POWER MODE

That is funny. Had to look twice to make sure you were talking about the PIP.

Btw, you can go into power mode anytime by flooring it. I just keep it in Eco or Ev.

 

It's all in how you drive it. Personally I find it hard to hypermile in Power Mode. The RPMs shoot up too quickly because the throttle is overly sensitive. Eco Mode will hold an advantage when using A/C heavily. Otherwise use whatever mode works best for your driving style.

 

Power mode isn't any faster than any other mode. It only changes the feel.

Tom

 

So then it must "feel" faster

 

All Power/Normal/Eco mode do is vary the mapping from how far the pedal is pushed to how much power the control computer will command from the ICE and/or the electric motor. One end of the range is zero ("idle"), and the other is flooring it, and these end points are fixed power values. It's the values in between that are tweaked. In Eco mode, the pedal is less sensitive at the low end, and the other way around for Power mode, and normal mode is in between. Eco mode also does something to the A/C to make it less power hungry, but that is pretty much it. So one can leave it in Eco mode, confident that in a panic situation, flooring it will get the you same power as if you floored it in Power mode.

 

This same technique has been used for years for normal cars. Honda is a good example: they map most of the throttle response to the first few centimeters of accelerator pedal travel. You touch the pedal and the car jumps, and you think "whoa, this car is powerful." Keep pressing and you realize that there isn't a lot left.

What this underscores is that most of us are reluctant to really press hard on the accelerator - it just feels wrong. We drive around trying to keep something in reserve, so car designers use that tendency to fool us.

Tom

 

Here is another use for PWR mode....My newly (driver) licensed daughter has a tendency to accelerate a little slower than I think is prudent, when pulling out onto a road, when there are other cars around. Yeah, she can drive a little slow, and I've been telling her to step on it.... Well, PWR mode solved that problem. I realized the other day selecting PWR might do what I've been trying to get her to do, and it Worked like charm!

 

Well the Prius c presentation said that eco mode limited the ICE throttle plate. So I tend to believe that, so flooring the pedal won't give same performance in eco mode.

 

That information is not entirely correct. The mapping of the plate is modified, but not the overall limit.

If you think about it for just a minute, it should be completely obvious that a limit would not work in the U.S. All it would take is one accident caused by someone not being able to accelerate fast enough and Toyota would have a class action lawsuit on its hands. Full power must be available in all modes, just as full braking must always be available.

Tom