Which Cars Have CVTs for 2022?

Which Cars Have CVTs for 2022?

CVT technology dates back to before the end of the last century, but the first use of its production by a major automaker in the United States was in the secondary decade of the late 1980s. These days, Subaru runs entirely on CVTs, while Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi also use them extensively across their lineups. But some other automakers are using them more, particularly with lighter vehicles and hybrids.

How CVT works

The CVT design most popular for conventional gasoline vehicles uses a pair of conical pulleys of continuously variable radius attached to a belt or chain and controlled by a microprocessor and sensors. These CVTs are grouped in the same bag a different type of variable transmission, often called an eCVT, which is used in many plug-in hybrids and hybrids. These more complex transmissions (also called “power splitters”) use electric motors and an actual gear train to act as a CVT, but also to blend power from the vehicle’s gasoline and battery electric systems.

2022 Cars with CVTs

Below are vehicles that offer CVTs or eCVTs for 2022 as standard or available. Note that for vehicles with multiple engine options, not all of them may come with a CVT.

• Buick: Encore GX
• Chevrolet: Malibu, Trailblazer, Spark
• Chrysler: Pacifica Hybrid (Hybrid Electric)
• Ford: Escape Hybrid, Escape Plug-in Hybrid, Maverick (hybrid)
• Honda: Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic, CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, HR-V, Insight
• Hyundai: Accent, Elantra, Kona, Venue
• Infiniti: QX50, QX55
• Kia: Forte, Rio, Seltos, Soul
• Lexus: ES 300h, LC 500h, LS 500h, NX 350h, NX 450h Plus (PHEV), RX 450h, RX 450hL, UX 200, UX 250h
• Lincoln: Corsair Grand Touring (PHEV)
• Mitsubishi: Eclipse Cross, Mirage, Mirage G4, Outlander, Outlander Sport
• Nissan: Altima, Kicks, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Versa
• Subaru: Ascend, Crosstrek, Crosstrek Hybrid (PHEV), Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, WRX
• Toyota: Avalon Hybrid, C-HR, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Corolla Hybrid, Corolla Cross, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime (PHEV), RAV4 Hybrid, RAV4 Prime (PHEV), Sienna, Venza

CVT Pros and Cons

In practice, CVTs work like any automatic transmission: Put it in Drive and go. But it does offer some obvious advantages and equally obvious trade-offs versus traditional automation; How you hinder them depends on your priorities. CVTs also differ in performance, with some doing a much better job of masking inherent flaws.

The CVT’s primary advantage is fuel efficiency. Variable ratios allow the engine to remain within the optimum rpm range for conditions and load. Another pro is that with fewer components than a traditional automatic, the CVT can be more compact and lighter for the same use case.

The CVT’s primary con is what’s known as the “rubber band effect” – a non-contact, non-linear driving experience. The CVT allows engine revs to rise to an optimum level while the vehicle’s speed catches up, and the effect can be like pulling an object with a rubber band. A related drawback is that CVT cars can have a noisy drone under acceleration as the engine rpm rises faster and stays higher for longer.

The fuzzy, drone feeling can be exacerbated by the lack of up or down shifts you might feel with a conventional automatic transmission. To minimize these effects and mimic the more engaging feel and sounds associated with conventional geared automatic machines, most current CVTs compromise slightly on maximum efficiency with one or more electronically simulated up-and-down transmissions, generally in response to how hard you press on your right foot.

A related complaint about CVTs includes a feeling of slack when accelerating from a stop, which is also the CVT’s weakest point of efficiency. Some automakers use different strategies to try to reduce this, including synthetic shift steps, and some even offer “transmission” control. Toyota went one step further by adding a first physical gear, dubbed the “launch gear,” to the continuously variable transmission for its gasoline and 2.0-liter models. After the gear is engaged, the CVT shifts to its continuously variable belt and pulleys, which then include simulated shift steps. This pairs the efficiency of a CVT with the feel of a semi-traditional transmission.

Which Cars Have CVTs for 2022?

What about electric cars?

The motors are in almost all battery electric vehicles. The relatively narrow rpm range of an internal combustion engine—too slow and stalls or stalls, too fast and wears—requires multiple or continuously variable gear ratios to maintain the rpm required for power. But the electric motor produces constant torque from zero to high rpm and only requires one gear. This is simply reversed by rotating the electric motor backwards. while EV Need Only one gear – which also saves weight and cost – is could You have more for performance. The original version had a two-speed transmission, as well as the current for its rear motor.