Yaris Hybrid Is Here!

[YarisHybrid2016]

Picked up my Yaris Hybrid today! Learning to drive it (or is it un-learning the old?) is proving interesting. I found it is happiest at 30 MPH or below for EV mode. It will go into EV mode between 30 and 45 MPH depending on conditions (below 45 MPH during deceleration), but harder to achieve without holding everyone up.

Best economy I have had so far (according to the trip computer - yet to do tank-to-tank) is 56 MPG. Driving from the dealers the car seemed very "tight". Already managed to put 160 miles on the clock doing various different kinds of driving, including some steep hills at about 30 MPH to see what it is like climbing/descending. VERY pleased with performance (not speed!) so far.

Got a little heavy-footed earlier, but mostly been gentle and keeping speed around 50 MPH with mostly gentle acceleration (cruise control accelerates harder than I do generally). Still technically in the running-in period (according to the handbook) so will continue to be extra careful with it (not that I don't look after cars anyway), but absolutely loving it so far!!

The DAB radio is "interesting". Seems that volume is linked to signal strength, so if the signal weakens, the volume reduces. I guess this is so it mutes before it sounds garbled?? Slightly annoying when driving through areas with lots of trees, but otherwise rather impressed with it! Working better than expected so far!

"ECO Mode" is generally very nice, reducing the sensitivity of the throttle. Not so good on dual-carriageways, but switching it off there fixes that.

Already finding people (pedestrians) can't hear the car in EV mode, but I'm aware that it is nearly silent so drive accordingly.

Still not quite figured out what to do in traffic. Can't put it in neutral with the handbrake otherwise the HV Battery can't be charged, and always nervous of using park in traffic in case someone bumps me. Not happy putting the handbrake on in D as the car tries to pull forwards. Any suggestions?

[Joseph D]

Picked up my Yaris Hybrid today!

Congratulations, I hope you have many happy miles of driving in your new Yaris hybrid.

Learning to drive it (or is it un-learning the old?) is proving interesting. I found it is happiest at 30 MPH or below for EV mode. It will go into EV mode between 30 and 45 MPH depending on conditions (below 45 MPH during deceleration), but harder to achieve without holding everyone up.

There is probably a lot less unlearning than most realise, but the tendency to want to learn how to "force" the car to stay in EV at all costs is typical of the newbie, but one to avoid. You will not get better fuel economy by doing this. Without going into detail, if you remember that all the electricity, in a hybrid, is generated from burning petrol, you will soon realise that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Where the hybrid does excel is recovering energy that would be otherwise lost in a non-hybrid. So, the opportunities are:

1) medium braking (from much farther out) on approach to lights/intersections/roundabouts -- more than most people do, so you might get the impatient ones champing at the bit a wee bit as they would like to rush up to the lights/intersections/roundabouts and brake to an abrupt halt. I have found that once I started doing this (starting my braking from further out), the large majority of people have no problem with it. YMMV.

2) regen on a descent.

... Got a little heavy-footed earlier, but mostly been gentle and keeping speed around 50 MPH with mostly gentle acceleration (cruise control accelerates harder than I do generally). Still technically in the running-in period (according to the handbook) so will continue to be extra careful with it (not that I don't look after cars anyway), but absolutely loving it so far!! ...

Actually, if you are accelerating more gently than the CC, you are probably accelerating too gently. Try and take your cue from the CC and emulate that. Mine accelerates at ~12 l/100 km (23.5 MPG (UK)) and I have a hard time to accelerate that gently. I usually am happy with 18-22 l/100 km (16-12 MPG (UK)), and while you might envision huge flows of petrol from your petrol tank, it is for such a short time, it will make very little difference to your tank average, and, time over distance, you will use less fuel overall. In heavy traffic you won't be able to accelerate as fast as you would like, so you are kind of stuck with it there I'm afraid.

Still not quite figured out what to do in traffic. Can't put it in neutral with the handbrake otherwise the HV battery can't be charged, and always nervous of using park in traffic in case someone bumps me. Not happy putting the handbrake on in D as the car tries to pull forwards. Any suggestions?

As long as you have more than three bars (is that graphic still in the newer hybrids?), hand-brake on and in N will be fine.

If you are stuck in heavy stop/go traffic for any length of time you will find that eventually your Battery will be depleted and you must NOT use N. For this, the best compromise is foot on foot-brake to disengage the electric "creep" and leave it in drive. If you really must use your hand-brake, then you should use P also (rather than D), otherwise (with it in D) you will be slowly draining your Battery as the "creep" will always be engaged.

Once again, congratulations and I hope you find this useful. All the best.

[YarisHybrid2016]

Yes - very informative! Thank you! :)

I was already starting to think that trying to keep the needle within the ECO range *all the time* (OK, well most of the time) just wasn't going to work. I'd already established for 60+ MPH it's not feasible nor practical. I think it is generally accepted that accelerating quickly to speed is better than slowly, but that is for more conventional cars with gears LOL. With Hybrids not having gears, and engine RPM being vaguely related to speed/acceleration, I wasn't too sure if that still applied.

I wasn't aiming to get the car into EV mode; I just noticed the speed vs. throttle position meant that below 30 MPH was when it seemed most suited to doing so.

I'll stick with holding my foot on the brake. I had already noticed that when stopped, then releasing the foot brake, that the power needle rises very slightly into the green arc, and had figured this was a "faked" creep function. I've also already seen the opposite situation of lifting off the throttle completely resulting in neutral power (neither green nor blue) when the Battery was full.

B mode is more effective than I thought it might be. I tried it down a very steep hill and it was great.

The energy display is still present! I think the 3D picture is different, but still shows essentially the same thing (wheels, engine, motor, HV Battery, and power flow lines). That is its own page, then there are two others - one page shows current trip, last 15 mins, in 1 min intervals (bars/E), and the other shows trip summary, best MPG, and I think available range.

I'm still getting used to how QUIET the car is!!! My old car seems like a noisy tank by comparison. On the Yaris I can hear the high beam motors operating.

[Joseph D]

Yes - very informative! Thank you! :)

You're welcome, I glad you found it informative.

I'm still getting used to how QUIET the car is!!! My old car seems like a noisy tank by comparison. On the Yaris I can hear the high beam motors operating.

When I got my first hybrid, a 2005 Prius, I had to ferry it from a town an hour and a half away, and my first impression too was how quiet it was. It is still one of the reasons I like to travel distance in it.

... I wasn't aiming to get the car into EV mode; I just noticed the speed vs. throttle position meant that below 30 MPH was when it seemed most suited to doing so. ...

That is a fair observation, and my rule is not to make it do one or the other, just let it do what it wants. It still always put a little smile on my face when it wants to drive in electric, especially significant distance at higher speeds.

B mode is more effective than I thought it might be. I tried it down a very steep hill and it was great. ...

I'm glad you mentioned B mode, as that is another one where some have misconceptions. (I'm not saying you do. )

My rule of thumb is that, after completing a long descent (a long descent would be descending 2000 ft or more), if the Battery is not full, then you don't need to use B mode. You are better to apply more regen by riding the brake pedal (as there is no risk of overheating your brakes as in a non-hybrid due to using regen rather than the disk brakes) so that you capture more energy and charge up the Battery more. The thing to remember with B mode is that it does give a better braking effect, but it does this by reducing regen and increases engine braking. The idea with B mode is to reduce the amperage load into the Battery so it takes longer to fill it. There is not anywhere in the UK where you would really need to use it, but if you think of the alps in Europe, where you are going down hill for 15-20 minutes or more, that is for what the designers envisaged B mode.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

As above really, just to confirm don't use B mode unless you find using the regenerative braking alone won't be enough over a long down hill slope.

I've only ever used B mode genuinely (i.e. needed to) once in 25k of hybrid driving in my Prius over the last year, over a very long down hill stretch in Wales.

[YarisHybrid2016]

I only engaged B mode to try it whilst going down a steep hill to see what kind of retardation it provided. I doubt I'd use it around here. The hill wasn't steep enough, and the car would have eventually stopped I think. I'm very impressed with the ingenuity of the design. It's incredible.

[vanilla.coffee]

Make sure you learn this car your own way.

By all means read advice about how to drive a hybrid but do not absorb and digest all of it.

Particularly the bit about not forcing it into EV mode. (I'm not talking about the EV button, merely driving in a way that provokes EV mode)

I am consistently achieving tankful to tankful 85+ mpg by ignoring the advice from well meaning but incorrect people in this forum.

Maybe it's different for the Prius, I don't know but the Yaris benefits massively from working in EV mode as often as is possible.

The system uses 'surplus' ICE energy to replenish the Battery. It DOES NOT burn more fuel doing so.

9 months and 15,000 + miles experience has proved beyond doubt in my case that the owners advising against forcing EV mode are wrong. Plain wrong.

Two more tips from experience- keep to the speed limits. Ignore impatient drivers behind you, if it says 30 do 30.

Secondly, you'll get better mpg from 97 Ron fuel.

Trust me, you'll use more petrol if you use 95 Ron.

The more expensive fuel pays for itself tankful to tankful.

If you drive it like a normal car, you won't get the best out of it.

[Joseph D]

Make sure you learn this car your own way.

Agreed.

... Particularly the bit about not forcing it into EV mode. (I'm not talking about the EV button, merely driving in a way that provokes EV mode) ...

I am consistently achieving tankful to tankful 85+ mpg by ignoring the advice from well meaning but incorrect people in this forum.

I think you are misunderstanding the advice. How you are driving your car is exactly what is advised, and as you testified, it works. But what is counselled against is those that go slower and slower in order to "force" the car to stay in EV. For one, it is nuisance to other motorists in the vicinity; and second, it doesn't work. It will run down the HV Battery and it will cost you fuel to replenish. The car needs to be left to do as it sees fit, but this does not mean you stop "feathering" the go-pedal to as light as possible in any given circumstance that maintains the desired speed.

... The system uses 'surplus' ICE energy to replenish the battery. It DOES NOT burn more fuel doing so. 9 months and 15,000 + miles experience has proved beyond doubt in my case that the owners advising against forcing EV mode are wrong. Plain wrong.

When you drive as you do, yes, but when one drives as I described above, there is not sufficient "surplus", so you will use extra fuel. If you continually run the Battery down to 1 or 2 bars it will cost you. You will see this if you are constantly driving in heavy bumper to bumper motorway traffic. There is no such thing as free lunch.

... keep to the speed limits. Ignore impatient drivers behind you, if it says 30 do 30.

Agreed.

Secondly, you'll get better mpg from 97 Ron fuel.

Trust me, you'll use more petrol if you use 95 Ron.

The more expensive fuel pays for itself tankful to tankful.

This may be true for you, but is not universal advice. If an engine is designed and tuned to use 95 octane, then that is what you should use.

I did a test over 6 tanks - 3 of 98 and 3 of 95 - and not only did 98 octane not get better MPG, it actually produced worse MPG is 2 of the three tanks. The other was not better than 95.

So on this one people will need to test for themselves in their car and do accordingly.

If you drive it like a normal car, you won't get the best out of it.

Agreed, but you will still do better, usually, than a like-for-like non-hybrid driven in the same manner.

I hope you can see that I am not against your position, only against the blanket statement to ignore the advice as it doesn't work.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

As above vanilla coffee.

What you describe is exactly what you've been advised. Forcing EV is use of the EV lock mode, encouraging EV usage when in HV mode which is what you describe is exactly what is recommended. Looks like you've read into the advise given far too in depth and misconstrued it. You're the first I've seen on here to say it's all wrong.........

[vanilla.coffee]

The Yaris does not have a 'HV' indicator.

It only has an 'EV' indicator.

I stand by my findings, experience and mistrust of others opinions and no doubt well meaning but incorrect advice.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

The Yaris does not have a 'HV' indicator.

It only has an 'EV' indicator.

I stand by my findings, experience and mistrust of others opinions and no doubt well meaning but incorrect advice.

Who mentioned anything about a HV indicator? HV mode is what the car defaults to on start up (unless you own a PiP) and what the car runs about on unless you force EV (as advised above, when using the EV button to force it into EV mode, not when merly encouraging EV useage in HV mode by driving pattern).

Then again you obviously know all this, and are the one correct person with everyone else not having a clue.

[johalareewi]

One of the problems with this forum (The Hybrid forum) is that it covers all the Toyota hybrids not just a particular model.

Over the years Toyota have been developing and refining the hybrid drive and over the years, owners have found things that improve mpgs and other stuff.

Back in the days when there was ony the Prius, the helpful advice in this forum was pretty universal, then the gen3 Prius came along, then the Prius+, PiP, Auris (1 and 2), and Yaris.

A lot of the information here (especially the older information) is model specific but often, it will not say which model.

If a thread does start as a specific model, it soon gets diluted (like this thread).

And as we are seeing, what works for one model of hybrid, may not work for another.

At home we have a gen3 Prius and a hybrid Yaris.

They are different to drive.and what works for me in the Prius, doesn't seem to work as well for me in the Yaris (YMMV).

[YarisHybrid2016]

I found I can get high average MPG (70+) in the Yaris if I'm gentle with the throttle, don't go into the power range, and keep the speed at 50 MPH or less. If I start doing more "normal" acceleration (allowing for hills, etc..) and driving at 70 MPH, then it soon drops to less than 60 MPG. At the moment it says it is averaging just over 55 MPG.

Speed seems to be the enemy of fuel economy (at least for me). I have found that delaying hard(er) acceleration until the car is at 40-50 MPH makes quite a difference too. I'm fairly sure such a strategy with a conventional car wouldn't work, due to the electric motor having huge torque at low speed whilst the engine practically idles.