CVT gearboxes, how are they different from normal automatic gearboxes

With CVT gearboxes becoming a common feature on most cars that are being imported into Sri Lanka, specially after Toyota Japan has made it standard for all the common models (Axio, Allion, Premio, RAV4, etc).  However a lot seem unclear what is different from the CVT, specially since Toyota went to great lengths making many changes to the implementation of the CVT in Toyota’s to make it look and feel like a normal auto, hiding some of the characteristics that easily enabled a driver to know if the car had a CVT or not.

This tweaking has made many feel that CVT gearboxes are just like auto boxes, when in reality they are engineered very differently. A simple and quick guide that i would like to point out to people is http://cars.about.com/od/thingsyouneedtoknow/a/CVT.htm.  Hits the key points straight on such as the characteristics of a true CVT gearbox, and how manufacturers tweak it to hide the characteristics since most automatic users feel not comfortable with the normal jerky revy nature of the CVT gear ratio changes.

Important to note in CVT’s are,

1. There is no physical gear ratios, which in some ways makes it feel like a manual

2. The tiptronic buttons that say 5-speed, 7-speed simply are programing (software) implementation of ratios that gets applied as you change them, unlike in a true auto where it shifts into a different gear ratio

3. Though ATF oil was used in the past, issues faced by Honda with their CVT gearboxes and by Nissan in recent times have made auto makers develop a different gearbox / transmission fluid for CVT implementation.  However the gearbox itself has gone through changes, such as torque converters which were not used in early CVT gearboxes to reduce the loss in efficiency (some say 10%) were reintroduced, and the findings that the CVT gearboxes generated more heat has seen coolers being installed to maintain temperatures.  Hence the continued need for a higher cost CVT fluid maybe more marketing than fact, but with gearbox prices being high nobody wants to skimp to prove this 🙂

4. Implementations of the CVT gearboxes differ from manufacturer to manufacture, both in the physical as well as software.  Honda implementations seem to favor retaining the revvy nature of the CVT, as Honda owners feel they are driving something sporty.  However Toyota findings that their buyers preferred the automatics more smoother controlled changes has seen Toyota invest greatly to make the CVT gearbox mimic an auto.  Nissan one of the pioneer CVT implementers and a company that actually started using it in larger cars has never got much of the spotlight though they have many different variations of CVT.

However with the emergence of the dual clutch automatic gearboxes, which has shown that cars equipped with it could shift faster than a manual gearbox has made the CVT the second best auto implementation compared to the manual.  Dual clutch implementations are featured in many European cars, with VW group even having it on their cheap small cars such as the Polo. Sadly not seen much on this from the usual Japanese cars and companies.

Toyota Axio NZE141G Manual Quick Test

Cars with manual gearbox among daily commuters has become a very rarity, and one of my colleagues, an avid fan of the manual gearbox had decided to upgrade his N16 (manual gearbox) with an Toyota Axio manual gearbox.  The car he got was a pristine example with an auction grade 5, interior A and just 9,000km on the clock.

He was kind enough to provide me  test drive, and also share some of the user experience in comparison to the N16 he had.

Did the criminal sin that i had not charged my camera’s battery, so my photo shoot for the article sadly was only half complete.

Engine

The car has the same engine as the Allion A15G, the 1496cc 1NZ-FE base engine in the A15 provides 110PS/6000 power, and 140Nm/4400 of torque.

The engine is a quiet one, and lacking any aural thrill the Honda fans would crave for.  The pickup of the vehicle at low speeds as in the Allion is remarkable, and coupled this time with a manual gearbox, provides extreme rapid take-offs.  However once you go beyond the 1st gear, the surge is more sedate and tapers off in the mid range before it gets a bit more lively at the higher speeds.

The tractability of the engine though is remarkable, as you can cruise around even in the second gear, indicating that long gearing might be in place to promote fuel efficiencies.

Transmission
Driving a manual gearbox after a while, and it was a pleasant experience.  The manual gearbox is quite smooth, though no match for the Honda Fit manual i drove some time back.  A touch notch but still very light and confidence inspiring and the shorter gear knob gives a quick shift feel.

Exterior

The Axio design definitely is Toyota playing its safe style, and is very conservative lacking any real visual drama. The design is clean, but lacking inspiration.  The model i drove had the standard light cluster, though some of the models i saw on the road had the more cooler looking project type cluster.

Interior

This car being a G grade model, has the higher quality seating materials.  However the quality is not in the same league as the Allion.  My friend also commented that the seats were a lot firm, and not as comfortable as his older N16.  The seats are narrow, and while suitable for the thinner folks, a bit lacking in width for the bulkier person such as myself!  The singular knob for height adjustment seems a bit lacking.

A thing that brought me joy was the handbrake being  a true handbrake and not a foot brake as was the case with a lot of new auto gearbox cars.  I am sure only a person who drives in Sri Lanka will truly appreciate the ease the hand brake brings compared to the foot brake due to the high frequency we have to use it in general city driving.

The rear seat space seems lacking and disappointing.  My humble opinion is that the newer hatchbacks a class lower such as the Honda Fit having oodles of space for the rear occupants.  Another work mate who upgraded from an Fit Aria, also indicated that his wife had commented the Axio was less spacious in the rear specially in the legroom. However the boot is well sized.

The dashboard console is simple and functional with orange lighting.  Unlike the CVT variant i drove of my other work mate, the manual car has a normal LCD meter and separate analog meters for fuel, etc.  The LCD indicators are also in English as opposed to Japanese in the automatic gearbox versions.

Ride and Handling

The Axio though lighter than the Allion, and the Axio handles the  local rutty roads extremely well, giving a comfortable ride even in the most bumpy parts.  However for an enthusiast they may find the ride a tad on the softer side, but the advantage is that the vehicle does not loose composure on the rippled, rutty roads and maintains high degree of comfort for its occupants.  The standard tires are the 185/65/R14, and with the thick sidewall, these tires also help maintain the ride comfort.   However one observation from the owner was that the lighter weight of the car was noticeable at higher velocities.

In town driving the car is fairly nimble and has a decent turning circle, and also manages to control the torque with no wheel spin.  Yeah wheel spins are cool, but sadly they don’t help improve performance straight of the line as thats a sign that car is not able to get traction.

The car i drove also feature 195/60/R15 tires, larger than the standard 185/65/R14 which do service in most Axio’s. The large tread size seemingly helping in improving the road manners of the car, though this should have an impact on the overall fuel economy of the car.

Fuel Economy

Shall update this after i get an update from the owner after he has got a few more miles in local conditions.  However it seems the manual gearbox has a 0.5-1kmpl advantage over the CVT gearbox in peak hour city driving mode, so the CVT definitely bridging the gap in fuel economies compared to a standard auto box.

City / Urban – Peak Hours		9-10kmpl
City / Urban – Non Peak Hours		10-11kmpl
Outstation / Highway – Narrow roads
Outstation / Highway –Wide roads		14-16kmpl

Toyota Allion NZE260 Detail Review

A more descriptive analysis of the highly popular JDM Allion this time around.

Engine

The 1496cc 1NZ-FE base engine in the A15 provides 110PS/6000 power, and 140Nm/4400 of torque.  Interestingly the A18 1790cc version which is more rare in Sri Lanka due to the higher taxes (yet low priced in Japanese auctions due to the high demand for the a15) has a more advanced 2ZR-FA engine which revs harder at 140PS/6400rpm and 176Nm/4400 of torque.  The A18 engine features Toyota’s VALVEMATIC that provides more power and yet high levels of fuel economy.  Anyone using this version, appreciate if you can provide your experiences specially on the fuel economy and performance, as my general feeling is that its not going to be too far away from the A15 in efficiencies, but you get the bonus of the higher outputs that can be an advantage on the highways, and also for the thrill seekers.

The A15 tested is remarkably quiet, partly due to the good noise insulation, and also possible the design of the engine.  However what is really interesting is the simple ease the vehicle pulls at low speeds, and i believe part of this reason is the CVT gearbox.  The end result is that the Allion offers painless acceleration that will make you feel the engine is lot more powerful than what it is.  Its only in the open roads and when you need that heavy pull in overtaking that you notice the lack of oomp in the engine, something that most users of this car in Sri Lanka are not going to notice unless you like driving a bit enthusiastically.

Transmission

A big change in the second generation Allion is the introduction of the CVT (called Super-CVTi) gearbox for the entire range of models.  Only the 2L version had the CVT gearbox in the 1st generation models.  The Super-CVTi has been tuned to give more of an auto feel and most users are unaware that the gearbox is a CVT.  Kudos to Toyota in achieving this, as common feature of most CVT’s specially Honda has been the rather revvy behaviour, though this can be an interesting attribute.

However see section below, seems if the car is used in heavy traffic situations, sticking to the Toyota standard gearbox oil change can cause gearbox failures.  Honda’s learning with the CVT gear oil change cycles may also be very applicable for Toyota as well!

Exterior

The Allion compared to the sister car the Premio always presented a more sporty younger appeal, and the same continues with this model.  The vehicle tested being a variant of the base model lacked some of the visual aesthetics,  still had that look.  The more beefy versions add to the visual impact that makes the car a lot more meaner.

The side mirrors have the now popular winker mirrors, while adding a touch of modern feel, most winker mirror implementations have the feel of being bolted in when compared to the winker mirrors in Mercs which were among the first to feature this.

The rear has the now fairly standard Toyota look, and has more than a  passing resemblances to the big brother Camry. A bit of the bangle  design has crept into the Toyota design house, but in a lot more  pleasing way compare to the BMW designs of the past.
Interior

The soft texture of the seating material gives a very pleasant feel for the passengers, and also gives the vehicle an upmarket feel.  However the material is a major dust attractor, so regular cleaning is on call, specially if its the dark colored interior.

The high mid console which has the  classy stubby gear lever i felt was a tad badly placed, and only suited  if you were the type who liked to sit back and drive in a relaxed mode.

The front seats are top notch, and though lacking any form of  electrical seat control, it provides the front passengers a very  comfortable driving position. The rear seat space is superb, and the ability to recline the seats (at the cost of some boot space) adds to the luxury feel of this mid level sedan.

The dashboard console is very neat, and the all LCD information screen provides a good level of information.  In addition to the average fuel economy, it also provides the current fuel economy to ensure the driver can optimize his driving style to meet his needs be it economy or a bit of thrill.  However while most JDM cars in the past had the information in English, the console now is in Japanese, which means any error information or warning are not going to be understood by non-Japanese users.

Ride and Handling

The vehicle suspension handles local rutty roads extremely well, giving a comfortable ride even in the most bumpy parts.  However for an enthusiast they may find the ride a tad on the softer side, but the advantage is that the vehicle does not loose composure on the rippled, rutty roads and maintains high degree of comfort for its occupants.  The standard tires on most Allions are the 185/65/R14, and with the thick sidewall, these tires ensure the ride comfort is maintained.  These tires look a bit too small for a car of this size, and especially cars that had the rims replaced by 14″ alloys look very ungainly.  Vehicles with Toyota alloys tend to get 185/65/R15 that provides a more balanced view, while the TRD alloys with the 17″ makes the car stand out.

Fuel Economy

The vehicle has as amazing fuel economies if driven properly, excelling in open roads.  The dual-VVTi configuration provided great traction with minimal revs and idle sipping very little fuel definitely attributing to this amazing returns.

City / Urban – Peak Hours	8-9kmpl
City / Urban – Non Peak Hours	9-12kmpl
Outstation / Highway – Narrow roads	10-14kmpl
Outstation / Highway –Wide roads	15-24 kmpl

Problems
Friends who have this vehicle have reported the following problems.

1. The AC tends to get heated once in a while even on cars with low mileage. The AC fan is found to be working the issue could be due to the AC compressor bush expanding.
2. The CVT gearbox has started to fail on several of these cars including the Axio which features the same gearbox and engine combination. The issue seems to stem from the fact that Toyota states a 100,000km duration for the CVT gearbox oil change, and sticking to this with the car being used mainly in traffic seems to be suicidal. To avoid the gearbox failing the best is to do the oil change every 50-60,000km and then reduce the duration even further as the car ages in mileage. The gearbox failure seems to be in two stages, one where the gearbox will not change which can be repaired, and the next where not attending to this problem in time causing a belt failure.

Upcoming reviews and updates

The influx of new cars also means i now get my hands on some of the newer cars my office mates have purchased.  I have asked them to provide me regular updates and a some test time so that i can update this blog.  The cars that are scheduled to be reviews and tracked are,

• Toyota Axio NZE141 1.5L (G-grade) automatic CVT
• Toyota Axio NZE141 1.5L (G-grade) manual 5-speed
• Toyota Allion NZE260 1.5L automatic CVT
• Toyota Premio NZE260 1.5L automatic CVT
• Hyundai Tucson 2010 2.0L automatic 6-speed
• Toyota Corolla Fielder NZE141G 1.5L automatic CVT
• Toyota Belta 1.3L automatic CVT
• Toyota Corolla 141 1.6L 2007 local version

Possible causes why the Sri Lankan Corolla 141 is not fuel efficient, AXIO excempted

The Corolla is a car that in Sri Lanka (and other asian countries) that is highly regarded first due its high reliability, very comfortable ride and importantly excellent fuel economies.

The model that really became popular and had such inflated prices was the NZ121 model.  Personally i found the shape rather bland, and the rear legroom ridiculous for a car in that class (the Honda City/Fit and the Civic both had much better legroom).  The drive was also rather soft, but i guess that’s what the vehicle was targeted for.  These are comments on the 1.5L versions i had driven or been a bored passenger :), the higher powered 1.8 and 2L versions maybe different.

However the ride comfort in rutty roads and potholes was definitely one aspect that it stood out compared to the Honda Fit/Fit Aria and the Civic ES series.  Toyota definitely knows how to handle such road conditions, and that makes is very popular in Sri Lanka due to our wonderful smooth roads (Sarcastic smile!).

The other thing you notice it the much better noise insulation, a perennial weakness with most Honda cars, with the exception of the Honda Accord from what i have experienced.  Again something that many might want since it helps muffle the tire roar, external noises and enjoy your audio system better.

However the biggest reasons for the high sales would be the superior fuel efficiencies of the NZ121, as it easily seem to be capable of doing 10-12kmpl in severe city driving conditions, something that even the Fit/City would be challenge with the AC on.  Outstations the economies improved to even greater levels, and aided by the Corolla communities “programed to get best efficiency driving style” the fuel economies were always repeatable.

However come NZE141 with the 1.6L engine with a better looking interior and exterior (sadly for Toyota, Honda released the FD1 civic that made the 141 look .. eh.. let me not comment!).  These vehicles were purchased in frenzy by the loyal toyota community thinking it could only be better than the NZE121.

Well it improved on lot of things that were good on the 121, but it fell flat in the most important area, which is the fuel economy.  The cars were having fuel economies as low as 5-6kmpl in city driving during the burn in period for new cars, and seem to never give more than 7-7.5kmpl in city driving conditions.  The buyers were furious and even the local agents were lost.

However since my sister had brought this car i decided a bit more research was due, and then i found the issue was there in the cars in thailand as well.

Here they had some reasons,

1. The car sold for the Sri Lanka (and Thailand) markets had the old NZE121 engine.  Not a bad thing one might think.  However Toyota for some reason has reduce the power output by 5% in the engine, and also remapped it to give more power low down.
2. The car was over 100-150lb heavier, and it looked that as well.
3. The local market had ignored that the 121 JDM corolla imported as re-conditioned already had a more advanced VVTi engine, and was lighter by almost 200lb over the 141 sold locally.

Put the maths together, lower power engine in a heavier car with the engine tuned for power at low down, and you now get a feel why the economies went smack down.

However the issue was not there with the Corolla AXIO sold in japan, and why not.  Simple it had the newer more advanced Toyota VVT engine which was more economical and powerful (seems toyota has understood this, the 2010 corolla now has the new engine).  So this car was able to deliver the fuel economies that were good or better than the NZE121, which is why you see everyone going for the AXIO these days with the revised tax rates.

However seems like Toyota has silently updated the 141 for the asian market, by replacing the older engine with a newer VVTi engine.   Sadly the 1.6 liter still gets the normal auto gearbox and the single VVT-i engine, as the CVT is only coupled with the 1.8liter unlike the Axio where the 1.5liter engine is coupled with the CVT gearbox. The 1.8liter version also get the more advanced D-VVTi engine.  However the extra power and more fuel efficient newer VVTi implementation should make the local 141 better though still not as great as the Axio due to the extra weight and the normal auto box.

A quick comparisons of the Corolla range with the important aspects, mainly the engines, power and weight.

	Corolla 141 Asia/Thailand	Corolla 121 Asia	Corolla 121 Japan	Corolla 141 Asia/Thailand 2010	Corolla Axio 141 Japan
Engine Model	3ZZ-FE	3ZZ-FE	1NZ-FE	1ZR-FE	1NZ-FE
Capacity – cc	1598	1598	1498	1598	1498
Type	4cy dohc VVT-i	4cy dohc VVT-i	4cy dohc VVT-i	4cy dohc VVT-i	4cy dohc VVT-i
Power (bhp/rpm)	108/6000	110/6000	110/6000	122/6000	110/6000
Torque (Nm/rpm)	145/4400	150/4400	141/4400	154/5200	140/4400
Weight – kg	1255-1300		1060-1080	1230	1140-1150
Gearbox	Super ECT 4-sp auto	Super ECT 4-sp auto	Super ECT 4-sp auto	Super ECT 4-sp auto	Super CVT-i
0-100kph (sec)	11.8