I just got my sparkbridge done to my ride by Isaac (did I get the name right?) 2 evenings ago. Dude, thanks for coming all the way to my place, really appreciate it!
I can finally report my experience after more substantial driving without my missus in my car. Hope that answer your question about my driving style when I told you "it depends".
First of all, having driven both the 1st generation Lation sedan CVT (my in-law's previous car) as well as the most recent FL Latio Sport CVT (my ride), I will claim that Nissan tweaked and improve the responsiveness of the CVT box, with the 'rubber band' effect more obvious in the older ride, so their new marketing term of Extronix-blah-blah-blah is probably not BS. The FL Latio CVT does feel somewhat more 'powerful' and less laggy than the very 1st model in stock form.
Previously, I am already quite happy with the stock performance of the Latio CVT, preferring it to the 4AT as it is smoother and accelerate faster at high RPMs but the 'rubber band' or gear slipping effect sometimes set in during 1) very hot days when I accelerate from zero, 2) when I tap on brakes while going up slope and try to accelerate again, 3) when I try to overtake cars while the engine is <2000RPM, especially when upslope. After the sparkbridge installation, I agree with Issac, it doesn't exactly make the car accelerate much faster for say, 0-100km/h but basically make the acceleration more 'linear', eliminating the 'rubber band' effect for the above mentioned scenarios.
All in all, this is a good and cheap upgrade to make your accelerator pad more feel more responsive. Highly recommended.
