The Nissan Primera Hypertronic CVT can't make up its mind what it is. Is it a sports car, family car or executive saloon? It makes a fair old stab at all three and just about pulls it off.When first introduced four years ago, the Primera was an unexciting, but capable, roomy five-seater family car. Then Nissan went racing in the British Touring Car Championship and this year won both the Manufacturers' and Drivers' titles in a fiercely competitive series.So what happened to the family car? It grew up and became a sporting saloon. The original two-litre GT was nice but plain. The new facelifted two-litre is still nice, but not quite so plain. What really does make the difference is the gearbox. There isn't one - well, not as we know it.Constantly Variable Transmission is not a new idea, but one that has benefited from new technology. Already available on some Micra models, the latest transmission is slightly different, so that the bigger car can cope with the increased torque of the two-litre engine.Unlike normal automatic gearboxes, the "gearchanges" are seamless. Until you get used to it, the effect is quite eerie. The engine note rises and lowers seemingly regardless of throttle position, but everything happens as it should. Press the pedal and it goes without a single clunk from the gearbox as it changes ratio.Inside the box there are two variable diameter pulleys connected by a steel belt in place of the usual gear and shaft clusters. The other big benefit of this system is that when you lift off the gas it induces engine braking.But the other big attraction is the six-speed sequential option - just like a racing car! Slide the lever across the gate and into manual mode. After that, all you do then is knock the stubby lever forward every time you want to go up to a different "hold", and backwards to go down. Magic, and it's great fun.All this and practicality too. The new Primera is a roomy five-seater with perfect road manners. In fact the new car has been completely designed in Britain and geared towards the European market. It will not be sold in Japan. The only niggle concerned the rear suspension, which felt as though it had a solid rear axle centrally located, as the rear end seemed to roll around the longitudinal axis.It was only at speed that this showed up. When changing direction through a series of S-bends the car pitched disconcertingly. Having said that, it stayed glued to the road, but it did feel as though the rear end was following the car instead of being part of it.The CVT-M6 transmission, available only with the two-litre engine, puts £1200 onto the price of the manual-gearbox SE+ model. The M6 option accounts for £250 of that. And, you know, it's worth it.Second opinion: Fife, you have lost the plot. Not only is the arcade-game silliness of the six-speed sequential option not worth £250, it would be tempting to pay that much to have it removed. I found it useful just once, for keeping up the revs in readiness for a roundabout exit. Otherwise it was a blight on the Primera's CVT, an excellent example of one of the most sensible (if not yet the most practical) transmissions ever devised. David Finlay. Engine 1998cc, 4 cylinders Power 137bhp Transmission CVT automatic Fuel 33.2mpg Acceleration 0-62mph: 11.5 seconds Top speed 126mph Price £20,200 Details correct at publication date
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