Hi All,

I test drove the TCH today. The car I drove hesitated/stuttered a bit when going from a stop-- and it seemed to be more than the gas engine kicking-in.
I did not notice this with the Prius.

TCH drivers is this just a bad one? Or is this common?

Thanks!

 

I just got my TCH today and i noticed the same thing, but it seemed to disappear when i pressed the gas pedal with a little more force. I dont know if it is common or not, but I have experienced the same thing.

 

I've noticed what I would call a slight hesitation in acceleration as the ICE comes on line, but it's not a stutter. It’s more of an idiosyncrasy than a nuisance.

 

Thanks. Good info. Can anyone else weigh-in on the issue, too?

 

I'm getting the same feeling with my new TCH. I'm use to driving my company car "Escape Hybrid" and never noticed that kind of lag before. I'm wondering if it’s a software thing because the electric motor should have an instant response and should make up for any delay of the ICE starting and spooling up to speed.

Granted, I’ve only had my TCH for 4 days but I've been trying to take off slow and steady from each stop in order to stay in electric mode for as long as possible and I definitely feel a distinct hesitation. I haven’t noticed it in reverse though…..

 

It's all pretty normal stuff. You can eliminate the short stutter by easing up (driving away in E mode) or stepping down (ICE kicks in a lot faster because it's power is needed right away). In the middle the ICE does a leisurely slow start that can be noticed by a short stutter, much of the drive power is still coming from the battery. You want faster, push the pedal down more. Yes, if you are doing quarter mile tests the TCH is a bit slow off the line compared with a normal 4cyl Camry but will quickly overtake it.

My general advice, ignore what the engine is doing if it annoys you. Embrace what the engine is doing if it delights you.

You might not notice this in other non-Toyota hybrids because they might rely on the ICE as the primary wheel driver so there is no such thing as a leisurely start whereas the Toyota relies more on the electric drive. I believe many other hybrids are not even capable of driving away on E mode alone.

 

I've been trying to take off slow and steady from each stop in order to stay in electric mode for as long as possible and I definitely feel a distinct hesitation

There are many posts here and at Edmunds about taking off from a start and from everything I've read and my own experience (5000+ miles) it's best to just pull away and get up to speed.

Now if you're trying to stay in EV mode between lights without the ICE ever kicking on that's different. But if you fully expect to use the ICE then simply pulling out at a reasonable rate of acceleration seems to work best.

 

My TCH "trembles" or "stutters" ever so VERY slightly when the ICE starts. I've not driven another TCH so I cannot tell if it is what to be expected or not. The first few days I drove 'her' I was a little concerned with pulling out of my sub division onto the main highway, as the last thing I want is to pull out in front of an 18 wheeler and have no giddyup!

With the window down, notice how quiet and smooth the car is in electric mode. When you press the gas and the ICE starts, you are adding all those horses, torque and the reciprocating mass behind it to make that power. Do you expect anything less than a tremble or stutter?

 

Were you ever able to notice when your engine started in your previous cars? Probably made a lot more noise and vibration than did your TCH. The difference now is we were usually busy buckeling up or moving papers when we started our old cars and didn't really notice it, we were used to it. Now the ICE starts up when we're sitting there in extreem quietness looking in our mirrors or at traffic with both hands on the wheel and we're concentrating on pulling out. It's noticable, but not really significant.

 

Joe,

I'll say with previous cars that I didn't feel any trembling when the car started. HOWEVER, the cars were almost always in PARK at the time (or neutral), so the engine wasn't expected to begin moving the vehicle immediately. I've rented 2 different Priuses, so I'm quite comfortable with the behavior of the TCH. It just takes a bit of time to adjust your expectation. Just avoid pulling out into traffic until you're comfortable with its behavior, but it won't let you down!