thks Jeff.
i would never accelerate while in 'B', but rather use it on downgrades and in slowing traffic in lieu of the brakes. the second i need throttle i just put it back into drive- so i think in this instance the ICE isn't working harder and there's no lost mpg. or do you mean it's working harder because of higher revs? the only stress, off throttle, would be to the gears as mentioned, which also has me a little confused. i've seen a planetary gearset on a 4 speed, so exactly how do they make a planetary system that lacks 'shifts'? non hybrid CVT's are belt driven correct?