I am currently leasing a 2011 Rav 4 Sport and when I put the rear windows down there is this reverberation that makes my brain bounce off the inside of my head and have to put the windows back up. Is this the new thing with mid-size suv’s? Are there any out there that do not do this? I leased an '08 Trailblazer that did the same thing. Do all of the newer aero dynamic suv’s have this problem? I hate the thought of buying a vehicle that I can’t put the rear windows down.
Very common, and solving it is very vehicle-specific. You’ll just have to try out lots of different combinations of window opening, toss in some fan speeds, see which work for you.
Wost of my cars was an '86 Jeep Cherokee, far from aerodynamic…
This isn’t just an issue with SUV’s, it can happen on any 4 door car, station wagon, crossover, as well as SUV. You are experiencing a “harmonic” distortion set up when you roll down the rear windows. You can experiment with lowering windows partially, and also open the sunroof if you have one. With trial and error you can get fresh air circulation in the cabin without uncomfortable noise.
On one of my cars with a sunroof (4dr sedan) I lower a rear window (one, not both) about 1-2" and open the sunroof. Lot’s of circulation of nice fresh air results with virtually no noise.
I agree with texases that this problem is vehicle-specific, but it is important to note that this phenomenon is present in the vast majority of vehicles sold today.
Since car magazines don’t test for this type of situation, the OP is going to need to test-drive a very large number of vehicles if he wants to find a make and model that does not exhibit the wind-buffeting/reverberation problem.
An issue as old as cars.
just experiment.
Waaay back when I was a kid, we’d take family vacations from Ohio and visit…everywhere.
chevy station wagons
Tent camping.
NO a/c
The buffeting was so common it actually lulled me to sleep in the back seat floor boards.
I think all cars past the millennium I have driven have this phenomenon. The solution is to use the AC fan. It actually will use the cabin filter and the air quality is better. With windows down in traffic/hwy, you are breathing in particles that are known to be bad for your heart and lungs.
I really don’t think this is a problem as precieved by auto manufacturers. IMO, cars are designed to run with the windows up, 12 months out of the year with air passage through specific outlets. They DONOT coincide with leaving the windows open as aerodynamics is so important for mileage, no concessions made in most cars. If some cars DONOT exhibit this buffeting, it is purely by accident.