Hello, I'm a future Patriot owner from Mexico, so.. my english is not too good, I apologise for that.
Well, i really don't like automatic transmissions. My first car was an 89 Ford Tempo ( 2.3 inline4 109 hp. 5 speed manual), zero trans problems, my second car was a 94 Dodge Spirit R/T (2.5 inline4 Intercooled turbo 160 hp 3 speed automatic) and the tranny was rebuild 2 times! (I never abuse of any of my cars). My third an actual car is a 01 Pontiac Grand Am GT ( 3.4 V6 175 hp. 4 speed automatic), in the first oil trans change I use syntetic Mobil 1 ATF and the tranny began to slip, so I change the oil again with mineral penzoil ATF, and works fine for a 1,500 km (1,000 mi +-) and began to slip again, so i change it again with the same penzoil, and i'm waiting to see what happens!
Well, I hate the automatic transmissions! not for the performance but the reliability. My question is, CVT transmission is more reliable than a normal automatic transmission? If not, iīm going to choose the manual transmission Patriot.
Thank you!!!!!

It's a relatively new idea (past 10 years or so) and they've definitely had their problems in implementations that weren't ideal (Nissan SUVs); that said, Toyota has had them in the Prius for 7 years now with great reliability.

Theoretically, it should be more reliable than regular automatics because they've got fewer moving parts and by design much less chance to grind/shear...

My opinion - if you don't like automatics... the CVT probably isn't going to change your mind. I like mine so far, for what it is...an automatic.

If I didn't have to worry about the girlfriend driving it, I would have bought the stick... go with the manual and save yourself $1,000...


One aside- the new US lifetime powertrain warranty (not sure if you have it in Mexico?) covers ALL parts of the CVT, whereas it does not cover the clutch on the manual. This might be a consideration if you burn through clutches or really don't want to worry about repair costs.

Thanks Mitakuuluu! I like the automatic, I donīt like itīs reliability. And I like too the Cruise control, available in the 08 patriot, (and some kind of simulated autostick i think). And here we have the lifetime powertrain warranty too (condition: one owner and services in the dealer). so... I going to order the Patriot with CVT.
Thanks for your time!