Clutches

you always mention "the rubber belt" when talking about CVT and you are wrong as they are a linked metal belt and on my car gives the smoothes drive i have ever had. milothedog if you believe anything the dealer tells you the you would believe the sun is cold. they are salesmen and if asked a technical question wouldn't know the answer. like Lutz i pull a 1800kg van with my 9 speed CVT jeep cherokee and never a cough/twich/judder or anyting just a smooth ride towing and solo. i worked on freelanders for a few years and would never own one but each to there own as they say. everyone will defend the car they own, as for clutches, manufacturers will only warranty the manual clutch for 6 months from new.

I've come across something like that ..... when there's a lump missing from the large drive disc, you can hear it from the other side of the factory. Usually as a result from what Metheven said.

CVT is rubbish, I test drove a Subaru Forester and it was a heap of manure, and as soon as you pressed the throttle it whined at high revs until the speed caught up with the engine. Obviously it was fairly seamless in the ratios but I couldn't hack the constant high revs unless you were dawdling.

Torque converter is the only proper auto and a manual with clutch is not for towing unless treated with kid gloves.

Just sharing a part of a conversation . Like myself, said person is ex motor trade and not easily taken in. Like you say, each to their own 

Whether its a rubber or metal belt is immaterial  ..... the drive is the same ..... one cone effectively gets bigger as t'other gets smaller. 

Your CVT has been discussed before  .... if its a cvt, then either the 9 speeds are artificial, or it's not a cvt.

Are we talking of the Cherokees 9 speed problematic ZF gearbox or a CVT?

Is there a link to the Cherokees CVT.

Agreed. I had an automatic Vauxhall Zafira for years with a beautiful torque converter transmission. Not for towing, but 3 months ago I bought a one year old Citroen Cactus with an automated manual gearbox. It was so awful that I changed it after 9 weeks. The automated manual had just two buttons on the centre console; D(rive) and R(everse). It took about 3 seconds to change from one gear to another. Not much slower than a manual maybe BUT with a manual the driver decides which gear to start off with and when to change gear. With the automated manual I'd be pulling away into a gap, say on a busy roundabout, when at 12mph (just as I'm in the middle of the busy traffic) the speed would drop as it changed from 1st into 2nd gear, prompting all manner of gestures from the drivers closing up fast behind me.

I changed it for a 2017 Skoda Fabia Estate which has the same base and running gear as the Audi A3 and VW Golf. It has a sublime 7 speed DSG (dual clutch) transmission where (in brief) the next gear (up or down) is pre-selected and engaged simultaneously when the previous gear is disconnected. Drive is maintained throughout the sequence and the only way I know that it has changed gear is by looking at the gear indicator on the dashboard or the rev counter. It also has 'Sport' mode and 'Tiptronic' features.

I'm told that torque converter transmissions are uncommon nowadays as they do not help to deliver the fuel economy demanded by today's competitive market. 

That surprises me. How old was the one you drove, Metheven? I owned a 2016 (2017MY) diesel Forester CVT and it was the smoothest auto I’ve driven with no whining and no high revving. It was better for ordinary driving than a TC or dual clutch auto.

It wasn’t used for towing though and I’d agree the TC is the 'proper job'. 

It was this year TW, looking to change the car and already dismissed the Discovery Sport so went into the Subaru dealership. Whether it was a one off or not I don't know, but the demonstrator was terrible and put me off immediately. This was obviously solo and haven't a clue if the CVT was any good for towing.

If a dealership wants to sell then it must present the very best to get a sale, as I went away with the thought that every one was like that.

Our last tow car, a seat Alhambra did 155000 miles (yes) and was 12 years old and had it's original clutch when it went off to the be scrapped (or so we thought as I noticed it's been re MOT and taxed)