QUOTE(jflcorp @ Oct 21 2011, 09:34 PM)
For those u decided on the FLX whether to take CVT or Manual,
My opinion, is CVT is a complex transmission, depending on belting, special CVT oil etc. As you know, even AT is costly to rebuild, what about CVT which up till now usually reserved to high priced cars like Slyphy, Murano etc? Even last time Honda City brought it in, it failed.
So my advice take manual. I bought a FLX Manual Executive. Manual transmission still more reliable.
It is not a complex transmission. It has lesser parts than a conventional AT which in turn, contributes to lesser moving parts and better longevity. It was due to this simple construction that limits the CVT on handling high torque output. The very first generation of CVT was introduced to the market since the 1920s. It was only the late 1980s CVT usage began to boom as it is very popular among kei-car manufacturer (Subaru) and Fuji Heavy Industry also supplies their ECVT to other car makers like Nissan. Nissan only began develop their own CVT on 1992.
CVT isn't reserved for high end cars. In fact in Japan it started life as a transmission for small displacement cars such as the Nissan March and Subaru Justy. In fact, most high end cars doesn't have CVT due to the limitation of CVT couldn't handle high torque output. In the market, currently there's only two CVT which could handle the torque output of a 3.5L engine. One was developed by Nissan and another is by FHI. Furthermore, there is a lack of 3rd party CVT manufacturer/developer like PUNCH due to the fact that most automakers still prefer to stay in the number of cogs race. First there's 4 speed, then 5, then 6, then 7, then 8 and in future 9 speed.
The reason why the previous generation Honda City has high CVT failure rate was due to the carelessness of Honda Malaysia. Instead of CVT Fluid, almost all who send in their City for regular servicing has their CVT Fluid drained and replaced with ATF fluid. This is 100% human error.
This post has been edited by V12Kompressor: Oct 21 2011, 10:20 PM