2010: How do I make PWR mode default?

It does seem overbearing for PWR mode to go off at shut down. I can see that happening with EV mode, but that's about it. Too bad there's not at least a custom setting to allow PWR mode to "stick".

 

I'm just glad it doesn't Stay in ECO Mode!They should call it Turtle low!

 

It does. Both ECO and "normal" (no buttons pushed) stick.

 

Maybe as the gas prices keep rising, it will matter!

 

Would be cool if holding the "pwr on" button and extra 2 seconds upon startup would allow the car to come up automatically in pwr mode!

 

What if you use the driving switch when positioned into D as the same switch for PWR Mode? I have not yet the electrical manual (I'm a newbie from Switzerland) but if the switches can be combined then each time you set it in D the PWR will be activated too. Maybe no need for an el. circuit.

 

Huh ?? The switches can't be combined. They work independently of each other.

Is it REALLY THAT HARD to just press the button ?

REV

 

What the ECO, Normal, and PWR modes do is allow the driver to express what kind of driver they want to be. They control the response of the system to the accelerator, not (for the most part) the performance of the system. See Hobbit's article at HSI (in particular the graph at the bottom) The various modes are identical at full throttle. PWR mode will not help you get up a hill. PWR or ECO mode will not significantly change your gas mileage. (it will just make it easier for you to drive more or less economically) ECO mode gives you more sensitivity at low gas pedal depression, and PWR mode gives you more sensitivity at high gas pedal depression. (Personally I find I NEED more sensitivity at low, but others needs may vary)

So you get in the car and tell it what kind of driver you want to be. And if you select PWR, your Prius wants you to have to think about it every time. "Wouldn't you really rather drive more economically today?"

 

1. I always drive in Pwr mode
2. I get about 48 mpg.
3. I can't stand the sluggishness of anything other than pwr mode. Even in pwr mode, it is not that zippy, but it's acceptable.
4. It's arrogant for Toyota not to make pwr mode persistent.

 

Like many software programs... all we need is a "profile".. within that custom profile, lies all our nav settings, contacts list, power mode settings "pwr on by default under said profile", etc.

Since this is all software... it shouldn't be that hard.
If the car gets sold, or you wife wants to drive, simply start a new profile which goes back to factory defaults and that second person can set it up how they want it.

 

ECO mode is fundamental for me in town/city driving and heavy traffic. I can fine tune as much as I want gas and make sure I move the car at a traffic light using only the electric engine up to about 20km/h. After that I let the ICE kick in. In normal or PWR mode I get consistently worse mileage in this type of traffic, because the ICE kicks in and I cannot really fine tune my foot to make sure I start with the electric engine (and exploit the benefits of the hybrid design - that is, use the electric engine torque to move the car from 0km/h and then have the ICE kick in when the speed is better for it's efficiency range).

Normal and PWR are OK outside of town - so those who claim to have the same mileage in PWR mode, I personally suspect, have a good portion of their commute in non-city traffic. There I think it would not make, on average, any differnce.

ECO is also fundamental for winter driving and A/C control if you want to. In winter city traffic, not having ECO does affect visibly the fuel consumption as the ICE tends to stay on longer to keep warm air cabin with a faster fan speed, rather than cooler at a slower speed. And in summer it uses more re-circulation to avoid using too much of the A/C. That is OK especially if you drive at constant speed on a highway.

As far as I know the 3 modes do not affect the Cruise control reaction, as the gas pedal is activated electronically and it will require whatever power necessary from the HSD. Since the modes do not, apparently, affect in any visible way the overall power available to the driver, the CC will not be affected.

The only other change I have noticed especially in city traffic when using PWR mode and that does increase fuel consumption in this type of traffic in this mode, is that the ICE tends to stay on longer when releasing gas, in anticipation of an acceleration, to avoid the small lag coming up from electric only drive while braking (when the ICE typically turns always off).

That said - why does PWR not keep on all the time? well - marketing - you make an eco friendly car, for tree huggers you cannot allow it to stay in PWR mode all the time - can you? that would be blasphemy. If you don't like it defaulting to Normal or ECO - get a Porsche....

 

The absolute best way to keep PWR mode as default is to keep your accelerator fully depressed at all times. Now that would be against the Prius principles and for all it stands, wouldn't it?

 

No absolutely not. The car behaves noticeable different in PWR mode. This doesn't mean the car is always in the PWR area of the eco-meter but the car acts on the pedal much quicker as well as PRW mode changes the steering and provides better feedback. That makes the car more fun to drive and the mpg do not really fall much. It always depends on the right foot of the driver

 

I don't understand why having your foot 1/2" higher up is more fun. Just push down further to get the same performance, no?

Can you provide a cite for the change in steering, I have never heard of that?

 

Actually, I've discovered that it does affect the cruise control. When going uphill the car will slow down and try to maintain a constant engine speed instead of the reverse. Your RPMs don't go crazy and the fuel mileage is much more constant. This is really easy to see on a scangauge. So, yet another advantage to ECO mode.
Thanks for reading.

 

I need to try this on my next trip. I never noticed and thought it would not make any noticeable difference.

 

The problem I have is that this is not the only car I drive. When I drive my wife's Camry we get whiplash from me pressing the pedal so hard as when driving the Prius in anything other than PWR mode. I also find very little difference in mpg (around 46).

 

So I drove a full tank with pressing the PWR button at every start of the car. I noticed that the ICE stays on much longer when driving through villages or within the city compared to the "standard mode". But I don't found any difference in the cruise control behaviour. Also on the highway there is no difference as the rpm is already in the 2500 and up range.

But the consumption was 0.28 l/100km more on the same way to work and back. Same weather condition and temperatures during the last weeks.

I switched back my driving style to normal and will see if that changes anything. If not, I will really work on something to switch it on automatically.

 

I've seemed to notice the same with the steering. It feels like the wheel requires less force to move it. If anyone had a force gauge, I would imagine this is an easy thing to measure. I also feel like the brake pedal mapping is changed in PWR mode, as it will use regenerative more and requires more pressure on the pedal to kick in the friction braking. Again, this is more feel than anything else, but it's something that catches me off guard a bit when I use PWR in places that aren't highway.

I wish there was an easy way to measure all of this together, but I'm not sure how to do it.

 

Do you have any documentation to substantiate your claim of steering differences? I was personally told by the Prius Chief Engineer that PWR mode only remaps the accelerator pedal response - no other changes. ECO mode changes the A/C behavior to make it less aggressive, and tweaks the ICE shutoff criteria, but never was there any mention of steering response. I suspect the "feel" issue is a placebo effect.

Tom