Kizashi Club

OK, so I drove three hours yesterday to look at a 2012 SE with 12K miles on it. My first CVT. Boy was it weird. Not nearly as peppy as the MT GTS I drove a few weeks ago.
A couple questions.

There was engine vibration, almost a shaking that I didn't think was normal. I have only driven one Kiz before, but I don't recall the engine vibrating like that. My SX4 with a J20A does not vibrate like that. Is that normal for this engine?

Also, the brakes seemed to have a slight vibration (not pulsating) and low pitch sound coming from them. They worked great, but again, I don't recall any noise coming from the brakes of the GTS I drove.

All in all, it was very comfortable and quite. Not quite as quiet as the MT though. And I could not feel speed in it. I was doing 60 in a 45 and didn't realize it until I looked at the speedometer.

Engine vibration is NOT normal. The J24B is actually renown to be a smooth revving engine. It also has a harmonic balancer at the end of the crankshaft to dampen vibrations. My engine is smooth.

The brakes should not pulsate. I wonder if it's because the car was sitting at the dealership. I know that when cars sit around on lots, the rotors get corrosion on them and the battery gets weak. On the other hand, once you press on the brakes a few times, the pads should have removed the corrosion off of the rotor and it should be back to normal. If it maintained a vibration and was squealing, then it may indicate an issue with the pads and/or rotors.

In my opinion, these issues warrant for you to go check out the SLS in the other direction.

Also, I am not at all surprised to hear the differences between the CVT and manual. Most reviewers who drove them both have said the manual is a lot quicker off the line and the CVT makes the engine rev harder which translates to more noise.
Personally, I think the AWD is the only saving grace in getting a Kizashi with the CVT.

I didn't think it was normal. So, it's off 3 hours in the other direction Saturday. good thing Pyramid1 and I don't live in the same area or we'd be sabotaging each other's trips to the GTS's for sale.

LPSISRL wrote:I didn't think it was normal. So, it's off 3 hours in the other direction Saturday. good thing Pyramid1 and I don't live in the same area or we'd be sabotaging each other's trips to the GTS's for sale.

lol..if you're talking about the one in North Carolina, then I'm no competition. That's about 400-500 miles out of the range I'm willing to go to look at a car that may or may not be there when I arrive. I'm trying to keep perspective here, it's not like we're talking about a super rare 60's era special edition Porsche or anything.

(but sometimes it seems that way)