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Comments
It of course can do it at very slow speeds and light acceleration, but that's not practical in a traffic situation.
Where I have used it most often with success is at speeds between 25 and 35 MPH, with a WARMED UP ENGINE, and setting the cruise control, on a flat road. I was able to go about two miles yesterday in one stretch of a 25 MPH street in all electric. That is SO COOL !!!
I'm in the process of studying the manual (389 pages !!!) and I will understand the HSD system and the situations a lot better after that and a few more days driving.
I rose my tank MPG up to 37.2 MPG after about 75 miles of combined hwy and city street driving yesterday, even with the outside temp 113 degrees here in Sunny Phoenix AZ and the A/C on 74 degrees.
My kids love the JBL 440 Watt stereo too, and they ESPECIALLY love that they have their own A/C vents in the backseat !!
Laterz All !!!
The website that stated that it can be set to operate on electric only, gas only or hybrid...is that incorrect?
The car I drove had a half full battery. Did it start the gas engine EVERY time I moved from a stop because of this? When the battery is close to full, WILL the car move to approximately 20mph on electric motor (assuming REASONABLE accelleration)? THEN, does the shudder feel less than from a stop because you are moving along well?
Thanks again.
Eric
I will test drive the car again Monday morning. How does one put the car in electric only mode?
Your mention of the 25-35 mph on electric...can you get to this speed on electric only with reasonable accelleration? When the gas engine starts at 25-35 mph, it there less of a shudder that when it starts just as you are moving off from a start?
Thanks
eric
Hope to get some serious driving done today on mine.
I was miffed to see some bugs on the front of mine after only 65 miles!.. Arghhh.
Bill
The button you are referring to might be the one that is/was on some of the Prius models (possibly not the US versions?)...
I guess you are referring to the Toyota website? I believe that the word 'set' is confusing. There is no mechanical switch to turn to set between one mode or the other. It's actually you that does the switch by the use of your foot on the pedal. Depending on the speed at which you are driving you can turn the ICE down/off by lifting off the accelerator.
The car I drove had a half full battery. Did it start the gas engine EVERY time I moved from a stop because of this? When the battery is close to full, WILL the car move to approximately 20mph on electric motor (assuming REASONABLE accelleration)? THEN, does the shudder feel less than from a stop because you are moving along well?
In the HSD vehicles there is a 10-15 sec period after 'Power ON' when there is no ICE input. You can drive immediately when the indicator says 'READY'. However at a cold start after about 10 sec the computer will turn the ICE on in order to give the battery a little boost. This may last 30 sec or so if you are sitting still. The 'shudder' you feel is the normal feel of any ICE turning on from a cold start. So Yes the ICE will turn on everytime you start up initially. But if the charge on the battery is half full and you are rolling forward at under 20 mph you can drive for a long distance ( a mile? ) on just battery + e-motor. Then the battery needs a boost again and the ICE will turn on for a while to drive the vehicle and boost the battery.
Now if you need more power to get into traffic at 25-40 mph then you will be using primarily the ICE with an e-motor boost. Pretty slick.
It's not worthwhile to try to creep up to speed on battery alone. Initially this was thought to be the case but it's been proven wrong. Just accelerate up to typical traffic speed normally and use better driving techniques to save fuel.
The manual does not recommend any towing at all.
Toyota does not even recommend installing a hitch to haul a bicycle around, not sure why.
Check out section #3 Starting and Driving. It is listed on page 301 in the block on the right.
http://stevenvillatoro.com/page30/page30.html
My car has killed a few bugs already, too.
It's also possible that if these vehicles are still at port, that the extra packages could be removed or customized to meet your needs.
Yes, no?
Loaded the speed dial directory for the phone so I can speed dial while driving. Tested the phone out some more. Loaded the phone directory. (Manually on the LG LX350). The phone works great though!.
Ran the hybrid battery down a couple of times sitting in the driveway, but two short drives powered it back to green level again.
Accidentally hit the reset on the mileage calc. oops.
Played with the voice navi today.. Pretty cool.
Drove another 50 miles. Thats about all the new news I have for now
Bill
That's not been my experience with my TCH. Granted, I only have about 460 miles on it. But I think the key here is "acceleration". Any time I accelerate, no matter how lightly or at what speed, the gas engine comes on. Sometimes the electric motor assists. Even going from 0 to 5 mph, it's on gas because it's accelerating. Once I stop accelerating (i.e., increasing my speed) and start maintaining, then it may switch to electric only, depending on all the variables previously mentioned. I have been able to VERY lightly increase from say 30 mph to 32 mph and remain on electric if I'm already on electric. But if I press hard enough to say, increase from 30 mph to 40 mph, then the gas engine kicks in, at least temporarily until I reach my new speed and stay there. Thus it's possible to putt-putt through a parking lot on electric, but that's only after I've "accelerated" to my "cruising" speed.
However when I pull out of my garage and go down a steep hill from my house my ICE always kicks on (to give that initial charge I assume).
I really wouldn't worry about this too much. Just accelerate to where you want to be and let off the gas, then reapply the throttle lightly and if you're level or downhill you can probably maintain your speed under 40 with Battery only. I've found that even at 70 on the interstate that although the ICE is on, I'm getting 60 mpg and part of the ICE output is going to the battery via the motor.
Just because the ICE is running doesn't mean it's providing exclusive power to the wheels. If you have a NAV system go to the ENERGY screen and watch what is actually taking place.
I'm pretty sure this is to warm up the catalytic converter so as to meet exhaust emission standards. If you drove your car around for a while, went back home to quickly pop in and get something that you forgot, and then repeated the same drive, you would be electric only.
This is also why in Europe and Asia there is that switch that the Prius has to run in electric only. Not as strict emission standards, and also less legalities surrounding the warrantee for the batteries.
If you really want to run in electric only mode at your discretion you can bug these guys for a Camry version of the device. But your batteries may not last as long, and you might otherwise void your warrantee.
On the other hand, if the plasma cluster is anything like and electrostatic air cleaner, then I could see high fan speeds moving more dust, and rough roads shaking up dust, causing the noise. If tha't the case, I can learn to live with it - although I still think it is something loose. I'll see what the dealer has to say.
ps - sorry for double posting. I have this on greenhybrid.com too (a great site)
When I set out, the car had done about 115 miles of city driving under the worst possible conditions (lots of very short hops on a cold engine, frequently up and down hills), and the tank average was still 28 mpg, which I was quite happy with, considering. On the trip down, I averaged 42.3 mpg, which brought the tank average up to 39 mpg. I had gone 500 miles overall, and still hadn't refueled the car. On the trip back, I averaged 37.8, but there is a prevailing north wind, and that probably accounts for the divergence. So, call it 40 mpg at 70 mph WITH the A/C cranking hard. Consistent with what I had read. BTW, I also inflated the tires to 38 psi before leaving on the trip. The rating on the door specified 32 psi, and I didn't want to exceed rating by more than 20%. I thought I had read 37 psi as the spec on this forum, so I was a bit surprised when I actually read the door sticker.
Regarding the infamous 70 mph "lurching", I DID experience the phenomenon early in the trip. I was heading over to Hwy. 5 and had to ascend Altamont Pass. Cruise control was on. There seemed to be some mild jerking, and I looked at the energy flow screen. The battery seemed to be switching between charging and discharging a couple times a second, and the sensation was like the engine was cutting out and then revving to compensate. I think this may just be a software issue, and wouldn't be surprised if it were corrected down the line by Toyota. I think I noticed it one or two other times, but in all cases it only lasted for maybe 5-10 seconds, if memory serves. Strangely, it didn't happen at all on the trip back. In fact, I was amazed at just how smoothly the cruise control was operating on the return trip.
Regarding the ability to hold a straight line, I noticed that if I took my hands off the wheel for a few seconds, the car would invariably pull to the right. Whether this is down to torque steer or misalignment (or both) is TBD, and I will be calling my dealer for a look see ASAP.
Ergonomically, I was very satisfied overall. I did wish the headrests were adjustable such that the top of the rest could be angled less forward. I also noticed the rattling air vent phenomenon a couple times, but it too seemed to go away and not come back after a few minutes. Of course, I was listening to loudish music a lot of the time. Which brings me to...
I hereby recant my former assessment that "the sound system SUCKS". In fact, it is far from the worst car system I've ever heard. Compared to a great home rig, it sounds a little veiled and not particularly accurate, but it does provide musical pleasure overall. I found my satisfaction varied from CD to CD. It probably sounded best on "[non-permissible content removed]'s Brew" by Miles Davis, but the bass is still a bit loose for my taste. One thing I noticed was that radio reception was generally outstanding, both in terms of sensitivity and rejecting crosstalk.
I am still learning the Nav system, but I love it so far, and think it will be worth its weight in gold when I'm in places I'm not already familiar with.
That's all I can think of for the moment. In spite of the minor nits I list above, I am OVERJOYED to own this car. It really is quite fabulous to enjoy such luxury and stiff the oil companies at the same time!
When I spoke to my dealer about the QS90 system he told me that its operation is completely tranparent, works in the background, and doesn't require any additional inputs beyond what you do normally with the keyless entry.
I hope he's right!!
Thanks for the review!
I guess that's why most of us have not noticed the pull. I seldom drive without my hands on the wheel.
(Seriously, I'll give this a try to see if mine does pull any)
I also have the noise and it sounds to be a rattle. If it is not then Toyota engineers should know to build something with a clank, clunk or whiz when it operates NOT with a rattle.
6U6 is Jasper pearl which is a light green
I dont see the FA40 but it shows that the ONLY interior for the Hybrid in that color is Bisque fabric or leather which is tan.
I am in Canada and while there "could" be differences I would doubt that.
Trunk space is, as you would figure limited.. After putting my golf clubs in the car, which by the way,fit, there is only about 12 inches left in front of the clubs for other things.
Oh well. this is the price we pay to be GREEN!.
Still hasn't changed my opinion of the car. Still love it.
Bill
Yes, but the real polution savings is using the manual ( on-GAS) push mower to mow your lawn.
LOL,
MidCow
I use a 24hp diesel to mow with. It's too heavy to push.
Great post! Thank you...
This weekend I had my golf clubs, my daughter's large baby carriage, loaded diaper bags, 2-3 full shopping bags, and a large bag of fertilzer crammed into the trunk.
I bought the Accord hybrid last year and want to compare how the Camry does.
Just a data point: last week drove 1200 miles from Cleveland to Raleigh, NC and back through a lot of hilly regions. Temp = 80F average, A/C was on, mostly in cruise at 80 mph, three occupants plus luggage, tire probably at 32 psi although the front ones looked a bit squashed. I averaged 35.5 MPG. Car was in three cylinder operation about 75% of the time.
How has the Camry Hybrid done on long drives? I believe the Camry does better within city due to electric only operation (my accord gets 25 mpg in city because it is using all six cylinders and 255 horses most of the time) but I wonder if the Camry is much better than the Accord on the freeway. I am looking to replace my wife's Civic and wonder if I should get a Civic hybrid or the Accord/Camry hybrids.
Honest numbers only please. I dont care which car is better, just want to buy the best car.
Thanks!
LA indicates leather
FA indicates fabric
'0x' and '4x' as numbers indicate a light interior such as ivory, taupe, bisque, etc.
'1x' indicates a darker interior such as charcoal, stone, grey, etc.
Sounds like you Raleigh to Cleveland trip is about the same terrain as my Central WV to Bresden Ohio
Don't know about the trunk on the Civic as compared to the Camry, but the interior of the Camry is fairly comfortable for 4.
I bought the Accord hybrid last year and want to compare how the Camry does.
Just a data point: last week drove 1200 miles from Cleveland to Raleigh, NC and back through a lot of hilly regions. Temp = 80F average, A/C was on, mostly in cruise at 80 mph, three occupants plus luggage, tire probably at 32 psi although the front ones looked a bit squashed. I averaged 35.5 MPG. Car was in three cylinder operation about 75% of the time.
How has the Camry Hybrid done on long drives? I believe the Camry does better within city due to electric only operation (my accord gets 25 mpg in city because it is using all six cylinders and 255 horses most of the time) but I wonder if the Camry is much better than the Accord on the freeway. I am looking to replace my wife's Civic and wonder if I should get a Civic hybrid or the Accord/Camry hybrids.
Honest numbers only please. I dont care which car is better, just want to buy the best car.
Well, as I posted above, I got right at 40 mpg on a 770 mile freeway trip in my TCH with all options. Cruise was at 70 mph, single occupant, almost full trunk, low 90s outside with A/C set at 66, tires at 38 psi cold. I haven't yet done any tests of mileage at higher speeds, but I doubt the TCH would better what you saw. Probably a bit worse. The TCH mileage will surely better the HAH in city driving based on everything I've read, and the results of test driving the HAH myself.
My SO has a 2005 Civic Hybrid. It's a great car, very zippy and fun to drive. She gets 40-45 mpg in mixed driving, but I understand the 2006 model does closer to 50 overall.
So, really these are all fantastic cars, and your decision probably boils down to some sort of luxury/economy tradeoff.
By the way, does the noise-cancelling feature of the HAH work well in 3-cylinder mode? I've heard mixed reports.