Wage Slave wrote:The CVT takes a bit of getting used to for most people - there's that slight rubber banding feel to it at first. Once you have got used to it and predict it, most people really like it. That includes me, especially on long trips and hill climbs. It super convenient and smooth - appropriate power whenever you want it. The only thing you can't do is spin the wheels drag racing from the lights with the guy in the Toyota - the power feeds in smoothly. I'm sure you won't miss that too much.
I didn't need any getting used to the CVT. I loved it from the start.
Last week I rented a Mazda Demio for my commute, and it had a CVT too. Very nice, but only afterwards I found out what that M on the handle for the CVT stands for. Turns out when you put it in M, it can simulate manual shift. I would have liked trying that, being forced to drive automatic in Japan because of Wifey.
That said, shifting manual with a CVT is kind of useless, because it seems that CVTs are quite energy-efficient, so probably there would not be any improvement on that front. And it doesn't have a clutch pedal, so it is not the full experience.
Funny what nostalgia can do to people. When renting a car in Europe I always take manual shift.