Do you use manual shift in RAV4?

[mobi]

I have never seen any car reviewer in YouTube to make use of manual sequent shift mode i.e. moving shifter to S and use + - to emulate gear shift.

Do you use it?

[philip42h]

You'd need to specify which model of RAV4 you are referring to. In my first RAV I did all the time - it had a manual gearbox! My second was a diesel automatic (traditional torque converter) and I would occasionally use the paddle shifts to select a different ratio. But with the hybrid, apart from early  'playing' with the function, I never bother - there's little point in trying to put a CVT into a different setting. There's a certain amount of discussion on using S mode to get increased engine braking / EV regen when going downhill but I've yet to find a hill long enough to bother with ... 😉

[ernieb]

Never felt the need after trying to use to improve regeneration.

[Hybrid21]

I have tried it to make sure it works ok, but it is pointless on the eCvt so never felt the need to use it again.

 

[mobi]

2 hours ago, philip42h said:

You'd need to specify which model of RAV4 you are referring to.

Hybrid automatic models 

[ColinB]

I use it very occasionally when going down a steep hill to give some engine braking

[Strangely Brown]

2 hours ago, ColinB said:

I use it very occasionally when going down a steep hill to give some engine braking

^^ That. Only in very limited circumstances. Otherwise, there is nothing to gain.

I think of it more as "B" mode rather than anything else.

[NASY]

I use it all the time on downhill stretches as I live at altitude, regenerates 1 to 2 miles on some stretches of hill. Also use it down my rough and sloped driveway off the road, very useful.

[ernieb]

With the PHEV when I'm in Derbyshire just braking in ECO mode I can recover 3 or 4 miles of range.

[NASY]

Ernie, made me think about driving style. I tend to avoid brakes unless really needed especially on decents and use the right pedal often when I could be utilising cruise control but somehow prefer a more measured acceleration and response to other traffic than cruise provides. So I basically am disengaged downhill and maybe over engaged on the flat.

[ernieb]

Interesting John, I’d say I’m a defensive drive, steady acceleration and try to anticipate roundabouts, traffic lights, junctions etc and where possible if the traffic flow allows will coast and keep the breaking in the regeneration zone which sounds similar to yourself.

As a do a regular trip using the motorway and A roads I’ve tried with and without cruise control. Overall I prefer using cruise control as it makes a more comfortable journey for me. However, I can get better EV range, HEV mpg if I drive the car myself. Example, if the car is forced to slow in traffic the cruise control brakes then waits until the gap is sufficient then will accelerate much harder than I would up to cruising speed and back off. I tend to ease off the throttle before braking then apply enough acceleration to get me back into the flow until I’m back up to speed. To me the cruise control is slightly more digital and my driving more analogue if that makes any sense?

On descents I use regeneration braking as much as possible before applying disc brakes, pulse on and off. I’ve found on the flat that as I got used to the car I can guess the amount of braking I might need and rarely need to push any harder, the car will come to a halt even being slowed by regeneration only. When I started to drive the car I thought I needed to push through the regeneration to the discs to make the car stop but that does not seem to be necessary, mind you it’s essential to have the foot covering the brake, then it’s brake hold which I turn on s soon as I get into the car.

Then there are the times when it’s such fun to floor the right pedal and feel the car do its thing. 😇

[Strangely Brown]

If you switch to ECO mode when using cruise then the acceleration to regain set speed after slowing is much more gentle. Normal mode allows the acceleration to be a little harsh, as you say.

[ernieb]

7 minutes ago, Strangely Brown said:

If you switch to ECO mode when using cruise then the acceleration to regain set speed after slowing is much more gentle. Normal mode allows the acceleration to be a little harsh, as you say.

I tend to keep the car in ECO mode for most of the time with only occasional use of Normal mode.

[ColinB]

I do make a point of occasionally using the brakes hard enough to activate the "real" disc brakes. I had a Prius as a company car, along with many others there, and there was an issue with brake discs having to be changed due to rust as they were hardly ever touched. There were interesting discussions between Toyota and the lease company on whether this was a warranty issue or not....

[Lawnmowerman]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:26 PM, Strangely Brown said:

If you switch to ECO mode when using cruise then the acceleration to regain set speed after slowing is much more gentle. Normal mode allows the acceleration to be a little harsh, as you say.

Like Ernie, I feel cruise control is binary - like a switch (too harsh for me). I always use ECO mode.

[Rav Rob]

To regulate downhills like others, also sometimes when traffic is doing that annoying rapidly variable speeds as its easier to regulate with some engine braking without having to keep touching the brake.

[Maaks]

My RAV4 is MT so I use manual shift "often" (and I like it) 😁

[NASY]

Great that you like it considering the fact you have no other choice.

[YarisHybrid2016]

"I love the inefficiency of my limited ratio transmission", said no-one ever.

Making any CVT have "gears" is just so monumentally stupid.

[Maaks]

5-th generation RAV4 CVT have physical first gear (K120), and overall efficiency of CVT was improved with this solution.

CVT have "gears" because people have used to have gears and "continuously variable" maks them think something is broken  🙂

[Yugguy1970]

I use the S mode to change the degree of engine braking, on certain steeper hills.

Never used it for acceleration.