Bill,
I think you all made a good choice.
Both technologies are great but you mentioned mountainous regions.

I live in the foot hills of the foot hills of the Blue Ridge mountains and wish I had a MT. Not that the CVT isn't good in these regions but it does tend to adjust to ratios while pulling large hills that I wouldn't select if I had the control of a MT.

Congradulations and glad to have you here in the community!

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Hi all! New to the forum here and figured I would pitch in my first 2 cents. I own a 2003 manual HCH that was supposed to be my wife's car. Her first manual and only after learning found out that the pedal reach was still too long for her so now I'm the primary driver. From the kind of driving you describe I think manual all the way. I currently average ~45 in the winter and ~48 mpg in the summer in the higher altitudes of Utah. Because of the traffic conditions here my work commute is mostly on light traffic highways with few lights. When I need that little bit of extra juice I find it easier on a manual because you are always thinking about gears anyway. I honestly did not think I'd have so much fun driving this car when my wife made the decision, but now I'm a convert. Hope this helps.

i vote for manual
if i had the time during last summer to learn to drive manual, i would have gotten a mt civic hybrid. unfortunately, i didn't have time, so i just took the cvt civic hybrid on the showroom lot.
it will give you better mileage, control, and price, like you said. no brainer for me unless you're like me and lack manual driving skills

My HCH is CVT. My first non manual car as I always liked to have more control of my car and actually drive it (even though with my long commute my manuals have even been on cruise control for the majority of the commute).

But buying my first new car and it gets such great MPG already I easily talked myself into the CVT. It is a nice smooth ride and because it is a hybrid and I am always watching my tacometer to see how I am driving and how it is affecting me FE I still feel like I am driving the car because I am so aware of each little thing I do differently will effect my FE.

To me it is a real luxury to which I treated myself!

There're actually a couple of reasons why the MT would have to come out better in MPG than any automatic in a comparable car. In an automatic, energy created by the engine is being used to regulate the gear ratio. In an MT, that energy is supplied by your metabolism (in other words, your shoulder and arm). Any energy is fuel economy, especially in hybrids where the balancing game is so important. The other reason a manual is better for fuel economy is that the CVT just makes it too easy and convenient to zip around. Pressing down on that gas is instant POWER! I have a CVT because that's what was on the lot and I needed a ride. I'm also a speed-racer (at least I like to accelerate) so I can easily get 35.5 mpg if I don't watch it (I can get 43 mpg if I do). If this is you, maybe a manual would be better. If you're a bit more mature on the road than I am, you could maybe do fine with a CVT. Either way, really, you win. Remember that a Ford Mustang gets you more like 14 mpg and more maintenance bills than 3 HCH's at a sticker price 1.5 times higher.

I have a 2000 Civic HX with CVT. I prefer manual transmissions, but needed an automatic because operating the clutch was aggravating hip problems.

CVT advantages:
For an automatic it's responsive.

CVT disadvantages: At 115K miles there are problems. At low acceleration it is running as if a tire were out of balance. Replaced some sensors, but the problem continues. Guilty disclaimer: last summer the fluid level got quite low before I realized and corrected it, with slipping that went away with proper fluid level. So I may have caused the problem by my carelessness.

MT advantages:
More control, especially on snow.

Better fuel economy. For 2000 HX, MT gets about 4 mpg better in EPA FE. You have to be careful not to compare apples and oranges here. Some Hondas, MT has a different engine (lean burn, etc) and CVTs get the engine version that gets lower FE. In 2000, I think the engines for MT and CVT were identical.

--Walter

I own a 03 CVT with 39K miles. My lifetime MPG is 45.4, so the CVT is certainly capable of getting advertised mileage. I really don't know where all these lower MPG ratings for the CVT come from.

I'm in a lot of stop-and-go traffic, so for me the CVT is nice (almost a must), as I'd be riding the clutch most of the time in a MT. I also like that the CVT figures out optimal engine / transmission configurations, so that has to be a plus. It's also very smooth - almost unnerving at first.

Drawback is when you need passing power, or just need to move out quick. The CVT takes a moment to process, getting the engine to the right RPM and the transmission where it need to be. The MT you can just downshift and get that surge right away. You just have to plan ahead in the CVT.

Sometimes family considerations take precedence. I've driven MTs since the late '70s but bought an HCH CVT so my wife could also drive it (she hates MTs and refuses to drive one). So from now on, any long family trips will be taken in my car instead of her '97 station wagon, which gets 25-30 mpg.

I have always driven MT cars. My HCH is my first AT. I love my CVT. There is so many other things to concentrate on while driving your hch that the added distraction of an MT would be dangerous, at least for me. I have learned to pay close attention to the assist and mpg gauges to optimize my fuel economy. I can not say anything for mountains, but with mxed city and highway driving and shorts trips, my cvt has performed very well. In the beginning, I did not get the greatest of mileage, but now with some help from my GreenHybrid friends, I have been able to increase my tank mpg to around 48-50.

The best part of the CVT is when people ride with you, you tell them to watch your tach as you enter the freeway, 25mph to 60mph without a shift, and its quiet and smooth. gotta love it!

...most likely a donkey, but if he had to drive a car, i bet it would be a hybrid.

p.s. pay the $1000 for the 7 year 100k mi warranty and forget about the mechanical maybes of the CVT.

...most likely a donkey, but if he had to drive a car, i bet it would be a hybrid.