Kizashi Club

Hello Kizashi users,

I am asking this question on my father's behalf. He has a year 2011 / 2012 registered Kizashi FWD with CVT that seems to be suffering from engine shudder when the gear is shifted from N to D, as well as engine shuddering when the car is braking to close to a complete stop. It feels as if the engine is going to stop before it revs up again to maintain a stable operation. Is this normal for this car?

Unfortunately yes. My dealer re flashed the Tcm which helped a lot but it's still there. It needs a proper 6 speed auto.

I see. Thanks for that info.

Bizzenn wrote:It needs a proper 6 speed auto.

It needs a proper transmission.

There, I fixed that for you. All automatics suck, but from what I'm reading here, this one completely ruins the car. I'm so glad I test drove that box full of mush and decided to hold out for a used manual rather than buying a new CVT at the dealer.

Woodie wrote:

Bizzenn wrote:It needs a proper 6 speed auto.

It needs a proper transmission.

There, I fixed that for you. All automatics suck, but from what I'm reading here, this one completely ruins the car. I'm so glad I test drove that box full of mush and decided to hold out for a used manual rather than buying a new CVT at the dealer.

What would you say are the major differences given you've driven both transmissions? I've never driven a CVT and all my Kizashi experiences are based on my 6 speed manual which I think is rather good. Shift throw could be better and shorter, but overall a good transmission for the car.

It just felt like the engine was connected to the wheels via rubber bands. RPMs bore little relationship to car speed, like an automatic but much much worse. Seemed as if the car was doing whatever it wanted without regard for what I was trying to do. Probably would be cool playing with the paddle shift, but I didn't get around to that on my short test drive. I also may have gotten used to it with time, but my initial reaction was "no F-ing way, this is horrible".

To be fair, I am biased against automatics, I like to be in control at all times. The last automatic car I owned was in 1976.

Honestly, the CVT took a lot of getting used to. Manual guy nearly my entire life. Full Manual mode with the stick of the CVT, the car does what you want. The paddle shifters are a nice feature to assist in commanding the car and offers a sort-of semi-auto function. I can say I really don't miss shifting a full out manual any longer.

Interesting. While the Kizashi isn't really a fast car, I have no problem getting the tires chirping off a quick start with the manual. Definitely no rubber band feel with the primitive transmission type.

The rubber band feel in the CVT comes with mashing the peddle from a stand-still and expecting it to whip your head back like you were blasting off. It simply isn't going to happen and, I'm certain, this why many can not achieve decent MPG ratings. You have to force/train yourself to handle the throttle differently than you're used to. Once you do that, the car has a personality all its own. Like I said, took a long time for me to get used to it. Gradual, slow and steady throttle application and I can break a front wheel lose on dry pavement now and again under the right conditions. Won't say I could do this on command however. I would venture to expect that a 'proper' 6-spd auto would weigh more and have had other ill effects on the overall performance and price point.

Ronzuki wrote:The rubber band feel in the CVT comes with mashing the peddle from a stand-still and expecting it to whip your head back like you were blasting off. It simply isn't going to happen and, I'm certain, this why many can not achieve decent MPG ratings. You have to force/train yourself to handle the throttle differently than you're used to. Once you do that, the car has a personality all its own. Like I said, took a long time for me to get used to it. Gradual, slow and steady throttle application and I can break a front wheel lose on dry pavement now and again under the right conditions. Won't say I could do this on command however. I would venture to expect that a 'proper' 6-spd auto would weigh more and have had other ill effects on the overall performance and price point.

Yeah, you sort of have to get a feel for how the CVT responds in order to get what you want out of it. I've trained myself at this point to apply the proper amount of throttle and I'm able to get it going pretty fast. That being said, there are still times (like when I'm trying to get out of a situation fast) when my instinct kicks in and I try mashing the throttle more...to no avail.

Using the paddle shifters is interesting though. When I use them to engage temporary manual mode, I'm not always certain what gear I'm going to be in, and so I don't always get the result I want. Like the other day, I was trying to pass a car that was pulling out of a driveway on a turn, and somehow I ended up putting myself in 1st gear and mashing the throttle, almost redlining the engine for a few seconds. It wasn't until I got out of the situation that I got it in the right gear... a personally embarrassing moment and not what I was going for