[nomenclator]

I wouldn't want to rely on the trip computer to tell me the miles per gallon used for any trip. By recording how much fuel it takes to top off the tank (I let the pump shut off automatically) I get slightly lower mpg numbers than the computer reports. While the mileage information that the computer uses is probably going to be the same info I can get from looking at the odometer, I'm not sure if it measures the amount of fuel used as accurately as the gas pump where I buy gas - local laws require that these must be frequently calibrated to keep them honest.

I've been getting about over 40 mpg on the highway with the LX (no 100 pound moonroof) with the CVT - by using the info for gallons of fuel used from the service station pump. The car's computer indicates slightly over 41.

On the highway, at 60-75 mph, the CVT keeps the engine at much lower revs than you can get with the top gear in the manual transmission. We are talking about 2000 rpm. There is just no way you can get gas mileage with the manual transmission that is as good as with the CVT, no matter how you drive the manual. In 6th gear at 70 mph the rpm's are over 3000. You can't do it around town either as the CVT is constantly seeking the lowest engine speed that will keep the engine from lugging. You just can't do that with only 6 gears. Increased frictional losses in the CVT aren't enough to make it less efficient overall.

Except for my very first car, an old used car which I only kept a few months, this is the first time I've bought a car with an automatic transmission and I'm glad I did it. Will the CVT last long, without repairs or excessive maintenance? I hope so. We'll see. The basically same transmission has been in Civics for awhile, so it's not like they don't have a history of refinement and success.

As far as accelleration goes, there is negligible loss when compared to the auto trans. Put the shift lever in S and the car will go from 0 to 60 in about 9 sec. The paddle shifters aren't necessary for maximizing accel and won't help you get better better fuel economy. Just drop the shift lever into S and floor the "throttle pedal" until you reach the speed you want. In most cases, D mode has plenty of accel. You'll get about 11 sec from 0 to 60. The paddle shifters might be useful only for controlling the gear ratios for better control of the car in rain, snow, cornering, or going downhill, but won't make any difference in accelleration.

I'm not sure it is really a "throttle" pedal. What does the electric motor that it controls actually move? And does the thing that moves always move the same amount with the same degree of peddle-press? I don't actually know. But I know it doesn't control a flap in an airflow passage that has a fuel-air mixture - because I know all the fuel is pumped into the cylinders, rather than sucked through the intake valves via the intake manifold.