RobertE

We are deciding between the ES300h hybrid or the ES350 V6, and we were wondering about the CVT tranny in the hybrid. I know the V6's six speed is pretty bullet proof but we have concerns about the hybrid as I don't know anything about the long term reliability of the CVT. The car will be my wife's and she tends to keep her cars for 250k miles or 15 years which ever comes first, lol. She really wants the hybrid but I would like some feed back from the forum members on the CVT's reliability or if she should stick with the tried and true 6 speed, seeing as she will put a ton of miles on the car. Thanks in advance for your replies.

uicandrew

All Toyota hybrids, starting from the Prius in 2000, have been using CVT. I personally had a camry hybrid since 2009, and had no issues with it.

Trust the engine/transmission. One thing Toyota/lexus does is use the same engine over and over again

Either ford and/or Nissan licensed toyotas hybrid technology in their own sedans for a while because they had such a head start in the mid 2000s, before they could design it themselves.

mikedege

You may have already answered your own question! Have you calculated the difference in cost of ownership between the 300h and 350? I would guess its a no-brainer to go with the 300h if she is planning on driving 250K Miles! with or without a CVT tranny. Just a thought.

good luck, Mike