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Quite often the automatics are more fuel efficient than manual transmissions plus it's surprising how young people have never driven a manual.. I learned how to drive a manual right after I got my license when I bought a 63 VW bug.. Learned in a hurry due to necessity lol..
I just read a whole series of articles on the decline in people who even want to learn. I did, of course. That's the type of transmission I learned to drive with. It was really easy as I had ridden dirt bikes for quite a few years first. One of the articles was about myths about automatics and one of those was the fuel economy one. Some cars get better mileage with autos and some with manuals. They also talked about how there were several high dollar sports cars that don't even offer a manual. I'm sure those have the semi-automatic, paddle shifts though. I've been thinking about it though and I think that with as light as the Elio will be, there probably won't be much of a clutch effort and it should be really easy to drive as a manual even for those people who have never driven a stick. There's the whole "traffic" argument against manuals and I understand that. However, I think the only real drawback to a manual would be in the resale. You'd be cutting your potential customer base quite a bit with the manual. If the manual gets the same or better mileage, I'll probably go with that. If the automatic offering is one of those CVTs with the constant motor RPM, I think there is no way I'd like that. A regular automatic? Well, if it gets better mileage, I'd have to really consider it.
That is the same car I learned on, 63' Volkswagen bug convertible 1300cc motor (I think?). With the top down, 4 people in the car, flat straight road with a little tail wind I had it over 65mph...barely. lol
Think you're misinformed about CVT.. The RPM's do vary there are just no shift transitions as in fixed ratios.. The CVT's vary speed by varying pulley ratios.. Nissan from what I've read does CVT better than other manufacturers.. Pretty sure the CVT's are efficient however there are multi-speed automatics that are also efficient now too.. I would be fine with those too.. Will have to wait and see what happens..
You are too uppity with the ragtop lol!! Paid $250.00 for that beast.. I used to chuck the beer cans against the rear window and fill that void behind the rear seat with the empties lol.. Looking back it was a dumb thing to do but back then there was no such thing as DWI.. Things have changed a great deal and in many cases rightfully so.. I would NEVER do this now for sure..
There is an idea for a new thread..."How many empty beer cans can the backseat of an Elio hold?"
From my post, I agree. I over simplified. The CVT was to provide a cheap automatic. Though inefficient, they allow a low torque motor to remain in its optimal rpm range to increase the overall efficiency of the package while remaining inexpensive. I see where some manufacturers program in "fake" gear changes so they feel more like a common automatic. As you stated, Nissan makes a good one.
What I did 40 years ago is far cry from what I do today for sure..
