turn on, select drive, drive and forget.
Granted the early Prius suffered with “lag” but mainly that was a “tune” that the Prius was given to maximise fuel economy... over the years (10) various upgrades and software changes have been developed to “mimic” an Auto box. But it’s still a gearbox that changes to demands of the hybrid and engine combination.
If you think of it like an Auto, then you are almost there, but the main considerations should be it just drives.
If you want more power, push the go peddle, if you want to stop.. hit the brake.
Its that simple.
Someone once comment to me “I don’t see you changing gear” I replied, yeah you didn’t see me changing gear in my previous car either (which was an Auto)
Stay away from YouTube. Plenty of detractors on there wanting clickbate.
You'll find complaints about any car if you look. 1.0 Ecoboost fords, 1.2/1,4 or and TSI VW engine etc etc..
The Toyota CVT is very good - used on the Prius and our local Taxi driver swears by his MK1 Prius - it's done getting on 200k miles.
We have an Avensis with CVT, no problems can’t tell when it’s changed gear.
Ours is the 1.8 petrol ⛽️ valveomatic engine.
Brother had one in his Audi A6 avant and it was fine. He lugged gear all over in it so no issues with torque. Took him some getting used to but when he did he preferred it over conventional gearboxes. In the right gear 209% of the time unlike conventional boxes that are in the right gear about 1% of the time.
I love the theory/idea behind it and happy enough with how it drives. The 1.8 petrol v-matic cvt seems more efficient than the 1.6 petrol manual.
It's a Verso we're looking at if that makes any difference. Seems like a good load lugger.
Seen a 3 year old one with only a few hundred miles on the clock.
We have an Avensis with CVT, no problems can’t tell when it’s changed gear.
Ours is the 1.8 petrol ⛽️ valveomatic engine.
We had that model on hire for a fortnight in Poland.
Nice car, really pleasant place to sit in back or front, big boot, rode well.
But that gearbox if you want to accelerate hard or even go up a hill was awful. The engine would roar away with minimal acceleration or going up hills make lots of noise as the car slowed...! I wonder if there was something wrong with it (thrashed hire car...?). Great around town, great when up to speed, so flippin' frustrating for 1% of the time...
Used to have a 1.4 Metro with cvt that was great fun. Basically a dodgem car.
Now have an auris (hybrid) which I think is ecvt. Basically it just works.
bikebuoy pretty much sums it up. I've had ecvt in the last 4 co cars (55 Prius, 59 Prius, 64 Auris estate, 68 Prius. About 230k miles on them in 12/13 years). Never had a single problem apart from leaving interior lights on a couple of times and then being unable to power the car on next morning (you can't bump-start them, but you can jump-start).
I know, it's not the car list of a driving god, and certainly not that of a petrol head, but Pah ☺. I'm happy with the ease, and 70mpg.
Worth noting that, as bikebouy says, it's not a separate engine and old fashioned steel band CVT bolted on. The hybrid system is two electric motor/generators, a battery and an engine connected together with fixed gears, the overall effect is like an old fashioned CVT.
It's reliable. It's not great for traditional sporty driving feel but then, it's designed to maximize fuel efficiency not stroke your ego. Press pedal, it goes. It does make a noise when you select maximum power, but it does go, and if you find yourself doing that all them time you've got the wrong car.
An upside is that it's impossible to drive it roughly. Stamp in the throttle and it pulls away just as smoothly but quicker. And with no jerky gear shifts it's the smoothest and easiest driving experience I've had. Especially as a passenger.
The engine would roar away with minimal acceleration or going up hills make lots of noise as the car slowed…!
Yes, something wrong with that. They make more noise at lower speed when flooring it, because the engine goes to max revs straight away, however you get all the 140bhp at whatever speed unlike a normal car where you only get max power at the speed that corresponds to max power engine speed in a particular gear. So it should have no trouble getting up hills. In mine, going up 1:3 lanes the engine revs climb as road speed stays the same which makes it feel like a slipping clutch, but it's not. It's just the car selecting engine revs to give you the power you've asked for.
In the right gear 209% of the time
Impressive!
Have a look on auto trader for toyota prius, there’s plenty cars on there with 300k miles on them, priuses all have cvt, any negativity about them is based on the fact that the person spouting it knows it’s a cvt.
Our hybrid buses have cvt, they work exactly the same as a prius.
Subaru sti is available with a cvt.
They are great for, you know, just driving.
Another point to add from me before I look like a total fanbouy..
The cvt “gearbox” versions of the cars “normally” (I say normally because everyone I’ve driven has one) comes with a gear selector type lever or button... normally 3 options with a 4th tagged as “B”
The 3 position lever or button (or dial) selects D and adds 3 options Eco-Normal-Sport.
Eco - obvz is obvz but it’s a lower power output, cuts down things like drain on battery, increases efficiency by turning down the engine and acceleration buy tuning down the cvt and sort of halves the air-con
Normal - obvz is again obvz and that is the middle setting that allows the vehicle to produce the mid band power range, air-con and other electronics work “normally” and the cvt is mapped to “normal” and hence the acceleration is a bit more rapid.
Sport - this adds the battery power motors into the equation and the power is split from engine to electric motor. Quicker acceleration, same air-con outputs etc.
B - brake, this isn’t a traditional Brake to slow you down, but it’s a feature that ups the re-gen from the electric motor and generates more top-up electricity into the batteries.. it sort of acts as an engine breaking map.. and I use it quite a lot when coasting upto roundabouts and junctions.. it sort of holds that extra charge for a few moments so your acceleration from standstill is powerful enough not to floor the throttle. Use this also if you are going down steep gradients as it acts as a brake but you still need to use the foot brake obvz.. If you hear a hum come from the rear that’s the fan coming on to cool the battery radiators and nothing to worry about (I was in the Vosges coming down off the top and used B, the hum from the rear was a shock so I called Lexus who said “it’s the fan mate”) first time I’d heard it..
I’ve owned a Mk1 Prius (when they first came out) and thought it was awesome... it was “laggy” but it was new tech back then and as mentioned was a map they used to maximise fuel efficiency... a few years passed and I own another cvt boxed SUV and it’s simply the quietest and easiest vehicle to drive that I’ve ever owned.
Am I a fanbouy? Probably, but that’s only because my car costs £35 to fill up and I get 450 miles out of a tank of fuel and it’s so quiet 🥳
B – brake, this isn’t a traditional Brake to slow you down, but it’s a feature that ups the re-gen from the electric motor and generates more top-up electricity into the batteries.. it sort of acts as an engine breaking map.. and I use it quite a lot when coasting upto roundabouts and junctions.. it sort of holds that extra charge for a few moments so your acceleration from standstill is powerful enough not to floor the throttle.
That's not what it does on my MkII. It connects the engine to the wheels so you can use actual engine braking, similar to shifting to a lower gear in a normal car for a long descent. May have changed in later cars I don't know. The car will do this automatically once the battery is brimmed, because with nowhere for the power to go the regen braking won't work and you're relying on normal brakes.
The verso we were looking at had a B option on the "gear" selector but being a Verso, it's pure petrol, there's never been a hybrid option on those.
'donut media' on you-tube did a good video on CVTs (I'm sure it was them..)
I don't have a car with a CVT (I've a derv 'doctavia..!) but i did chuckle when the video explained that some manufacturers make it 'jump up and down through the range' to mimic an auto box!
DrP
Well mine has the “B” and so did the courtesy car (Lexus UX) last week.
Anyway, you get the drift of what they’re all about.
Hope you get what you want.