Everybody believes CVT gearboxes are slow, but is that actually true? Yes, yes it is. Up next, we're going to check out a video that demonstrates exactly how wide the gap between otherwise identical cars with different gearboxes can be.
The model in question is the 2016 Scion iM, a new arrival to the budget car lineup that takes the form of a 5-door compact hatchback. For about $20,000, you can have pretty much everything you need… except power.
The blue iM is fitted with a CVT, which is short for Continuously Variable Transmission. Instead of six forward gears that need swapping, the car moves a belt stretched over two cones to change the drive ratio. For the sake of comparison, The Fast Lane Car also brought along a Scion iM with a normal stick shift.
The iM is just the European Toyota Auris hatchback with a different body kit. Most of the hatchbacks Toyota sells overseas come with a 1.6-liter engine. However, a 1.8-liter that delivers 136 hp and 126 lb-ft of torque has been used for the American market. It's basically the same setup as for the ZR-FAE engine found inside the Corolla Eco.
We can't find any official acceleration data for the US-spec model right now, but the Europeans say the Auris with a smaller 1.6-liter is 0.8 seconds slower to 62 mph (10 vs. 10.8 seconds). That seems about right, considering what we see in the drag race video.
Not only is the belt-driven Scion slower off the line but it's also falling behind at speed, almost like it's down on power. That's fine for a regular family car, but because rival company Nissan doesn't want to invest into conventional automatic or twin-clutch gearboxes, the Juke Nismo RS is more sluggish than its 216 horsepower output would lead you to believe.
Frankly, using a CVT on anything other than a basic model is unacceptable. However, it does have some advantages that ensure it will be around as long as the internal combustion engine. These include comfort and low fuel consumption.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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