By Staff Reporter

The Dastun Go has been a runaway success for the Datsun brand in South Africa. It hasn’t always been plain sailing as the first models were met with a lot of criticism for their lack of adequate safety features. Datsun responded to this by adding traction control, two airbags and ABS with EBD to the car as standard. To make the Datsun Go offer even more compelling, Datsun is offering the Go with a CVT transmission.

What is a CVT?

But what exactly is CVT? CVT is a vehicle transmission system with a variable gear for different driving situations. It allows for seamless gear shifting and offers better power delivery and improved fuel economy when compared to traditional transmissions.

Why a CVT transmission?

Datsun says, “the new CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) versions of the Datsun Go and Go+ have it all – from smoother gear changes, less noise and fewer emissions to all-round better driving.” In our experience, the CVTs are noisy but fuel efficient and we cannot wait to see what the Go’s CVT is all about. We must point out that not all CVTs are noisy – the ones employed by Toyota in recent models like the RAV4, Corolla Hatch and Lexus UX, are certainly smooth and relatively quiet. Those cars all command a much higher premium than the Go so we do not expect the Go to be at that level but do expect to experience a fair amount of what Datsun has promised – smoother gear changes, less noise and fewer emissions to all-round better driving. If a fair amount of this is missing, the proposition will be hard to justify.

Safety

As pointed out above, the Datsun Go hasn’t always had it its way in the safety department. Other than traction control as well as two airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist – which were all added to the range in November last year, all new CVT models have been fitted with a new stability control system, called VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control). VDC safety technology monitors various parameters – like wheel speed, steering wheel position and lateral acceleration – using on-board sensors. This information is further used to provide ESC (Electronic Stability Control). Additionally, all new Datsun Go and Go+ CVT models with a passenger seatbelt reminder.

Pricing

The Datsun Go is priced from R159,100.