Rant: Picked a CVT over a traditional automatic and now I regret it every day

Honestly, I bought a 2022 Nissan Altima last year because the fuel economy numbers looked great on paper. It had the CVT transmission, and I figured it couldn't be that bad after all the updates they made. Six months in, and the drone at highway speeds drives me crazy, plus it feels like it's slipping when I try to merge. My buddy has a 2019 Mazda 6 with the regular 6-speed auto, and his car feels way more responsive even though it gets worse mpg. Ngl, I'm thinking about trading it in before the warranty runs out. Has anyone else dealt with CVT regret and switched back to a traditional automatic?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_ramirez9d ago

Ugh, that droning sound alone would have me looking at trade-in values too.

emma_garcia9d ago

My buddy actually bought a used car with the CVT drone and he thought it was just how it drove. After a few months of highway trips his ears were ringing and he started wearing earplugs just to drive to work. He finally took it to a shop and they told him it was normal for that model but some people just hate it. He ended up trading it in at a loss for a regular automatic and said it was the best decision he ever made.