Is that on all hybrid cars with VVT or just Toyota?

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Jim

I have some small engines with decompression for easy pull starting.

Right. The CR-V has a 2 liter Atkinson cycle engine.

Makes me put the CRV in higher regard than I already had if only it was not for that CVT.

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Jim

I had a CVT in my old Subaru. Maybe not as much fun as a manual, but it was never a problem. Can’t say as much for the rest of the car.

Full hybrids don’t even have conventional starters and batteries. Instead, current to the recharge generator is reversed, and it’s powered as an electric motor by the 300v traction battery. That allows the engine to spin up at RPM matched to the demand of road speed. So clever…

My parents had an outback with the CVT that I drove quite a bit. I wasn't a fan...but I think it is something you can adjust to over time. It felt very disconnected to me because there was always more lag than I antivipated in getting to the right gear. With an auto you can at least anticipate your power vs shift points and know what happens. The rest of the car was quite good! Very comfortable, although the massive screen was annoying.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

They are designed differently. Different bearings, different gear ratios, and also as someone else mentioned, often a generator doubles as a starter when current is applied. Also keep in mind auto stop start is often only active on a warm engine, much less friction. Auto stop start has been around for ages now, youd hear of horror stories about burning through starters, but you don't.

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Honda's eCVT for the CR-V hybrid, which really isn't a true cvt, goes so far as to create a stepped approach to ratio changes under acceleration, which, if you close your eyes, almost seem like upshifts made by a geared transmission. It definitely creates a more-familiar driving feel than the regular CVT in their gas-only CRVs. I was shopping for a gas CRV EX-L when I decided to try the hybrid, and from a drivability standpoint, the hybrid was the winner, with a smoother overall driving feel, and courtesy of the electric motor backing up the Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder, better mid-range acceleration. The powertrain behaves more like a conventionally-geared small V6 than a normal 4-cylinder.

Thanks for info PC. I had to google the Honda eCVT. It does not have a belt like what i would call a typical CVT. Good info to know.

Wonder how many miles it can go for? Sounds like a better design than the pure CVT.

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Jim

It is definitely a simpler design, which bodes well for durability, but good luck finding a place outside of a Honda dealer which would have any experience in diagnosing an issue, let alone repairing it. I sprang for a manufacturer-offered 120,000 mile warranty, which I never have done before.

Our subaru has something similar. It's a CVT with a metal chain and pulley set up with a torque converter. It also has programmed "gears" so it feels like it's shifting and can hold the gears in manual mode. The ones after 2018 seem to be pretty reliable.

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I'd rather argue against a hundred idiots, than have one agree with me. — Winston Churchill

When I first got the Tesla I noticed it made a weird sound but only in reverse. It turns out that all EVs, because they are so quiet, must make a warning noise in reverse.

So Tesla ditched the beep, beep , beep you hear out of big trucks and replaced the noise with that flying saucer sound.

Starting and stopping an otherwise running engine isn't healthy for the engine. It produces unnecessary wear in it.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

At least we've moved beyond "it wears out the starter."

Yeah but nothing does the trick like a good ol carbeurator!

__________________
TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth