[Spaced Out]

Originally Posted by ruskinash

[*]My heart was set on a hatchback as I had the opportunity to drive a Honda Jazz CVT for an extended period post-surgery. It drove beautifully and was everything that I needed.

I have a 2015 Honda Jazz MT bought on 28th February 2020. We left Delhi one day before the lockdown (my wife is in Public Health and we anticipated the madness) for our family home in the hills.

The Jazz took 4 adults + 3 kids + luggage all the way to Kumaon and up like a champ. You need to climb really steep hills in 1st Gear but otherwise no problem.

Post-Covid, as I don’t drive much in Delhi, it is used only for school run but it has since been to Bikaner, Kareri (slightly off track remote Himchal village) and Gangotri. It does the Delhi - Kumaon run every month.

I cannot say anything about CVT and I can certainly appreciate the convenience of AT in Delhi traffic, but I can assure you the MT Jazz has no problem in climbing hills.

[shyampsunder]

Do consider cars like the MG ZS EV especially if you live in a home where you can add an outdoor plug point.

Recently did the Yercaud climb on it and the zero lag power delivery is something to be experienced. Was able to perform overtakes with ease out of hair pin bends.

Previously I had driven the CRV 2 liter iVtech engine paired with 5 speed torque converter and it was a completely different experience.

Hill hold assist works better than most ICE vehicles with the power to the motor completely cut off. So when you dab the accelerator you don't have a jerky start.

You regain some bit of the energy downhill which makes it economical as well as extending the life of your brakes. Hills are notorious for burning through brakes.

[Henick Johnson]

CVT is best suited for the cities and towns, frequent hill drives in my experience due to the lack of engine braking and the techicality of the CVT's infinte ratio single gear strains the gearbox. Its better to pick up a torque converter if for the hill, the Suzuki Fronx 1.0 Turbo 6AT is a great contender !

[Col Mehta]

I occasionally drive an i20 CVT and I can see where you are coming from. It’s one of the most boring cars ever. Like you said, it whines and sounds very boomy with no corresponding power. No engine insulation makes things worse for its case. The manual mode does help - I’ll strongly recommend you start using that as it masks the limitations of this car to some extent.

Having said that, not all CVTs are that bad. At least the 1.5 IVT on the Creta/Seltos are much better, offering great drivability and enough power on tap. They can also be fun if you know how to make use of the paddle shifters and sport mode. You would be pleasantly surprised trying it immediately after the i20 CVT.

The DCTs are good, albeit possible heating issues and can be a pain in the neck to maintain in the longer run due to its unreliable nature. IMHO, a TC gearbox is the best of both worlds - reliable and good drivability. So from that perspective, the XUV 3XO/Brezza with a TC can be good options.

[sibi6613]

Owner of an i20 NLine DCT here. I grew up in hills and have learnt to drive in the hills in our Ritz Petrol (1.2L with 84bhp/113Nm) manual. Compared to that, I have to say that the i20 is a MUCH more capable car in terms of the drivetrain (120bhp/170Nm), especially in hills, where the Ritz just lacked the power to do quick overtakes in limited gaps that one could find.

I am actually confused about the lag that you’re mentioning. Is it something that you feel only while starting off (and esp in 2nd gear) or in any gear? Because this is a change that I had to get used to when shifting from a manual to an automatic. The clutch is never fully engaged until the speed of the vehicle crosses 15-17kmph in 2nd gear. But some more throttle input immediately engages the clutch faster and I am able to get a move on much more quickly. If you’re feeling this lag when you’re shifting between gears, it could probably be because you’re driving in D mode. The DCT tries to upshift at 2.5k rpm and the rpm falls below 2k in the higher gear. Given that the engine has some turbo lag below 2k rpm, there WILL be a dull moment before it picks up speed (but quite honestly, if my memory serves right about my limited experience with Suzuki/Mahindra diesels, the turbo lag was so much more than this).

To combat this, I mostly use the manual mode (the car is just SO MUCH MORE EAGER AND RESPONSIVE to throttle inputs) in hills and I use the paddle shifters to shift gears. If not feeling like shifting myself, I use the S mode. But using D in hills might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially for petrolheads like us. If you still don’t really feel like the car is behaving good enough in hills in the manual mode, then I feel it might be a case where you are missing the endless torque that the Scorpio delivered (post the initial turbo lag?), which quite honestly, is difficult for any small capacity turbo petrol to match. The only other petrol that can come quite close is probably the XUV700’s.

I recommend you doing a round of test drive again with the i20 turbo petrol and using it in the manual mode with some toned down expectations from a small car

The car is an absolute gem of a vehicle and with Hyundai’s network and reliability, it will be light on the pocket to maintain as well. If you have concerns about the longevity of the DCT, do opt for their 7-year extended warranty for some peace of mind, though the stories of GB failures with Hyundai’s DCT are much rarer than VW’s DSG (esp DQ200).

[amavin]

I own both a CVT and a DSG. The CVT is not a patch on the DSG for either the highway or hills. On odd occasions when the CVT has to do hills, it's almost always in manual mode. Seeing that you are in Mangaluru and would need to do one of the ghats close by, I'd recommend a DSG or TC any day over a CVT.

[ruskinash]

Originally Posted by sibi6613

I am actually confused about the lag that you’re mentioning. Is it something that you feel only while starting off (and esp in 2nd gear) or in any gear? Because this is a change that I had to get used to when shifting from a manual to an automatic. The clutch is never fully engaged until the speed of the vehicle crosses 15-17kmph in 2nd gear. But some more throttle input immediately engages the clutch faster and I am able to get a move on much more quickly. If you’re feeling this lag when you’re shifting between gears, it could probably be because you’re driving in D mode.

To combat this, I mostly use the manual mode (the car is just SO MUCH MORE EAGER AND RESPONSIVE to throttle inputs) in hills and I use the paddle shifters to shift gears.

I have the CVT, not the DCT. Seems like the lethargic response is a characteristic of CVTs, especially when paired with small naturally aspirated engines. I truly wish my trim included paddle shifters for added convenience!

As far as I know, paddle shifters are exclusive to the NLine. Nevertheless, this time I'm going to tackle the hills in manual mode, hoping for a better performance.

[Time_Machine]

In nutshell, just pick any TC gearbox and it should serve you well-
Fronx, Brezza, Grand Vitara, 3XO offer Petrol TC AT, Creta/Seltos/Sonet offer Diesel TC AT. If you need more space/seats, go for Ertiga/XL6 petrol AT or Carens Diesel AT. If you need a bigger car, you have the Scorpio, XUV7OO, Safari, Harrier AT.

[FAIAAA]

Hi. Driving back from the North East to Bangalore, in an Honda BRV 1.5 NA CVT.
Is the CVT exciting to drive? Absolutely Not. It is smooth and refined for urban traffic and sedate driving. But the shortcomings, especially when you try and drive aggressively, are all too well known.
Is the CVT adequate for the hills? Again a resounding YES. Not sure whether it has to do with the low power in the I20. But the 1.5 IVTEC and CVT in the Honda BRV/City/Elevate has never let me down in steep passes, inclines with a full load of passengers and luggage.

[ruskinash]

Reading up on CVTs I stumbled on this. Did you know there was a CVT in F1 in 1993?

https://youtu.be/6nWrDKGoYJo?si=5fulrcQ5s46xxlsu