The simple act of shifting gears has been part of driving for over 100 years, the process barely changing, regardless of choice of either automatic or manual box.

There is however another option, one that historically hasn't enjoyed the best publicity, the CVT or continuously variable transmission delivers endless gear ratios because it has no cogs, instead using a series of belts and pulleys to convey power to the axles. However, this cool-sounding transmission choice does have some unique issues. A lack of driver involvement comes down to personal preferences, after all a full-EV powertrain has no gears so where's the difference.

In recent years more and more carmakers are offering CVT options, no longer consigned to lesser models, now you can have a cool car with the option of the most efficient transmission choice.

10 Audi A7 2.8 Sportback 3.0 TDI

Audi A7 2.7 FSI - Front Quarter
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Audi's premium Sportback offering, the current A7, boasts a range of engine and transmissions choices from the lowly 2-liter base model through to the range-topping Quattro with a much tastier 4-liter V8. Whichever model gearheads opt for, the A7 is as cool as anything else in this market segment.

Audi A7 2.7 FSI - Side View
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Remember Audi's Vorsprung Durch Technik advertising slogan? Well, the German automaker is at it again, their CVT line-up falling under the uber-geeky-sounding Multitronic branding available in both gasoline and diesel models. The latter is accompanied by Audi's turbocharged 3-liter TDI lump producing 201 hp the quicker option needing just 7.2-seconds to reach 60 mph.

9 Subaru WRX S4 STi

Subaru WRX S4 STi - Front Quarter
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Blink and you'll miss it, and we aren't just referring to the WRX's blistering performance either. In 2016, Subaru unveiled a special edition WRX S4 STi for lucky Japanese buyers, with just 500 planned production cars selling out in 2 weeks.

Subaru WRX S4 STi - Rear quarter
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Surely just another badge engineering model? Well yes, essentially, the same WRX STi receipt packing a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder motor ending 296 hp to all four wheels like every other hot Subaru since the dawn of time itself. The difference here is the unusual choice of Subaru's Sport Lineatronic CVT transmission, deleting the popular 6-speed manual option altogether.

RELATED: 10 Things We Love About The Subaru WRX STi

8 GT By Citroën

GT By Citroen - Front quarter
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The chances of coming across one of these cool futuristic supercars are pretty unlikely, originally unveiled as a Citroën concept car back in 2008 with a further 6 examples later planned for production. Eagle-eyed gamers might recognize the GT's profile from Gran Turismo 5, the original GT by Citroën design offered to players via digital download.

GT By Citroen - Rear quarter
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While the gaming version boasted a hydrogen fuel cell arrangement delivering 778 hp, in production guise things are more conventional, using a Ford modular V8 running on regular gasoline rated at 646 hp. With so few cars built and little in the way of press releases performance figures are hard to gauge, equipped with a custom CVT or circle transmission the GT's top speed is estimated to be around the 180 mph mark.

7 Lexus RC 300h Coupe

Lexus RC 300h Sport - Front quarter
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How times have changed. Hybrid power units are becoming the norm these days, when once anything badged as hybrid conjured images of everyone's favorite Uber, the Toyota Prius. Moving further upmarket with Lexus branding is another story, Toyota's premium model division knows a thing or two about cool coupes.

Lexus RC 300h Sport - Rear quarter
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The RC 300h introduced in 2016 proved that a mix-sized luxury sports coupe could be both cool and sporty at the same time. Equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline engine complemented by a single electric motor, delivering a combined output of 223 hp. We aren't talking stellar performance, 60 mph coming up in 9-seconds.

6 Cadillac ELR

Cadillac ELR - Front Quarter
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Looking at the Cadillac ELR you might be surprised to find that the scaled-down ATS coupe is none other than a Chevrolet Volt in a new suit, the powertrain re-tuned to reflect the premium branding.

Cadillac ELR - Rear Quarter
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Launched, canceled, and, relaunched for 2015, Cadillac's ELR given the right pricing strategy could have been a much cooler alternative to Toyota's Prius, however with a list price of $75,000 sales barely reached 3000 cars. Peel away the sharp bodywork and the Delta II platform complete with GM's Voltec powertrain remains, combining twin electric motors and a four-pot gasoline motor to deliver 233 hp in the model year.

RELATED: This Is How The Toyota Prius Became The Best-Selling Hybrid In America

5 Lexus LC500h

Lexus LC500h - Front Quarter
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Round two of Lexus' hybrid sports coupe, the LC500h a more capable sports car again using hybrid engine technology along with a unique hybrid transmission planned to eliminate the CVT's performance limitations.

Lexus LC500h - Rear Quarter
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Equipped with a new multi-stage-hybrid powertrain consisting of a conventional 3.5-liter V6 engine bolstered by two electric motors delivering a combined output of 354 hp, Lexus claiming a sub-five second sprint to 60 mph. The transmission itself undergoing a revolutionary change also, a custom dual transmission set-up combining a 4-speed automatic arrangement embedded within the CVT itself.

4 Honda S660

Hona S660 - Front quarter
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Smaller is definitely better if you are a resident of Japan's busy urban jungle, Kei cars offer the perfect compromise between practical transport and gearheads craving some small two-seater sports car thrills.

Honda S660 - Rear Quarter
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Honda's S660 is about as cool as you can get in the Kei car world, think scaled down NSX or S2000, and you'd be mostly there. Its diminutive size needs only a tiny mid-mounted 660cc turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 63 HP driving the rear wheels via Honda's optional 7-speed CVT transmission to reach 60 mph in 10-seconds, plenty for Tokyo's busy streets.

3 Mini Cooper Convertible

Mini Cooper Convertbile - Front Quarter
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Under BMW ownership the Mini was back, everyone's favorite '60s icon reinvented for the next century including a host of modern updates including new engines, transmissions, and for the first time an optional CVT set-up.

Mini Cooper Convertible - Side View
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The re-launch was a huge success for BMW, the Mini becoming a brand in its own right with follow-up models including sportier Cooper editions along with a soft top in 2007. At the heart of the Cooper, a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine producing 173 HP, perfectly suited to the open-topped Mini's sporty nature.

RELATED: 5 Horrible Retro Inspired Cars (5 That Are Amazing)

2 Toyota GR Yaris

Toyota GR Yaris - Front Quarter
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The Yaris is officially dead, with production coming to an end in 2020 leaving Toyota with a problem with their WRC program. With no small hatch available for adaptation, Toyota turned to Gazoo Racing for one last hurrah, resulting in the insanely quick GR Yaris.

Toyota GR Yaris - Rear Quarter
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Now at this point, gearheads might be thinking how can a small Japanese hatch be cool? The answer lays under the hood, Gazoo Racing cramming a 268 hp 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine in space barely as big as the unit itself, driving through either a 6-speed manual unit or a 4-speed CVT transmission, power going to all four wheels. Quite how Toyota managed to fit that lot into a three-door hatch is anyone's guess.

1 William FW15C

Williams FW15C - Front quarter
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In 1993, Williams F1 was still the major force to be reckoned with, their FW15C one of the most technologically advanced racing cars of all time. If it could be manipulated by electronics it was, ride height, active suspension complex push-to-pass engine modes all to make F1 cars faster.

FW15C - Front View
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At the heart of this amazing machine, Renault's RS5 3.5-liter V10 engine producing in the region of 850 hp, the only possible area left to improve upon being the customary 6-speed semi-automatic transmission. This didn't escape the engineer's attention, shortly before the 1994 season, Williams successfully tested the FW15C using a custom design CVT, the advantages over a lap were huge. Two weeks later, the FIA banned CVT transmissions before the racer turned a wheel in anger.