Some misc. rambling follows

People who drive automatics are used to a kick down when they punch the accelerator. If the downshift is missing they think the car is sluggish and boring. When CVTs market "speeds" the speeds are programmed set points of the CVT but they still don't feel like the old autos.

I think the new fancy automatics, the ones that deliver mileage equivalent to manual transmissions, are more like manual transmissions than the autos of old. They often advertise single or dual clutch automatics. The difference is that they clutch and shift action is automated so they don't suffer the inefficiencies of old style automatics. Some of the really good ones can shift gears in 10ms or so.

Supposedly Ford and GM are collaborating on development of a new 10-speed automatic. I hope it turns out better than the GM transmissions of the last 30 years.

Anyway, if you have enough speeds then the differences with CVTs blurs.

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