[spacemanspif]

If they put a tall final drive in for max highway mpg I can understand extra gears so that it's got a granny gear 1st to get out of the hole and still has something like 0.75:1 overdrive without 2000rpm drop between shifts. But it seems most cars are doing more shifting for the sake if doing more shifting with 300rpm drop gear shifts. I get that tighter gears can keep you in the power band better but I think 1000rpm drop is a good gear spacing especially since DI and VVT can make such broad power bands. Anything more than 6 and it better be an auto or a "flappy paddle shifter" becuase I'm way too lazy to coutch 8 times before I get to 45mph...that's for the big rigs.

To old mech's point, my friends Subaru XV has a CVT but programmed shift points. I wonder if the million speed autos are actually CVT but they are not calling them that becuase if the bad reputation they have for durability...