New CU2 Lux Auto

Hi all, I have just picked up a new CU2 Luxury (no sat nav) Auto. I have been reading with interest the comments on this forum for a few months, and was pretty much sold on the car as long as it drove half decent. Have found this an excellent resource so thanks to everyone that has provided info on this car! I know very little technically about cars, but just love the features in this car - it has a very luxurious feel to it.

One little quibble I have: I live in the hills of Perth and when driving up a steep hill and accelerating around a bend, the steering is feeling very odd. It feels like it is fighting my attempts to turn into the bend and accelerate through it. It's like the wheels want to keep going straight rather than turning in. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the VSA, or whether it's something to do with the 18" wheels on the luxury, or something else. I read somewhere that the steering wheel will prompt you if it senses you are under or over steering, but thought that feature was part of the safety systems which were omitted for the Oz version.

Any ideas?

Bend + heavy throttle = wheelspin = ploughs straight ahead.

Solution = stickier tyres/go slower/install an LSD

umm just slow down?

or get sum fully sick handling mods!

I'm not driving aggressively at all - the wheels aren't spinning. I had a Holden Commodore previously and didn't have this problem, have also driven a Honda Legend and even a Chrysler Voyager up the hill with no dramas. The steering is really pulling back against me - hard to describe but it feels like there is something going on other than just simple physics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

I'm not driving aggressively at all - the wheels aren't spinning. I had a Holden Commodore previously and didn't have this problem, have also driven a Honda Legend and even a Chrysler Voyager up the hill with no dramas. The steering is really pulling back against me - hard to describe but it feels like there is something going on other than just simple physics.

---

What happens when you hold the steering wheel firmly? Does the car follow the bend or still wants to go straight?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aaronng

What happens when you hold the steering wheel firmly? Does the car follow the bend or still wants to go straight?

---

It feels like it still wants to go straight. If I tug on the steering wheel it momentarily goes where I want but as soon as I let any sort of pressure off it feels very heavy and wants to go straight. I end up tugging the wheel several times through a bend rather than going smoothly around it. I'm only doing 70kmh and the hill is steep but the bends aren't too dramatic.

Congrats mate, those auto's are nice.
I got a base manual, and it is sweet. Where in the hills are you?
My parents are in Stoneville now, moved from Mt Helena. It's bloody nice up there.

I haven't had the steering problem you talk about, but I haven't gone up any hills like those in Perth yet. I like the steering in my car. I'm going to Albany to get the car's first check up, there's hills around there that I'll have fun with...

I think because the steering is electronic, they will be able to tune it. Other cars like the civic type R use this same system. If and when the time comes, I'll be leaving mine alone.

The steering seems to be a complaint from the Yanks, but I can honestly tell you that I like it, and I don't think there it anything wrong with it. I had a '04 euro, and that was good.

I have had the feeling that the steering was firm when attacking some corners at speed. I liked it. I think this is how Honda set it up. At low speed, the steering should be really light. The Yanks hate this too?

Just attack them corners mate. I'm sure you will grow to really like it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

It feels like it still wants to go straight. If I tug on the steering wheel it momentarily goes where I want but as soon as I let any sort of pressure off it feels very heavy and wants to go straight. I end up tugging the wheel several times through a bend rather than going smoothly around it. I'm only doing 70kmh and the hill is steep but the bends aren't too dramatic.

---

You're not meant to grip the steering wheel loosely when you are using throttle through a bend. Hold the steering wheel firmly! The Euro tends to kick back the steering wheel when you have a combination of torque, corner and uneven surface.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aaronng

You're not meant to grip the steering wheel loosely when you are using throttle through a bend. Hold the steering wheel firmly! The Euro tends to kick back the steering wheel when you have a combination of torque, corner and uneven surface.

---

Thanks aaronng. Will drive it some more over the weekend and see how it goes - probably just need to get accustomed to steering characteristics by the sound of it. Appreciate you taking the time to help.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

Thanks aaronng. Will drive it some more over the weekend and see how it goes - probably just need to get accustomed to steering characteristics by the sound of it. Appreciate you taking the time to help.

---

I notice with other cars like Camrys, that you can keep 1 finger on the wheel and power through a corner without the steering wheel fighting back at you. But with other cars like BMW 3-series and the Euro, they tend to do that. It could be because of the larger castor angle in the suspension.

Congrats on the purchase.

However I drove the Euro Lux last weekend and IMO wasn't too impressed with it. My main complaints were really 1) the steering feel, and 2) the interior plastics.

The steering feel felt really hollow....felt like nothing, was a bit light, maybe the electric power steering has got something to do with it? But anyway, it might be a bit unfair to compare that as I jumped straight from my father's E class into the Euro.

Also the interior plastics looks cheap.... I still think the CL9 plastics were MUCH better.


But anyway, I persuaded a friend to purchase a Euro Lux over a Mazda6, and he signed on the dotted line today. $43.5K driveaway for the Euro Lux Auto with free tints and H floor mats.

CU2 auto has less power/torque than the manual!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

Hi all, I have just picked up a new CU2 Luxury (no sat nav) Auto. I have been reading with interest the comments on this forum for a few months, and was pretty much sold on the car as long as it drove half decent. Have found this an excellent resource so thanks to everyone that has provided info on this car! I know very little technically about cars, but just love the features in this car - it has a very luxurious feel to it.

One little quibble I have: I live in the hills of Perth and when driving up a steep hill and accelerating around a bend, the steering is feeling very odd. It feels like it is fighting my attempts to turn into the bend and accelerate through it. It's like the wheels want to keep going straight rather than turning in. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the VSA, or whether it's something to do with the 18" wheels on the luxury, or something else. I read somewhere that the steering wheel will prompt you if it senses you are under or over steering, but thought that feature was part of the safety systems which were omitted for the Oz version.

Any ideas?

---

The EPS has a fancy tech name calling it "Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering" - which works in conjunction with VSA... - it's purpose is to detect instability in slippery conditions in both cornering and under braking and it automatically initiates steering inputs giving assist to the driver to steer it in the right direction. So that could the reason why you feel the steering trying to fight you in the inputs.

They have a First Drive of the new Euro in Wheels magazine this month and the one major complain they had was the weird sensation through the steering wheel. Apparently they spoke to some honda engineers and it was going to be looked at prior to production. The cars tested were preproduction models at the official launch in Austria.

....maybe it still needs work.

bring on the 2010 update

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABS121

They have a First Drive of the new Euro in Wheels magazine this month and the one major complain they had was the weird sensation through the steering wheel. Apparently they spoke to some honda engineers and it was going to be looked at prior to production. The cars tested were preproduction models at the official launch in Austria.

....maybe it still needs work.

bring on the 2010 update

---

I do get that feeling of vagueness when cruizing along in a straight line. It just tracks so well. Like it's floating. Hit the corners and it is all good though. I read here that people have described that they have felt tugging or twitching? I am yet to experience this, or anything like this.

The feeling changes from 'light' to 'firm' when you're at speed. It is not a night and day change, and I am yet to actually notice the point when it firms up.

Is there a lack of feedback? Well I do get a weird sensation (you get used to it very quickly) because it it so smooth. You only really feel bumps through your seat, not through your hands. I guess this is where the 'lack of feed back' comes from. The steering reacts very sharply to driver input, and you can feel what the car is doing. The CU2 has a great turning circle by the way...

I am still getting used to my CU2, and the steering. I must say, it definately grows on you. I can really tell the difference when I jump in another car. I like the electric steering.

My 2001 5 Door Civic VTi had EPS. It could be caught off guard when twirling the wheel quickly in that the assistance would suddenly disappear and the steering would go heavy. Strangely, without me asking, the dealer that let me take a CU2 Luxury auto for a drive warned me that it is possible to catch the EPS off guard. He said don't worry if you suddenly lose assistance as it was normal for the new CU2. He said they experienced it on their pre-release drive program in Adelaide (which is where the NT gets supplied from by Honda). I did not experience it on my test drive which was mostly on straight roads but I did like the Accord-like dead but direct feel of the steering. There's not much feedback through the steering but plenty where it counts in the "seat of your pants".

A bit of an update - have driven about 600km now including a 180km round trip on country roads last weekend. I'm getting much more used to the steering feel now. I think in hindsight I was being a bit thrown by the very different feel of this steering to what I was used to - haven't driven a Euro of any description before. Appears to be more a matter of getting used to it than anything else. I'm loving the car in general - very smooth and refined drive. The country trip was effortless.

Yeah, the extreme smoothness is weird at first!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

A bit of an update - I'm getting much more used to the steering feel now. I'm loving the car in general - very smooth and refined drive. .

---

Hi There, Will be following your findings carefully as am close to buying a Lux version in a week or so. Have the 2006 auto Lux and will look at the upgrade. The only thing I dont like about the present car is it does tend to be a firmer ride and I get a fair amount of road noise probably due to the low profile tyres/rims. Will finally get time to do the test drive this Friday amd looking forward to it with all the basically good reports.

Had a 40 min drive in the new CU2 Auto Luxy with Nav.
Overall a nice drive. Not keen on the navigation unit. Actually heard one of the Honda sales person on the phone today describing the nav system as a "bit of a gimmic"
The steering was light and easy.
The engine sounded quieter than CL9.
Road noise was less and ride was smoother, but that may just be due to the difference in performance between the Michelins and the Dunlop Sport Max 2050 that come stock on CL9.
The interior feels about the same size and you really dont notice you are driving a slightly bigger and heavier car.
I find the interior a bit complicated - lots of buttons and knobs everywhere

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by unity

Had a 40 min drive in the new CU2 Auto Luxy with Nav.
Overall a nice drive. Not keen on the navigation unit. Actually heard one of the Honda sales person on the phone today describing the nav system as a "bit of a gimmic"
The steering was light and easy.
The engine sounded quieter than CL9.
Road noise was less and ride was smoother, but that may just be due to the difference in performance between the Michelins and the Dunlop Sport Max 2050 that come stock on CL9.
The interior feels about the same size and you really dont notice you are driving a slightly bigger and heavier car.
I find the interior a bit complicated - lots of buttons and knobs everywhere

---

Finally had a test drive of an Cu2 Lux Auto on Friday. No problems with the steering, felt very good to me, I didnt get any sense of vagueness ot floating.
Yes is quieter and smoother, but not like a spongy couch lol and I really liked the car. Thought the engine note was better than the CL9. Maybe a bit more pedal needed to take off but I didnt get to use S mode much. The paddles worked well. Probably need test drive 2. I thought the buttons were easily accessible on the dash and easy to use. Didnt notice the feeling that it was bigger car, and it feels roomier inside.
Would be interested to hear from anyone who has the present CL9 sat nav as I do, and has seen the new car sat nav system, as I wonder what differences there are.
I personally am happy with the sat nav, so not sure about the ' bit of a gimmick' comment as sat nav is common on many vehicles now, and found it useful. I know you can buy a tack on GPS but I prefer not to.
Now just have the dealer, trade-in lets make a deal showtime bs game that I REALLY hate about buying a new car. When will sales people learn that not everyone wants to go though all that false crap. The dealer knows EXACTLY what the trade is worth and the margin in the car...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VTECJimStar

Now just have the dealer, trade-in lets make a deal showtime bs game that I REALLY hate about buying a new car. When will sales people learn that not everyone wants to go though all that false crap. The dealer knows EXACTLY what the trade is worth and the margin in the car...

---

I know what you mean! I just went through that crap. I just write down on a bit of paper exactly what I want for the price I want and leave it up to them. Emails are good place to start, then go to phone calls, then visits.
Redbook guide seems to be the go for trade in prices.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VTECJimStar

I personally am happy with the sat nav, so not sure about the ' bit of a gimmick' comment as sat nav is common on many vehicles now, and found it useful. I know you can buy a tack on GPS but I prefer not to.
...

---

I think the customer was tossing up between the nav model and the model without the nav. I think the dealer was trying to make a point that for the extra $3000 you were not getting that much in return.

I found the throttle more responsive in the CU2 than the CL9

Ordered my Luxury auto with nav in Volcano Grey today. Hopefully get it on Saturday. Can't wait, drives great & a huge improvment over the 04 luxury auto I have now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eurotony

Ordered my Luxury auto with nav in Volcano Grey today. Hopefully get it on Saturday. Can't wait, drives great & a huge improvment over the 04 luxury auto I have now.

---

THATS MY CAR! hope there are still some left lol

If you get a chance can you put up a pic of the map screen, just interested to see if the graphics are any different. The 2006 ones are a bit blocky and basic. If you want to answer priv thats fine.. will be v intersted to see how you find the nav controls, from what I see they should be quite easy to use.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eurotony

Ordered my Luxury auto with nav in Volcano Grey today. Hopefully get it on Saturday. Can't wait, drives great & a huge improvment over the 04 luxury auto I have now.

---

Just noted you are also in Bris which dealer did you go to.. Priv answer probably best :-)

^ yeah i want to know too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by unity

I think the customer was tossing up between the nav model and the model without the nav. I think the dealer was trying to make a point that for the extra $3000 you were not getting that much in return.

I found the throttle more responsive in the CU2 than the CL9

---

add aftermarket headers and you'll notice a big difference

Seems that Volcano Grey is the popular colour choice. Mine is Volcano Grey too - I reckon the vast majority of CU2's sold are going to be this colour, given the rather uninspiring alternatives.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

Seems that Volcano Grey is the popular colour choice. Mine is Volcano Grey too - I reckon the vast majority of CU2's sold are going to be this colour, given the rather uninspiring alternatives.

---

Hahaha! Mine is volcano grey!

Funny thing is I think all the colours look great on the CU2. The black is better than CL9, the white looks real good, and blue looks sweet. I don't like silver, but I hate this colour on any car.

I would have got black, but too hard to keep clean. Especially where I live, windy, dusty town.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Crapdaz

add aftermarket headers and you'll notice a big difference

---

I thought that the CU2 had its exhaust manifold cast as part of the head. You might have a lot of metal to remove before you can add aftermarket headers lol.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93272

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Type R Positive

Hahaha! Mine is volcano grey!..........I would have got black, but too hard to keep clean. Especially where I live, windy, dusty town.

---

When I went for a test drive in a CU2 Luxury, there was another prospective customer in the car. He had a Graphite CL9 and swore he'd never buy a dark colour again because they are too difficult to keep clean. Silver is to be his next car colour.

I've owned 4 Red, 1 Banana, 1 Silver, 1 Black and 3 Blue cars. The most difficult to keep clean was by far the black. The easiest was the silver. But I like blue now. I still haven't seen a CU2 in Cobalt Blue which I believe is darker than CL9 Arctic Blue. I believe that Cobalt Blue was once a Prelude colour.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SPQR

He had a Graphite CL9 and swore he'd never buy a dark colour again because they are too difficult to keep clean.
The most difficult to keep clean was by far the black. The easiest was the silver..

---

I have had one black the Black Pearl Euro and it was a bastard to keep clean, looked fantastic when freshly polished for about 1/2 a day then it was all downhill from there. In the end the fight against swirl made me vow I would never have black again.
I now have the Graphite GreyCL9 and it has been much easier to keep clean and much less swirl. So it will be Volcano Grey CU2 for me.. if there are any left...

i would say its the EPS.
u will get used to it.

if you have GT5P on PS3 you'll notice the incabin views show a car doing the same thing when you turn............as soon as you stop steering the steering wheel it straightens up.

Yes I'm sure this is common and has nothing to do with your driving ability or the cars VTEC.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

Seems that Volcano Grey is the popular colour choice. Mine is Volcano Grey too - I reckon the vast majority of CU2's sold are going to be this colour, given the rather uninspiring alternatives.

---

I have gone for Milano Red, never thought I would buy a red car but it looks awesome on the CU2 in the metal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tritty

I have gone for Milano Red, never thought I would buy a red car but it looks awesome on the CU2 in the metal.

---

Good on you! I've had four red cars. The paint on all of them eventually faded. But red is a nice colour in the CU2. Most seem to buy Grey and some people get Black. To each his/her own! These darker colours look best in the dark wintery skys of the frozen states South of the Tropic of Capricorn. Those of us who live North prefer the lighter, more heat-reflecting colours.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eurotony

Ordered my Luxury auto with nav in Volcano Grey today. Hopefully get it on Saturday. Can't wait, drives great & a huge improvment over the 04 luxury auto I have now.

---

Picked the car up yesterday morning, & WOW what a car. No test drive can ever do it justice. It is just everything it should be, Move over IS250, there's a new kid on the block.

Did not think it was going to happen though, 8.00am Thursday morning, rear ended in the 04 Euro Lux trade in by a truck on the Gateway motorway.......................Oh F..K!!!!!!! 10k damage & 2 weeks off the road. Dealer was great (Austral Honda @ Newstead) & the deal went ahead & we have the new car. Saves me looking for another ride for 2 weeks or so.

Have only done a few kays but have set up the speed alerts & have played with the Sat nav unit. Much to learn, has it's own 100 page manual, the only thing I have not been able to find is a GPS generated speed readout.....bummer. I know the speedo in my 04 Euro read about 10% slow, if I was doing 100k's on my TomTom readout the Euro was showing 110k's. I think other than that it seems great.

Number 1 son loves the sound system & the fuel consumption seems great especially for a brand new car, will have another play today & see what else I can find.

Cheers
Tony:honda::thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eurotony

Picked the car up yesterday morning, & WOW what a car. No test drive can ever do it justice. It is just everything it should be, Move over IS250, there's a new kid on the block.

Have only done a few kays but have set up the speed alerts

I know the speedo in my 04 Euro read about 10% slow, if I was doing 100k's on my TomTom readout the Euro was showing 110k's. I think other than that it seems great.

---

Grats on the car :D.

Yeah, fantastic car imo. Build quality has certainly improved - no creaks, hidden hinges, tighter fit, more tactile buttons. Just little things but all the little things that count. Overall it feels like a different class of car!

Would be good if we could get GPS speed reading - my CL9 reads about 5-6km lower, i should be sitting on 105 to be doing 100.

How do you setup the speed alerts? I've skimmed over the manual but i couldn't find the menu thing they were talking about so i assumed that it was another thing they took out of our CU2.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimnkk

How do you setup the speed alerts? I've skimmed over the manual but i couldn't find the menu thing they were talking about so i assumed that it was another thing they took out of our CU2.

---

Now you say that I wonder if it is only in the Nav version. From memory you had to go into the display set up mode via the buttons on the steering wheel & follow the instructions, it took a while to work it out, but they do work, I also set up the 'trip A reset to zero on refuel' let you know how that works when I refuel.

Cheers
Tony

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eurotony

Now you say that I wonder if it is only in the Nav version. From memory you had to go into the display set up mode via the buttons on the steering wheel & follow the instructions, it took a while to work it out, but they do work, I also set up the 'trip A reset to zero on refuel' let you know how that works when I refuel.

---

Thanks mate :D. It looks like i skipped past the bit where it tells you that you have to hold in the 'info' button for a long period :p.

Just set it up then and it works. I left the trip A reset thing off though, i always write down how much i've done straight after i refuel and i'll forget if it resets when i refuel.

What tyres do you have?

Tyres with soft walls will delay the turn-in. Get sportier tyres such as yoko C-Drives or Pirelli dragons

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

One little quibble I have: I live in the hills of Perth and when driving up a steep hill and accelerating around a bend, the steering is feeling very odd. It feels like it is fighting my attempts to turn into the bend and accelerate through it. It's like the wheels want to keep going straight rather than turning in. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the VSA, or whether it's something to do with the 18" wheels on the luxury, or something else. I read somewhere that the steering wheel will prompt you if it senses you are under or over steering, but thought that feature was part of the safety systems which were omitted for the Oz version.

Any ideas?

---

Mate that's called power on understeer. Unfortunately, the combination of Euro's tendency to tramline and perhaps bump-steer makes this car prone to doing exactly what you said.

Usually you have to fight the wheel when stepping on the gas in most front wheel drive cars anyway, but it naturally still aims at the opposite of the apex. Unfortunately I found that even in my CL9, the accelerator on + turn in understeer is stupidly unbearable, perhaps too much torque.

When you're going uphill too, the tyres grip less (especially in the rain) and thus power-on understeer becomes even more exaggerated. You might not feel the wheel spinning but effectively its WANTING to, because of the open diff situation, thus the wheel is steering away from your steering wheel automatically.

Most FWDs have this tendency but IMHO, the Euro has this trait big time. You just got to be more gentle with the accelerator. The Euros have great neutral turn-in when you apply gentle or no power. Sacrifices speeds out of corners though!

I don't believe it has anything to do with understeer.

CU2 is so different to drive than the CL9. So much more grip for starters.
Tramlining? Not on CU2. Bump steer? I am yet to experience it.....

I was in Perth for a few days and was staying in the hills. Parents live in Stoneville. I belted it around while I was up there and my car handled it fine. I like it up there, just try to keep to the speed limit everywhere! LOL!

There was an occasion or two where the steering would feel a fair bit heavier than usual. I take it this is what you are talking about. As SPQR said, What I think is happening is the steering assist is working in one direction, then cuts out when you are trying to turn the other direction.

I wonder if you were steering with one hand?

ive seen the milano red in person, that is one of the best colours. its just sexy! If u keep the red clean and polished it will last dont worry about that! also garaged helps.

we have a volcano in the showroom with side skirts, duck spoiker, tint, sports grille and lower front spoiler. Looks great but i think would look heaps better in red.

Thanks guys for all your input on this. I had my 1,000 km service last week and mentioned it to the service guys. They said they had noticed a different steering feel in the CU2 and that it was caused by the EPS/steering assist.

Having driven the car some more since my original post, I don't notice this nearly as much as I did then. I seem to feel it more now when straightening out of a corner than during the cornering. Makes sense that it would feel heavier as you change direction with steering assist momentarily cutting out. In any case, it's not really a big issue for me now.

One hand on the wheel? Nope. I'm actually a pretty placid driver most of the time. Type R +, you've done well if you've belted your car around up there and not been pinged by the Mundaring cops!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bk212

One hand on the wheel? Nope. I'm actually a pretty placid driver most of the time. Type R +, you've done well if you've belted your car around up there and not been pinged by the Mundaring cops!

---

Didn't see one cop in the 5 days that I was going up and coming down from there.

Actually trying to get up to 60km/h is tricky in some places. You don't need to break the speed limit to have fun.

We'll just end this conversation now, shall we. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UNLS1

ive seen the milano red in person, that is one of the best colours. its just sexy! If u keep the red clean and polished it will last dont worry about that! also garaged helps.

we have a volcano in the showroom with side skirts, duck spoiker, tint, sports grille and lower front spoiler. Looks great but i think would look heaps better in red.

---

Here here!!! had my Milano Red CU2 delivered today with tinted windows and black interior it contrasts really well, i'll post some pics soon :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tritty

Here here!!! had my Milano Red CU2 delivered today with tinted windows and black interior it contrasts really well, i'll post some pics soon :thumbsup:

---

Please do! And welcome mate! :thumbsup: