Nissan modifies its CVT engine

Critics of CVT engines have a reason to smile – to some extent. Nissan has finally made changes to its CVTs. Now the CVT engine feels less like a CVT and more like a regular automatic transmission. The new system called D-Step Shift logic will be introduced in 2015 in CVT equipped Tiida, Sentra, Altima and Pathfinder. The remaining models will have this new transmission by 2016.

D-Step basically creates a feeling of gear shifting like a traditional automatic transmission, while keeping the CVT technology in place. Nissan believes CVT is highly beneficial in providing fuel efficiency and smoother ride by continuously increasing gear ratio as the vehicle accelerates and thus, doesn’t step from gear to gear. So, to satisfy the purists who believe CVTs lack feel, Nissan considers D-Step as the logical answer. The big question that still remains unanswered is: Will the infamous CVT drone like noise subside or continue?