New Owner - Question about driving in reverse (CVT transmission)

[mkarias11]

Hello,

I bought a pre-owned 2014 Corolla LE. This is the first car that I have driven with a CVT so the experience is new to me. One major question: is it normal when going in reverse at high speed that the car starts jerking and reving up. A mechanic told me that is normal because there is only one gear so the car is telling you don't go that fast. When going in reverse at "normal" speed, it does not do this but if I go fast in reverse, it starts jerking.

Is this normal indeed? This does not happen on my 2 other cars that have normal auto transmissions.

Also, is the engine normally a little noisy when driving normal?

 

[Donabed Kopoian]

Going in reverse quickly is dangerous anyway. It is really easy to spin out.

Besides that, it seems like there isn't enough hydraulic pressure to hold the belt at high speeds in reverse. That is normal, as Toyota intentionally designed the CVT to have as little parasitic drag as possible.

And yeah, the engine is on the noisy side. Most OHC engines are like that.

 

[jolly]

One major question: is it normal when going in reverse at high speed that the car starts jerking and reving up. A mechanic told me that is normal because there is only one gear so the car is telling you don't go that fast. When going in reverse at "normal" speed, it does not do this but if I go fast in reverse, it starts jerking.

Any type of transmission only have one gear in reverse. No car is designed - nor even need - to go fast in reverse.

Also, is the engine normally a little noisy when driving normal?

You'd have to define "a little noisy" . Corolla is a 4 cyl econobox, not a Lexus, albeit generally quiet (noticeably quieter than a Mazda 3 for instance).
On "D" at 60 mph RPM is only around 1700, so road noise tend to be higher than engine noise.
In any event, bare in mind that CVTs generally prefer gradual and soft acceleration and aren't at their best with flooring.

 

[mkarias11]

Thank you all. I know the reverse is one gear but on cars with normal automatic transmissions, it just revs up. With the Corolla, the car actually starts jerking. First time I ever experience that.