[drumslinger]

Just took my brandy-new CT on it first highway adventure, and all I can say is, wow, what a car! The ride was limo-like, as the suspension soaked up even the worst bumps and transferred barely a muted sound into the cabin. Road noise? What road noise? Ditto for cabin quietness. Even the loudest tractor-trailers transmitted barely a faint whoosh as they passed. In a word, the ride was serene. And the seats were the most comfortable I've ever sat in. No soreness or stiffness even after hours of driving.

The "toys" were just more icing on the cake. The Nav, the audio, the Bluetooth, and the voice command to control all of them. Didn't have to take my eyes off the road, yet I could adjust the heat/AC fan speed, change radio channels, make cell calls, etc. Great fun.

What really surprised me, pleasantly, was the backup camera. The first time I attempted to parallel park, I didn't even look over my shoulder as I backed into the space. I just followed the grid lines and watched the car behind me get closer. On one try, I did a perfect park job, a few inches from the curb and parallel, leaving about three feet between me and the other car. Amazing. It's also great when backing out of a parking lot space, just to insure no one or nothing is right behind you.

Of course, most of you already know about all this, having had your CTs for a while. I can see you nodding!

There was one (hopefully) small issue, however, that did detract from the experience: a constant vibration at highway speeds.

I felt it in my hands and feet. I liken the sensation to what you feel when you place your hands on a speaker with the bass cranked up. Sort of a buzz/vibration. It was constant and didn't vary with speed or road surface. Has anyone felt this in their car? I'm hoping it's something easily fixed with a wheel balance or alignment. I'll be making an appointment with my dealer this morning, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Other than that, I'm lovin' my Crosstour!

 

[chefmark]

Nice Report, let us know how you make out with the vibration.

 

[CCT]

Your driving experience, as you say, is much the same as ours for the most part. Glad to hear you really like it.

Some have experienced this strange vibration/buzzing thru the s/wheel and said that it's possibly the engine or feedback from the suspension.

I know that the V6 design causes some inherent vibration due to its abnormal firing compared to a V8 or V12, but assumed that Honda had solved this long ago with counterbalancing/counterweights. Maybe in this car it's found a way back up to the cabin.

Perhaps your dealer can shed some light on it for you having heard other complaints.
I know in mine I can feel something come thru the steering but it's not very noticeable and I can't really describe it. I assumed that it's road noise/vibration making it's way up.
By the sound of it, yours is a little more noticeable and bothersome.

G/L sorting that.....The dealer has techs to help him solve these issues, and yes, please post your findings.

Colin.

 

[2011HCT]

Thanks for the report. I felt that same vibration/buzz on a test drive of an EX-L 4WD. May have something to do with the wheel/tires/balance (sometimes those OE tires leave a lot to be desired) or the 4WD drive line. In either case the dealer should be able to help sort things out.

...
What really surprised me, pleasantly, was the backup camera. The first time I attempted to parallel park, I didn't even look over my shoulder as I backed into the space. I just followed the grid lines and watched the car behind me get closer. On one try, I did a perfect park job, a few inches from the curb and parallel, leaving about three feet between me and the other car. Amazing. It's also great when backing out of a parking lot space, just to insure no one or nothing is right behind you.

If I'm not mistaken, the sideview mirrors tilt down which would also help you in the parallel parking exercise. Sounds like you mastered parallel parking without it though!

 

[Army Dad]

Nice Report, let us know how you make out with the vibration.

Ditto! Great report.

 

[rolls2]

I noticed the same on my only long trip when I drove a straight 8 hours. I got out and felt dizzy, but didn't really connect it to the car. Same on the return trip home and thought it was just a slight vibration at 40 - 50mph, but I think it was at all higher speeds. Keep us posted as to what the dealer thinks. When I take my car in for servicing, I will now mention this as well. But I only have about 2K miles on the car so far. I'll be driving to Florida for the winter with my partner at the end of December and we'll see how we both feel after the 3 day trip. Also noted a hot burning smell from the back end of the car which I did report to the dealer, but they came up with nothing abnormal so far. We are watching that but I just use the car for short daily trips around town right now.

 

[edubfromktown]

Thanks for posting. I have a 4WD and haven't felt any sort of vibration thus far (~2500 miles total on the car). Generally I cruise in the 62 - 77 MPH range but occasionally get it over 90 for short stints.

I'm heading down to the beach again this weekend (300+ miles away).

 

[lardo]

I got my CT since a month now and I didn't get any vibration as you described. I tried with and without cruise control at 70mph and it's really smooth in this car. Really impressed with isolation for this type of car. I know for a fact that when they deliver cars at dealer, the guys who take out car from the special truck delivery, sometime they hit metal border on those ramps which could affect alignment and in some case could pinch the side of the tire. Perhaps this is not your case but this is something that can be look at...

Good luck...

 

[drumslinger]

My appointment is tomorrow. I will report back any findings. What I'm dreading hearing is "We took it for a drive and didn't feel anything, so here are your keys." G-r-r-r.

What I didn't mention before was another problem I found : my auto-dimming rearview mirror doesn't work. There was no difference in the headlights I saw in my mirror when I pushed the button and the green light came on. On my other car, the mirror darkens. I hope they can fix that.

 

[Limbery]

I concur with you regarding the comfort on a road trip....I find the seats just great and it drives tirelessly. I also am amazed at how great the backup cam works for parking.
I've noticed the same about my mirror not seeming to dim....I just attributed it to the fact that there is a pretty dark tint on the rear window anyway and it not being bright enough to trigger it?....I didn't find that the lights were distractingly bright in the mirror anyway. (I had a mirror in a previous vehicle which was self dimming and I'd tinted the back window and back side windows very dark so it never dimmed after that either)

 

[drumslinger]

Well, I took my Crosstour to my dealer this morning for the vibration problem and left it there all day. They just called me and, as I feared, they claim the technician didn't feel any vibration during a 10-mile test drive. Sure. So, I scheduled another appointment for Friday, only this time I will go along on the drive. I hope I don't have a lemon...

 

[Xaque]

I've noticed the same about my mirror not seeming to dim....I just attributed it to the fact that there is a pretty dark tint on the rear window anyway and it not being bright enough to trigger it?....I didn't find that the lights were distractingly bright in the mirror anyway. (I had a mirror in a previous vehicle which was self dimming and I'd tinted the back window and back side windows very dark so it never dimmed after that either)

I worried at first that my mirror wasn't dimming... but then I worked out that it's just not as sensitive as my past auto-dimming mirrors.

The mirror in the crosstour wouldn't get dark until the car behind me was a car's-length or closer.

At first I was disgruntled, but then I calmed down after I realized that the headlights aren't blinding when the vehicle is any further away.

(I still haven't had someone with their high-beams on behind me, but I'm sure the mirror will dim just fine in that scenario)

 

[drumslinger]

They tested the mirror and said it works just fine. It probably is working as designed.

 

[drumslinger]

An update on the vibration issue: The technician went with me on Friday's test drive and felt the small vibration. They did something called Road Force Tracking on all four wheels and said they were 16 lbs. each, which was not near the 23 lb. limit, but still a little on the high side. They were able to reduce it to 6 lbs., which they said was near perfect. I don't know what all that means, but I'm happy!

 

[veasnalong]

An update on the vibration issue: The technician went with me on Friday's test drive and felt the small vibration. They did something called Road Force Tracking on all four wheels and said they were 16 lbs. each, which was not near the 23 lb. limit, but still a little on the high side. They were able to reduce it to 6 lbs., which they said was near perfect. I don't know what all that means, but I'm happy!

what is Road Force Tracking?? how do they adjust it?

 

[drumslinger]

I made a mistake. It's actually called Road Force Balancing. Google it and find a wealth of information, some very technical.

(BTW, I took her on her second road trip last weekend (same route), and the cursed vibration is gone! Yay!