[Anomy]

(actual question at towards bottom)

Wife's late so I call her and she says she stopped at the Nissan dealership to look at cars and she would be home soon.

An hour and a half later I call her again and Wife admits she had already bought a Versa Note last time I called but she didn't want "to hear it".

Versa isn't the car I would have bought but then it isn't my car. Neither was the last new car she bought, a 2007 Toy Matrix. I never liked that car. Ever. She got $4050 on trade in, good riddance.

Good Riddance amplified by the fact that the clutch in the Matrix was toast, I'm surprised it still moved the car, and I was not looking forward to changing the clutch in sub zero (Fahrenheit) weather.

What's not to like about the Versa :rofl:

The CVT. Does take a little getting use to. I'll spontaneously break out laughing at it, any other automatic .... you know the rest. I call the car the snowmobile on wheels.

I do have a question about the CVT, is it normal to feel it "jump".

At times it feels as though the transmission is changing gears like a conventional automatic. Not as big of a ratio change but still able to be felt.

It's as though the trans has been told to change ratio and the belt hangs at one radius of a pulley before jumping to another radius.

Is this common or is this something to worry about? It's a new car so I'm not worried about the warranty. I am worried about the transmission failing and stranding her/me/us someplace.

In case your wondering neither of us have "worked" this car. Wife made the clutch in her Matrix last about 100,000 miles and I accept the car for what it is, transportation.

Besides, if I want to flog on a car I have a couple old Mustangs.

I have to admit I like the Versa Note. Far better than I ever liked the Matrix. The Note rides better, handles road roughness / bumps better and so far seems to handle and steer better. Overall not a bad ride.

 

[robj80]

pretty sure it's a stepped CVT or whatever they call it. Almost like there is a couple of gears before the CVT take over. I myself have not driven one of these newer CVTs. If it feels really wrong to you then go drive another one on the lot and see if it does the same thing. If it doesn't then schedule a service appointment. Take advantage of that warranty while you have it. Hopefully you won't need to use it too much or at all.

Surprised so much distaste for the matrix. It seems to be a well loved car in the internet world. A clutch at 100k miles is not very good though so maybe it isn't all that great. But for the most part of what I have read is a pretty reliable vehicle.

 

[jswilson1987]

welcome!! I have to say more so I said it lol

 

[Versa12]

My CVT seems to jump as well. Just a normal operation of the pulleys making adjustments in a not so smooth manner. New CVTs on various vehicles are including and actual 1st gear. This is so people won't experience the "slipping" sensation when accelerating from a stop.

Quality of my 2012 Versa sedan seems medicore....going to the dealership tomorrow to get a couple things checked out. If I would have had more $ to spend I would have happily stayed with the Honda brand or bought a Dodge Dart.

 

[Kennethbokor]

I believe initial jump you are describing is known as rubber band effect. This seems to be normal to a point.

However if you feel it's off take it in and use that warranty to check it out.

 

[07Versa6MT]

If it feels sort of like shift points, it's programmed in the PCM to do that, to simulate a conventional hydraulic automatic. Yes, some engineer out there thought that people would freak out if it was a steady linear power delivery, so the computer puts those points in there. I always laugh when i'm driving a Chrysler CVT in Autostick mode, and it gives me a heads up display of what "gear" i'm in.

 

[jswilson1987]

The versa uses planet gears on the input shaft to give it a wider band of reduction. What your feeling is the forward clutch engaging the sun or plantary to increase or decrease the range the cvt can go through. Its like changing gears for the cvt if that makes sense. Its kind of a hybrid between a 1 speed auto and cvt.

 

[Note-ified]

The versa uses planet gears on the input shaft to give it a wider band of reduction. What your feeling is the forward clutch engaging the sun or plantary to increase or decrease the range the cvt can go through. Its like changing gears for the cvt if that makes sense. Its kind of a hybrid between a 1 speed auto and cvt.

:iagree: the way the CVT is designed in the versa note it actually has 2 planetary gears, one for low gear and one for high gear and then the actual CVT belt handles everything else in between. As for the "jumping" sensation that the OP is describing it is completely normal for the CVT in the Note and is just the transmission switching over gears to the high gear ratio and usually happens at anywhere from 20-40mph depending how agressive you are with the throttle. Other than that i agree with the OP, it is a pretty agile little car even stock, but put the parts i have on mine on it and it takes the handling to a whole other level. oh and OP if you want even better handling without having to spend alot, you definitely want to look into some better tires than the "eco" tires that come with the car as they are decent, but provide no where near the level of grip that a good summer tire can supply.

 

[SilverV]

Yes the new Jatco CVT7 found in new Versa's feature a sub auxiliary gearbox. The momentary pause is a "two-step gear change" allowing the unit to switch from low gear ratio to high gear ratio.

https://www.jatco.co.jp/ENGLISH/products/cvt/cvt7.html

The revolutionary-structure which combines of the belt CVT with an auxiliary transmission (two-step gear change) realizes the world's highest*2 transmission gear ratio, as well as enhanced responsiveness on starting and acceleration and improved quietness in high-speed driving.

Reduction in pulley size, oil agitation resistance, etc. realize friction cut by 30% compared with conventional CVTs of the same class.

The two-step gear change by an auxiliary transmission realizes smaller pulleys, reducing the overall length by 10% and weight by 13% compared with conventional CVTs of the same class.

 

[ADOversa]

Pretty much everything has been covered, but I will say, if you disliked the Matrix all this time your probably going to loathe the Versa. A clutch needing to be replaced at 100,000 is an anomaly.

Welcome.

 

[JoshG]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[JVersa]

Welcome to the forums