Subaru Justy Offers A Cross Between Automatic, Manual Transmissions

March 06, 1989|By Jim Mateja, Auto writer.

Power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission. Each took some getting used to. The same holds true for the continuously variable

transmission, or CVT.

CVT is a cross between automatic and manual transmission. Subaru is the first automaker to market the unit in the U.S. in its mini Justy.

In any of today`s cars equipped with automatic transmission, when you pull up to a stop light you need to keep your foot on the brake to prevent the typical ``creep`` or ``crawl`` movement forward.

With CVT, you pull up to a stoplight and take your foot off the brake. The car just sits there. No creep, no crawl.

Subaru offers the CVT as an option in its mini 1989 Justy after having tested it for the last two years in cars sold in Japan. Subaru adds electronic control to the system and therefore an ECVT billing.

The boast is that with ECVT you have the advantages of automatic and manual transmission in one unit. Like automatic, the transmission shifts on its own; there`s no clutch to fool with. Like manual, acceleration is quick and mileage high.

The EPA rating with ECVT is 34 miles per gallon city driving, same as with 5-speed manual.

How does it work? In laymen`s terms: It`s a miracle.

In technical terms a CVT transmission uses a pair of adjustable pulleys and a segmented metal drive belt to deliver engine power to the drive wheels. Because the pulleys are adjustable, the CVT automatically and constantly adjusts its gear ratios to match engine revolutions and load to vehicle speed. Computer-controlled hydraulics vary the pulley diameters to achieve a continuous range of speed ratios between the engine and drive wheels. The metal belt, a row of about 300 links guided by a multilayer metal loop, transfers power from one pulley to the other.

Because ratio changes are continuous, yet gradual and smooth, you get little interruption in power flow. That`s one reason you accelerate as if using a 5-speed manual transmission. In simple terms, you tell the

transmission what to do by depressing the accelerator and it takes over from there.

With such a wide spread of gear ratios, CVT offers a lower first gear and a higher overdrive ratio and performs as as well as a 5-speed manual.

There are some drawbacks, however. The metal belt or steel pulley gives off a whining noise. The sound is similar to the noise jet engines make when idling just before the pilot gives the plane full throttle for takeoff. A low pitched whine, but a continuous one nonetheless.

And while we found acceleration very smooth, we experienced some lurching when coming to a stop.

Between the time the brake was applied and the car rolled to a halt there sometimes was a slight jolt or two as if the ECVT had briefly been caught napping and had to hurry to schuffle through all the gears to find idle.

Subaru isn`t the only automaker with CVT. Ford and Fiat have CVT cars running in Europe.

Eventually, it will become more widespread. As it does, it will require changes in normal driving habits, such as remembering to keep the foot off the brake at a stop light and the foot off the accelerator while idling on a hill. If you use the accelerator to keep the car from rolling backward on a hill, you find CVT has gotten the message to move and starts to roll forward. For those who desire quicker off-the-light acceleration but the advantage of not having to manually move through 5 gears, the Subaru Justy ECVT is a good alternative.

For those who want a little commuter car that holds two adults and a few kids, plus the groceries, the Justy is a wise alternative. People have gotten so wrapped up in the Hyundai Excel phenomenon, they`ve forgotten the neat little Justy.

For `89 Justy is 6 inches longer and 1 inch taller and sports some new sheet metal. Built on a 90-inch wheelbase and 145.5 inches long, it weighs about 1,900 pounds.

The 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder, 9-valve engine is peppy enough despite being carbureted rather than fuel-injected, though much of the credit, of course, goes to the ECVT. You usually don`t find a car this lively still able to obtain 34 m.p.g. in city driving.

One major annoyance is the gear shift lever. You have to put your foot on the brake pedal to shift from park into any gear. No problem. But when moving to drive, the lever on this unit wouldn`t hit and stay in ``D.``

Another drawback is that the rear seat in this two-door hatchback is designed strictly for kids. Leg room is almost nonexistent and head room is at a premium in back. If you don`t have kids, the rear seat backs fold down to increase cargo room; they should be left in that position.

The front-wheel-drive Justy GL ECVT we drove comes equipped with rack and pinion steering, maintenance-free battery, adjustable reclining front bucket seats, trip meter, side window defogger, tinted glass, intermittent wipers, rear window washer/wiper, locking fuel filler door, front and rear mud flaps, wheel covers, steel belted all-season radial tires, AM-FM stereo radio with digital clock, and flip-open side rear windows.