lciprius said:
thanks for your replies -- to clarify, at highway speeds there seems to be some kind of a hiccup, as though the car was shifting subtly. this happens not when i'm accelerating, but rather when i let up off the gas, the hit the throttle again.
could this be due to the fact that it is new? again, thanks...
and
lciprius said:
i just spoke to toyota -- evidently what it is is the car shifting between the electric and conventional motors and that it is normal. has anyone seen this diminish over the course of time?
First off, I doubt that the sensation of the HSD system will even diminish. In general, if a senesation in a vehicle diminshes over time, it ususally indicates wear and eventual failure. Case in point, automatic transmissions which become smooth and even mushy in terms of shifting as they get older are getting closer and closer to needing work done on them.
At highway speeds, if the road conditions are correct, if you let off the gas the vehicle will turn off the ICE and will start to coast/regenerate. When you return your foot to the gas, depending on how much acceleration you demand the vehicle might try to maintain your speed on electric, or it will fire up the gas engine again.
You will notice many differences in this car as compared to traditional vehicles. This car doesn't shift, this car has other sensations regarding the power plant which are totally foreign to most drivers, initially. You seem to be paying a great deal of attention to how this car operates, at least in a sensual manner, in time you will come to expect certain sensations during certain driving conditions.