So whats the optimum number of gears? Is 7 a lot to go through if you are shifting yourself?

 

Anyone going to test drive the Lexus LS with 8 gears?

 

forget the 7 speed auto, bring out the 7 speed MT ! First 5 gears with really short ratios, 6th and 7th for extreme highway cruising/MPG saving.

FTW!

 

Yeah, that makes sense......

 

Nissan has been playing around with CVT in some of the cars. If it can take the power, maybe it will end up in a 2008 to replace the automatic.

Does that have the potential to be even faster than the manual (keep the ratio optimal during hard acceleration?

 

I tested it this past weekend at the Taste of Lexus event. The transmission is incredibly smooth!! You don't even feel the gears changing, the car just goes!

 

The best tranny in the world is the DSG. It handles the most horsepower currently available in a production car and it shifts as smooth (or smoother) than any automatic but is technically a manual. I believe BMW and Porsche just announced plans to bring out their own DSG trannys. Can't wait till Nissan decideds to develop its own.

 

Generally speaking, 6 is the right number for acceleration in an automatic - based on the balance between ratios and shift events.

More gears gives you:
1) bragging rights
2) gearing optimized for individual speeds

 

Right now, their new CVT designs are exclusively FWD. You are right though, a CVT is faster than a manual - it's just not as satisfying to drive.

 

+1
& is why you will never see it in a G

 

If you listen carefully to several of the GTR spy clips you will hear what is likely a Nissan DSG transmission. Def not a regular mt and not an AT either.

It's on the way. Will it make it to the G???

 

Agree totally. Note the horsepwer ratings for the new Maxima (244)with CVT are lower than the Altima (270) without.

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=117104

Hope so; it would be so sweet. It might not be available right away, but there's a good chance that it will first be on the higher-end Infinitis first then it will trickle down the line.

 

I think that Nissan has a CVT in the Murano (AWD). I'm not sure why the FX35 does not use it.

For the fun-to-drive part, I do agree that it will be less fun than a manual transmission. If it was significantly faster though, it might be hard to pass up.

If you added a paddle-shift setup, it would also be easy to add many "virtual" gears. I think that this approach has been used on some production cars with CVT already.

 

Simple, the CVT is being used for the less expensive and less powerful front wheel drive vehicles for the moment. Even the Maxima has it now though power for '07 was reduced to accomodate it.

The FX is rear drive and a sportier vehicle so until the technology improves it's not offered. There is a new Infiniti SUV coming out next year about the size of Murano. Maybe it will have it. The FX is being upsized with a 3rd row seat. It is expected to replace the QX56.