[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Ecky

As a counterpoint, the ND MX-5 (what I own) has a notoriously fragile manual transmission, whereas the automatic has no such reputation. It's probably a result of Mazda pulling too much weight out of it, combined with replacing the original 1.5L engine the car was designed around with a 2.0L (the US only ever got the 2.0L). Cars driven spiritedly are commonly known to blow up 2nd and 3rd gear. There have been 5 revisions of the transmission, making it stronger each time, and it's still not entirely a non-issue.

They did, of course, manage to pull 46lbs out of the transmission (based on what I've read), which I find rather impressive. On the flip side, it's still heavier than a Honda FWD transmission, which includes the differential and can survive 500hp, vs 155hp.

It always seemed that Nissan manual transmissions always die an early death. But it seems that Nissan transmissions die an early death in general. I do wonder how well their high performance CVT toroid transmission lasts.