Help me figure out my CVT transmission

noir_blood

So some might remember that I posted a thread asking for opinions on cars. After looking up reviews and testing some different models, I ended up settling on a 07 Nissan Sentra SER. The dealer mentioned that it had CVT transmission(I got an automatic), and that it supposedly helps you get more out of the car, but after listening to her, as well as reading the manual, I still can't figure out what it is, or how I can use it. Anyone have any experience on this?

BlochWave

You forgot the best source of all

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission

CVTs can smoothly compensate for changing vehicle speeds, allowing the engine speed to remain at its level of peak efficiency. They might also avoid torque converter losses. This improves both fuel economy and exhaust emissions. However, some units (e.g., Jatco "Extroid") also employ a torque converter. Fuel efficiency advantages as high as 20% over four-speed automatics can be obtained.
CVTs have much smoother operation. This can give a perception of low power, because many drivers expect a jerk when they begin to move the vehicle. The expected jerk of a non-CVT can be emulated by CVT control software though, eliminating this marketing problem.
Since the CVT keeps the engine turning at constant RPMs over a wide range of vehicle speeds, pressing on the accelerator pedal will make the car move faster but doesn't change the sound coming from the engine as much as a conventional automatic transmission gear-shift. This confuses some drivers and, again, leads to a mistaken impression of a lack of power.
Most CVTs are simpler to build and repair [citation needed].
CVT torque handling capability is limited by the strength of their belt or chain, and by their ability to withstand friction wear between torque source and transmission medium for friction-driven CVTs. CVTs in production prior to 2005 are predominantly belt or chain driven and therefore typically limited to low powered cars and other light duty applications. More advanced IVT units using advanced lubricants, however, have been proven to support any amount of torque in production vehicles, including that used for buses, heavy trucks, and earth moving equipment.

So the tachometer isn't gonna move as much because the car's doing a better job of staying at a constant RPM. In a normal car it idles at say, 1500 RPM, then you hit the gas and it'll rev up to like 3-5 thousand, then change gears and drop back down. As a general rule, the lower RPMs you have, the less gas you're consuming. Automatics are a little inefficent sometimes, which is why you can often get better mileage out of a manual by driving in higher gears and keeping your RPMs down. You also expend a lot of gas accelerating when the engine revs up(which is why highway mileage is higher when you aren't accelerating as often)and the CVT apparently fights that

Zxerol

There's nothing to figure out, really. You just drive, and it works. The CVT is simply a type of transmission. Instead of using gears and having set gear ratios like a traditional transmission, the CVT is able to adjust to a continuous range of ratios. The computer will adjust the transmission and select the proper ratio for you. My friend's Versa has a CVT and it's almost a strange driving experience. After an initial acceleration from full-stop, the tach pretty much stays in one position to drive the engine at the sweet spot. No gear shifts, no jerks, no nothing.