Future Production Cars? (efficient and inexpensive?)

[Hersbird]

I'm skeptical the CVT Fit actually beats the manual Fit in real world driving when you are actually trying to get good mileage. I wish fuelly would break down the cars by transmission more then engine.

[NeilBlanchard]

Some one I know, who is not an ecodriver, has gotten ~47MPG highway and ~40MPG around town in his 2015 Fit. Which is damn good. He has the automatic - is this the CVT?

[digital rules]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

He has the automatic - is this the CVT?

Yes, no conventional automatic available.

I see why the manufacturers & the EPA leftists are pushing CVT's. No thanks, I'll stick with the simple, proven manual transmission.

Taken from "British American Auto Care"

"Many manufacturers produce cars with a CVT, but they fail to tell their customer how to look after the CVT. You can look through many manufacturers' service recommendations and see that a transmission fluid change or service is not included. Some manufacturers even state that the fluid is a "lifetime" fluid. Well they've got that right; when the fluid fails the transmission fails! The "lifetime" fluid lasts the life of the transmission which can be as little as 70,000 to 80,000 miles if it isn't properly cared for. Fortunately, this type of failure can easily be avoided.

The CVT is a precision piece of machinery with a complex electronic valve body. Replacement can cost from $4,000 to $7,000, however if the fluid is changed every 40,000 to 50,000 miles the life of the CVT can be greatly extended. The transmission fluid used on a CVT is expensive and ranges from $15 to $30 a quart. The transmission's capacity is 4 to 5 quarts. The labor to change the fluid can be from $70 to $110. If you add it all up, for between $120 to $260 you can prevent a major problem! $260 sounds a lot better than $4000 to me."

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I don't really hate automatics, but this "lifetime" fluid BS really bothers me. It's obvious that no fluid is going to resist to a "lifetime" operation...

[oil pan 4]

Cars have doubled in inflation adjusted price over the last 30 years.
I don't see this trend turning around.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

I don't really hate automatics, but this "lifetime" fluid BS really bothers me. It's obvious that no fluid is going to resist to a "lifetime" operation...

Its a life time fluid if you are one of those people who off loads their cars before 100k miles.

[freebeard]

My issues with the Fit are that in manual transmission form they added a useless 6th gear. Rather than expanding the gear range, they just added an extra ratio between 3 and 4 I think, but the top, bottom, and final ratios all remain the same.

This doesn't sound like a problem to me. VW 4-speeds have a 'hole' between 3rd and 4th. When I converted to a 5-speed, I was upshifting into 5th at [an indicated] 85mph so I hardly ever used it. But it was really nice around town, have two choices instead of one.

If the intermediate ratios are evenly spread, you can maintain optimal BFSC. Wide ratio [spread] is for trucks, narrow ratio is for sports cars.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Cars have doubled in inflation adjusted price over the last 30 years.
I don't see this trend turning around.

The exception: two bare bones base model cars currently available in Canada. The $10k Nissan Micra (and $10k Mirage). Inflation adjusted, they're cheaper than the cheapest car that was available here 30 years ago (Hyundai Pony).

And much, much better.

The 2015 Nissan Micra is cheaper to buy than a 1984 Hyundai Pony - Micra-Forum.com

Then again, hardly anybody buys the stripped base model anymore (can't live without A/C & automatic). So I wouldn't be surprised if the *average* car purchase price is twice what it was 30 years ago.