I have yet to find a vehicle with a continuously variable transmission I would consider buying. Conversely, there are at least a couple such vehicles that I might purchase were they available with a conventional torque-converter automatic, or better still, a twin-clutch gearbox or God’s Own manual transmission.

As automakers grapple with heightening governmental and consumer pressures to increase fuel economy figures, CVTs have been labeled The Next Big Thing. By utilizing a pulley system incorporating drive chains or belts, they possess a theoretically infinite number of ratios. This allows the engine to reach and stay in its sweet spot, the rpm at which it produces maximum power. On paper this is wonderful, as manufacturers like Nissan have been citing optimistic-sounding mile-per-gallon increases of as much as 8 to 10 percent. That’s a substantial achievement, as most other near-term technologies are costlier and realize smaller fuel savings.

But there are problems. First off, automakers have had a hard time manufacturing CVTs that accept the higher torque outputs of larger engines. Audi, Ford, Lexus, and Nissan are perhaps the only companies to yoke such transmissions to anything possessing more than four cylinders. Enthusiasts are generally drawn to more powerful engines, the very sort that most current CVTs cannot support. In all fairness, though, this is a technological hurdle that will likely be cleared.

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Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 29