It should be noted that your writer isn't a smack-talking CVT hater, but the truth is that any heavy-footed sports car fan will find this type of gearbox feels just plain weird.
CVT done right
Not so here, though. Nissan pioneered CVT technology-- and now, they know how to exploit it for efficiency and performance. If a manual isn’t an option for your next coupe, this CVT is, dare I say, nearly as much fun.
You'll have trouble convincing your buddies of this without a demonstration. At a traffic light while holding the brakes, kill the traction control, slip the shifter into its 'Sport' gate and pin the throttle. As the revs rise, release the brakes and hang the heck on.
After burning the front tires through the intersection, the engine quickly ramps up to almost 6,500 RPM before upshifting to its next simulated gear. This sheds only a few ticks from the tachometer, and the process repeats rapidly thereafter until the throttle is released. Sound effects are fantastic, and man, does it ever scoot.
Driven as such, the Xtronic unit never feels weird or sludgy-- but more like a very close-ratio, fast-shifting automatic.
There's a unique performance experience to be taken in here. Speed? Check. Cool gearshift noises? Check. A fast-shifting manual mode for driver-directed browsing of the Xtronic's pretend gears? Check.
Front-drive shennanigans
The rampant acceleration is backed by a light, eager steering and taut suspension that feel perfect for one another. Altima Coupe corners sharply and flatly while biting into bends, which it does with minimal delay or fuss.
The only similarly-entertaining front-drive cars in this writer’s memory are considerably smaller.
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| The tester got Nissan's potent 3.5 litre V6, tuned for 270 horsepower in this application. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
CVT done right
Not so here, though. Nissan pioneered CVT technology-- and now, they know how to exploit it for efficiency and performance. If a manual isn’t an option for your next coupe, this CVT is, dare I say, nearly as much fun.
You'll have trouble convincing your buddies of this without a demonstration. At a traffic light while holding the brakes, kill the traction control, slip the shifter into its 'Sport' gate and pin the throttle. As the revs rise, release the brakes and hang the heck on.
After burning the front tires through the intersection, the engine quickly ramps up to almost 6,500 RPM before upshifting to its next simulated gear. This sheds only a few ticks from the tachometer, and the process repeats rapidly thereafter until the throttle is released. Sound effects are fantastic, and man, does it ever scoot.
Driven as such, the Xtronic unit never feels weird or sludgy-- but more like a very close-ratio, fast-shifting automatic.
There's a unique performance experience to be taken in here. Speed? Check. Cool gearshift noises? Check. A fast-shifting manual mode for driver-directed browsing of the Xtronic's pretend gears? Check.
Front-drive shennanigans
The rampant acceleration is backed by a light, eager steering and taut suspension that feel perfect for one another. Altima Coupe corners sharply and flatly while biting into bends, which it does with minimal delay or fuss.
The only similarly-entertaining front-drive cars in this writer’s memory are considerably smaller.
 |
| Rather than the six-speed manual revered by enthusiast drivers, Nissan's Xtronic Continually Variable Transmission (CVT) was attached to the powerplant. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com) |