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Has anyone ever owned a micra with the CVT box and are they any good? Would you buy one a 52 model with 10k on clock? Or would you go for a newer model with standard 4 speed box?
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sorry, can't help directly ... but have you seen the entry for the Micra in HJ's wonderful car-by-car breadown? (link on the top left of each page)
Also there was a thread recently about small cars, in which some people expressed strong views about the Micra.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=22679&...f
It was a general discusion rather than anything technical, but might perhaps be of interest. Some people would probably suggest that given a choice between being boiled in oil or driving a Micra, they'd take the oil. Some other folk really like them.
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Can't go wrong with the Micra - build quality is
generally good and it's reliable.
The previous model was made before Nissan jumped into
bed with Renault and should be fault free if it has been well looked after.
If you're someone who's not that bothered about looks
and what's underneath - this should be a good buy.
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Standard old-fashioned CVT driving. Press accelerator engine note rises (sounds like a hairdryer) and then you seem to speed up and the note goes back again.
That might have sounded negative, but I like them. Early ones had no creep at all so you had to use the throttle more when moving off than you would on a standard auto. Facelift models had some creep added.
Go for the 1.4 and they are a hoot, but have lots of understeer
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Why is CVT so unpopular amongst car makers? From what I can gather about it, it's by far the simplest drive system as well as the most economical in terms of fuel consumption as you are in effect always in the correct gear. I gather there was a system out a while back (DAF?) that was popular but very few seem to have taken it up. I also recall that Williams looked in to developing such a system for their F1 cars, only to have it banned before it hit the racetrack.
Indeed, from what I can gather, the only applications tends to be on farm machinery!
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Got one in my Audi A4. Excellent!
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The Daf55 had CVT - remember them :-}
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I have had a Micra 1.3 SLX with CVT from new in 1995 and I can honestly say that it it the most reliable car I have ever had. It is regularly serviced and probably not worth much now, but until it goes horribly wrong I shall keep it. Much nicer than the new ugly model! And driving with CVT is a dream.
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All DAF cars had CVT - Variomatic transmission, to be precise. And a good, sensible and remarkably reliable system it was - and is if you see www.dafownersclub.co.uk.
But as with some current companies, external and internal ranglings etc meant that the future was not to be, so to speak.
And, of course, it was either mistakingly or intentionally misunderstood by too many "influential" people...
You should still be able to find one of the last Volvo 340s around made in 1992, which had the DAF rubber-belt Variomatic transmission - not that Volvo would admit it, as they thought it no good for their image.
Williams did make a F1 car about ten years ago with a van Doorne CVT (DAF descendent) fitted. David Coulthard tested it a lot and spoke highly of it. I still have a video of him putting it through its paces around Silverstone.
Unfortunately, such was the improvement in performance over a manual type 'box, that the rules were changed so that "automatic cars cannot be used in F1".
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in answer top the first part of your question, it's Yes and Yes. I have a 10 year old Micra with CVT with 71k from new and it still goes like a dream.
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