2024 PHEV driving mode

[Shepsy]

Hi.

This is my first modern car and I am totally confused about which is the best driving mode to select.

We’ve only had the car a few days and I have charged it overnight to obtain a full charge.

 I understand that if we are driving locally- it automatically selects EV mode which is fine.

Can anyone  please advise which is the best mode to select (and how to select it) if I am driving longer distances ?

The car is supposed to have 306 BHP. Is this always available or does it require the EV Battery to be charged?

Finally is the trial mode (e.g 4wd) always  available or does that also require the Battery to be charged?

I apologise if these questions seem stupid but I really don’t understand this car.

[philip42h]

So:

1. Let the car choose the mode - it will run as an EV until it needs to start the ICE and that's just fine.
2. Yes, it always has all the power that it is supposed to have.
3. AWD is always available, though the car decides when and how to use it. Don't touch the Trail mode button - unless you are seriously off-roading you won't need it.

😉

[ThomasL]

This might be useful: https://mag.toyota.co.uk/rav4-plug-in-hybrid-fuel-efficiency-driving-tips/

1) experiment. I would try HV at cruise speed on motorway so I could switch back to auto/EV in town at end of journey (accelerating is what uses up petrol, so EV mode in town stop/start, traffic lights, roundabouts, etc is best)

2) it always keeps itself enough Battery in reserve to give full power - but only briefly I guess

3) as other reply, always available

[ernieb]

I've always left my PHEV in EV mode and let the car sort out the rest. Overall I've found this to be the best for fuel economy and when the traction Battery is depleted for pure EV mode, down to 30%, the car will automatically switch to HEV mode. In either state the full power is available as if the conditions arise the ICE will kick in to supplement the EV only mode.

Heavy acceleration, step hill decent will automatically kick in the HEV/ICE mode. (as will selecting front screen defrost?)

The only time I select HEV mode is if I can see that the EV range will be just insufficient to get me home, say 4 miles to my destination and the EV mode range is say 5 miles, so I select the HEV mode the ICE will start and then I switch back to EV mode immedialtely . Once the ICE is warm the car will go back to EV mode and I get home knowing that the ICE is fully hot and not just kicked in when I need to stop and switch off.

Just leave the car to do its thing and enjoy.  It will take a few trips to get used to the car's noises and quirks.

[Mike2222]

With regards the 302hp question - this figure applies to HEV mode, ie the electric motors working in conjunction with the ICE.

 

In EV mode, best estimation of the total bhp I have been able to find a reference for is 236 (182 at the front, 54 at rear), however I do know know if one can simply add together the bhp figures for seperate ev motors, as I know that doesn't work for adding to the ICE figures due to different torque curves etc, but my understanding is that ev bhp/torgue curves are linear (until they flatten off at max). Don't quote me on that tho, as I'm not an engineer. 

 

Either way, the car is punchy enough in EV mode for virtually all legal driving scenarios you should encounter. 

[Flatcoat]

10 hours ago, Shepsy said:

Hi.

This is my first modern car and I am totally confused about which is the best driving mode to select.

We’ve only had the car a few days and I have charged it overnight to obtain a full charge.

 I understand that if we are driving locally- it automatically selects EV mode which is fine.

Can anyone  please advise which is the best mode to select (and how to select it) if I am driving longer distances ?

The car is supposed to have 306 BHP. Is this always available or does it require the EV battery to be charged?

Finally is the trial mode (e.g 4wd) always  available or does that also require the battery to be charged?

I apologise if these questions seem stupid but I really don’t understand this car.

Welcome to PHEV ownership! It sounds as though your dealer didn’t do a very good handover….. without repeating previous comments, it is worth noting the EV Battery never actually goes flat. The Battery management system leaves a buffer at the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of the batteries charged capacity to help with longevity. Without worrying too much about where the 306 horses come from just be happy with the circa 6 seconds 0-60 time! 

[Mike2222]

On 4/15/2024 at 7:41 AM, Mike2222 said:

however I do know know

That was meant to say "do not know" 

As @Flatcoat says, the Battery never goes fully flat, and the other reason for this beyond longevity is so that you can always utilise the fully power in HEV mode, should that be required. ie you are never "dragging around a heavy useless flat battery" as many motoring journalists like to say about PHEVs, it is always functional either for EV driving, or HEV driving. You're never reliant purely on ICE. 

[Mike2222]

Also, not sure if you're specifically asking about "driving modes" in the sense of the ECO/NORMAL/SPORT dial, but this one is a little bit of a ronseal "does what it says on the tin", although in my opinion any impact on economy from ECO vs normal is minimal at best. It essentially varies the throttle response from slow to fast. 

I spent a long time using it ECO when I first got the car, but then after about a year I tried out NORMAL and found there was very little impact on EV range, but the car was much more enjoyable to drive. 

SPORT is noticeably more responsive (and I think is more eager to switch to HEV for acceleration, but haven't done a huge amount of testing of this), and I will sometimes use it for overtaking, but otherwise I ignore it. It's not like the car has variable suspension or anything else to make the car handle differently - it's solely about acceleration/throttle response. 

I'd suggest have a play around with them and see what suits your driving style and regular routes etc. 

[Torrox]

As it's a new car I would use HEV for the first 1000 KM. Like a lot of people I have been using EV mostly as it's so quiet and enjoyable. The car always starts in EV and I have driven mainly 25 miles trips, my Toyota app says I have been driving 80% in EV mode. I realised that I need to " break in" the engine so in the last couple of weeks I have started to use HV mode only but the rav4 still does EV mode when you're in the town centre. I think it does it in conjunction with the sat nav. When it reaches 1000 miles I will change the oil + oil filter, after that I would use EV mode for short trips. I agree with above comments about ECO and NORMAL modes, there isn't much difference in " fuel consumption " if you just drive and not using aircon or heaters. I use normal mode but change to sport mode when I need to over take .

[Shepsy]

ALL. Thank you very much for your advice, it’s been most helpful.

Time to start driving it and experience the advantages of a phev🤞

[Torrox]

12 minutes ago, Shepsy said:

ALL. Thank you very much for your advice, it’s been most helpful.

Time to start driving it and experience the advantages of a phev🤞

It's a pleasure! Enjoy your new car 🚗 is your car a Design or GR Sport?

[Shepsy]

9 minutes ago, Torrox said:

It's a pleasure! Enjoy your new car 🚗 is your car a Design or GR Sport?

GR Sport.

Drives nicely but some as an oldie I find some of the functions are slightly over complicated- whatever happened to setting the cruise control by simply pushing the set button 🤔

[ernieb]

1 hour ago, Torrox said:

As it's a new car I would use HEV for the first 1000 KM. Like a lot of people I have been using EV mostly as it's so quiet and enjoyable. The car always starts in EV and I have driven mainly 25 miles trips, my Toyota app says I have been driving 80% in EV mode. I realised that I need to " break in" the engine so in the last couple of weeks I have started to use HV mode only but the rav4 still does EV mode when you're in the town centre. I think it does it in conjunction with the sat nav. When it reaches 1000 miles I will change the oil + oil filter, after that I would use EV mode for short trips. I agree with above comments about ECO and NORMAL modes, there isn't much difference in " fuel consumption " if you just drive and not using aircon or heaters. I use normal mode but change to sport mode when I need to over take .

This is what I did and after the initial charge to see how it performed in EV mode I used HEV mode with the traction Battery showing zero miles EV mode range. This still has around 30% charge which is used to support the HEV mode.

As I said above post in my normal day to day driving it’s left in EV mode and then let the car sort out the switch to HEV mode. 

[Nick72]

On 4/14/2024 at 10:12 PM, Shepsy said:

Hi.

This is my first modern car and I am totally confused about which is the best driving mode to select.

We’ve only had the car a few days and I have charged it overnight to obtain a full charge.

 I understand that if we are driving locally- it automatically selects EV mode which is fine.

Can anyone  please advise which is the best mode to select (and how to select it) if I am driving longer distances ?

The car is supposed to have 306 BHP. Is this always available or does it require the EV battery to be charged?

Finally is the trial mode (e.g 4wd) always  available or does that also require the battery to be charged?

I apologise if these questions seem stupid but I really don’t understand this car.

EV mode then power is circa 230hp max but Toyota curtail the power delivery above 50mph. My experience from testing.

Hybrid mode then the 306hp DIN is available. Motors plus ICE working together. 

Battery does not need to be charged to get the full power in hybrid mode. There's a reserve in the traction Battery which is near on impossible to deplete. I've tried especially hard and I've got it to almost zero but failed to get it to zero. The second you aren't accelerating that reserve is topped up from the generator on the ICE. This happens pretty quick. I'd say the only risk of totally flattening the reserve is by caning it at 90mph with frequent acceleration bursts towing a caravan up hill. 

Note that hybrid mode does not give you full 306hp if the engine is cold. Takes 3 to 8 minutes to warm up (depending on outside temperature) before full power is made available. Until then you are looking at 230hp. Again, I've tested this.

Personally, I manually select between EV and Hybrid mode rather than use Auto. I know where I'm going and can maximise use of the traction Battery to ensure I empty it rather than using petrol. So if I'm on the motorway I'll switch to EV mode when in a jam or it's the average 50mph speed limit thing and when off the motorway I'll use EV mode. Eventually I've got good at deciding when to switch.

Whether the above is as good as the Auto mode is another matter.

Eco, Normal and Sport modes change the throttle response (sensitivity of the accelerator pedal), steering weight (I think), and the Aircon performance. I usually run the car in sport mode. 

[Nick72]

On 4/15/2024 at 11:13 AM, Shepsy said:

GR Sport.

Drives nicely but some as an oldie I find some of the functions are slightly over complicated- whatever happened to setting the cruise control by simply pushing the set button 🤔

Two buttons. Activate then set. Took me a while to figure out.

Still haven't figured out how to use the speed limiter!

[Flatcoat]

On 4/20/2024 at 7:59 PM, Nick72 said:

EV mode then power is circa 230hp max but Toyota curtail the power delivery above 50mph. My experience from testing.

Hybrid mode then the 306hp DIN is available. Motors plus ICE working together. 

Battery does not need to be charged to get the full power in hybrid mode. There's a reserve in the traction battery which is near on impossible to deplete. I've tried especially hard and I've got it to almost zero but failed to get it to zero. The second you aren't accelerating that reserve is topped up from the generator on the ICE. This happens pretty quick. I'd say the only risk of totally flattening the reserve is by caning it at 90mph with frequent acceleration bursts towing a caravan up hill. 

Note that hybrid mode does not give you full 306hp if the engine is cold. Takes 3 to 8 minutes to warm up (depending on outside temperature) before full power is made available. Until then you are looking at 230hp. Again, I've tested this.

Personally, I manually select between EV and Hybrid mode rather than use Auto. I know where I'm going and can maximise use of the traction battery to ensure I empty it rather than using petrol. So if I'm on the motorway I'll switch to EV mode when in a jam or it's the average 50mph speed limit thing and when off the motorway I'll use EV mode. Eventually I've got good at deciding when to switch.

Whether the above is as good as the Auto mode is another matter.

Eco, Normal and Sport modes change the throttle response (sensitivity of the accelerator pedal), steering weight (I think), and the Aircon performance. I usually run the car in sport mode. 

Like you I switch between modes to suit conditions. 
For the OP, most hybrids and EV’s have buffer zones built into the Battery range to prevent full discharge (and overcharging). This helps significantly with Battery longevity. Sport mode doesn’t release more power (as some think), it simply changes throttle response to make the car appear quicker. When towing I use Battery save mode otherwise the battery discharges very quickly. Using the battery around town and for slow speed journeys is more efficient than on fast motorway journeys. 

[NASY]

Just like to add when in Sport mode as well as the throttle response being more sensitive I find the Regen is too which provides a more "Connected" experience - not usually desirable but sometimes useful.

[Flatcoat]

2 hours ago, NASY said:

Just like to add when in Sport mode as well as the throttle response being more sensitive I find the Regen is too which provides a more "Connected" experience - not usually desirable but sometimes useful.

I have never felt the need to use Sport. I may try it next time I am towing. 

[Nick72]

4 hours ago, Flatcoat said:

I have never felt the need to use Sport. I may try it next time I am towing. 

It could entirely be my imagination but the steering wheel feels firmer and less sensitive which at high motorway speed makes me feel more comfortable. But it might just be psychological!

[Nick72]

7 hours ago, NASY said:

Just like to add when in Sport mode as well as the throttle response being more sensitive I find the Regen is too which provides a more "Connected" experience - not usually desirable but sometimes useful.

That's actually a really good point. More aggressive regen. When I'm going up and down the mountains up North it's definitely helpful in the hill descents and I usually make 3 to 6 miles added onto the Battery. 

[philip42h]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

It could entirely be my imagination but the steering wheel feels firmer and less sensitive which at high motorway speed makes me feel more comfortable. But it might just be psychological!

Not just psychological: 

3 Sport mode
Controls the steering feeling and hybrid system to create an acceleration response that is suitable for sporty driving. Suitable for when crisp handling is desired, such as when driving on mountainous roads.

So, Sport mode certainly 'weights up' the steering which works well when driving 'quickly' down country lanes. Accelerator response is sharper in the sense that it requires less travel for the same response from the hybrid system.

There's no real indication that it does anything more clever than that.

[Nick72]

2 hours ago, philip42h said:

Not just psychological: 

3 Sport mode
Controls the steering feeling and hybrid system to create an acceleration response that is suitable for sporty driving. Suitable for when crisp handling is desired, such as when driving on mountainous roads.

So, Sport mode certainly 'weights up' the steering which works well when driving 'quickly' down country lanes. Accelerator response is sharper in the sense that it requires less travel for the same response from the hybrid system.

There's no real indication that it does anything more clever than that.

 

That's great. Wasn't sure if I was imagining the extra steering weight.

Regen too, as pointed out in the thread. More aggressive regen when foot off the gas. So arguably aiding with rapid deceleration combined with braking. Good for coming down steep mountain tracks too given the R4P doesn't have a descent mode for that like my last car. Although it may be possible to use the manual shift mode (never actually tried using the S option on the gear stick) and put it in a low 'gear' but not entirely sure if or how that works with a CVT?

[ernieb]

I tried it a number of times after the car had bedded in and there is some retardation but it's not very useful and the ICE really screams if you're descending a steep hill. Better to select the 'sport' mode. You'd be better throwing your imaginary spare wheel out of the back with a rope attached??? 😇 

[spicyhotone]

In EV mode, changing to a lower "gear" increases the regen level, conversely going to a high "gear" decreases regen. However, once in hybrid/ice mode, being in a high gear appears to almost completely stop the EV kicking in (I guess because of the lack of regen), so that's not such a good idea. In EV mode, I like to decrease the regen (ie. gear 6), as it allows the car to coast further, which I think should be slightly less inefficient than the lossy regen->battery->motor path.

[P_J]

I've tried using the paddle shifters in S mode, and either I get confused, or the car gets confused, and I end up going back in to D and relaxing again. 
This car has made me a very lazy driver 🙂