Porsche measures their automatic gear changes in milliseconds. Smart measures them in geologic time scales.

I truly don't understand why they didn't put a CVT in those 2nd generation cars (the ones sold in North America). It's the perfect application! Small car, not a lot of power, efficiency minded.

They're not so bad if you drive one often enough. I had one for five-six years and drove it only in tiptronic, shifting while lifting off the gas. In automatic mode yeah it's dog.

This was the gas version that needed premium fuel. I drove it daily on the 401 for awhile. Was the first car I had that absolutely required winter tires, was undrivable in snow/ice without.

I thought it was a decent enough car, got it barely used very cheap due to it's wild depreciation which was a good thing, until it started needing serious work that made no sense to do. At the end it was worth as much as a new set of tires for it, as in nothing.