The much anticipated Nissan Sylphy 2.0L CVTC is finally arrived here. The car features many modern (and a little old) technology. Modern with a CVTC engine and XTronic CVT, electric power steering, ripple control shock absorber , drive-by-wire, “follow me home” function, ABS, electronic brake distribution, Brake Assist, dual airbags system, front pre-tensioners & load limiters …… out of breath already. In short fully loaded. But old tech too. Yes, rear drum brakes in a car loaded to the hilt. A bit of a disappointment here. Perhaps it can be hacked later on but that’s another story.

The Sylphy looks good enough. In line with current trends it looks organic inside and out. Called the Bluebird Sylphy in certain markets, it sort of replaces the Altima line up. A range on engines powering the Sylphy worldwide includes the 1.5L HR15DE, 1.8L HR18DE, and the 2.0L MR20DE. The 1.8 liter and 2.0 liter engines off course with variable valve technology.

That the Sylphy is using a CVT transmission is the talk of the town. The transmission ratios do not depend on gears. Only a metal band and 2 cone shape rollers that moves in or outwards to can change diameters. For the techie in you, here is a cutaway picture of the Xtronic transmission. Coded JF011E, the transmission is also used in other makes like Mitsubishi, Suzuki and even DaimlerChrysler, says the manufacturer.

Red Arrow – Metal band Blue Arrow – Roller

There are more photos here. By the way, if you are keen to use the pictures on your site, please send Mike McGhee, president of CutawayCreations an email. He is a nice guy.

Now that the tech talk it out of the way, the rest of us just want to know how well the whole car works. On the road, if you are new to CVT, you get a funny sort of feeling. Some call in the rubber band effect. You floor the accelerator, engine noise increase a bit but you don’t feel any G force acting on your butt. Then, with the engine speed and sound still constant, you find you’re moving faster. You’ll get used to it. You don’t really feel the car accelerate because it is doing so at a constant level.

The car is comfy, quiet, insulates you from the outside world well. With ripple control shock absorbers and anti vibration sub-frames that separates vibration getting through to the cabin. Most modern cars now employ such tricks unless it is a budget car.

Interior wise, the Sylphy features a S curve organic dashboard plus lots of chubby holes for everything including a super multiconsole (MacGyver style everything included toolbox?). As with the Latio, the Sylphy has generous legroom for the front as well as the back. There is no fold down rear seats but a hole to pass long items through the boot. Boot space is more than adequate.

Fuel consumption is very good with the Xtronic CVT matching well with the engine. However, it could be different if driven enthusiastically all the time. For those that want to know the nuts and bolts, the Sylphy uses Nissan’s FF-S platform with the model code is G11.

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