When Is An Automatic Car Not An Automatic Car?

Friday, 2. July 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

I am often asked about small autos and what CVT auto is? CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission and tends to only be fitted to small autos. Such as the Micra. Unlike a traditional auto which operates in a similar way to a manual, automatically changing between gears the CVT system consists of a belt that slides up and down two cones, effectively providing an infinite number of gear ratios. Unfortunately they can be quite noisy and don’t operate in such a refined way as a normal auto. On the good new front the CVT cars tend to be more economical than their equivalent manual version. The other alternative is the twin clutch type automatic which some manufacturers favour to the CVT system. If you are considering an auto and have been offered a CVT I would strongly advise that you go for a test drive, the car won’t drive the same as a traditional automatic. By Graham Hill