Interesting car service

[Greynomad]

Had the Suzuki serviced on Friday.
Lots to do in Albury-Wodonga as well, so we booked a courtesy car from the dealer service department.
We were given a GWM Haval hybrid. Very up-to-date vehicle with not only everything that opens and shuts, but also lots of things that go beep.
Cameras covering 360deg and an onboard computer which generates a realistic virtual overhead view of your surroundings… down to pedestrians walking behind!
The computer controls everything… and I mean EVERYTHING!
When we pulled up at a traffic light I pushed the button which applied the hand brake… then spent three cycles of the lights working out how to release it. 🫢
The same button selects forward or reverse motion by rotating it left or right. Automatic gears, naturally.
There did not appear to be any way to manually take control of the gears. (I’m a traditionalist. I like to go down through the gears as I approach a sharp corner or intersection.) Lifting my foot did not produce any retardation of forward speed. Had to go straight from accelerator to brakes.
Propulsion was prioritised to electric, with the ICE kicking in only when I gave it the full welly to explore its acceleration. The silence of procession was a bit unsettling. I suppose I’d get used to it in time.
The dashboard screen was a bewildering choice of attributes and information on the vehicle’s operation.
Selecting reverse automatically switches it to the rear cameras (plural) with the virtual 360 view on the left quarter. However, it takes a few meters of forward motion to revert to the information screen. I feel that should happen immediately “forward” motion is selected.
As an example of how much technology can be packed into one vehicle, I found it really over the top.
Obviously the designers were thinking “Can we?” when they should have been asking “Should we?”.
I never felt like I was in full control of the vehicle.
I also feel the Service Department lass should have given us a one hour lesson in driving it, not the two minutes we were given.

[Dot]

Should have let Joy do the driving then: lol: You are so right with too much other stuff in cars these days. We still can't figure out how to make the screen go to maps/ phone etc How many "toots etc did you get while sitting at the lights for 3 cycles?

[Noggins]

When I gave up the big Caravan and Ranger I bought a Haval H6 and a 13' Jayco P**fter van ( rear door )
Sure the Haval only has a Front wheel drive with a petrol turbo 2 ltr motor, but I'm still impressed with the way it towed the Jayco on a short trip south of here.
Sitting on the speed limit was no problem for the H6, fuel economy was on par for the Ranger, 2 Ltr petrol pulling 1Ton against a 3Ltr Diesel pulling 2.6Ton., for the same trip with the Ranger it actually cost me a bit more
BUT
And there's always a BUT
The electronics are simply a bit over the top in my opinion, so I turned a lot of them off! not all, but the inconvenient ones.
On the H6 the gears are via the rotary knob but you also have the steering wheel paddles if you want to use them instead of the auto controls.
The 360 Cameras with sensors and Pedestrian alert ( with brakes ) saved me once from reversing over a numpty that decided to walk behind me when I was reversing out of a car parking space.
The fuel advised is 91 octane so that's a saving at the pump, especially after a diesel Ranger.
All in all, I'm happy with my choice and at 80Yo with a 7-year warranty, it just might outlast me, so who cares what the resale is by then.


Ron

[T1 Terry]

If it was a hybrid, I expect there weren't any gears as such, the electric motors actually spin in reverse to provide the reversing requirements. The Prius has planetary gears, the petrol motor drives the planetary carrier, motor/generator 1 drives the sun gear and motor/generator 2 drives the hemisphere toothed gear and the drive chain is linked to that. All the drive is actually done by MG2, MG1 is spun forwards or backwards as required to control the speed the petrol motor spins and the computer determines just how much throttle the petrol motor gets at any given time.
There is an interactive display of how it all works .... somewhere .... I just can't find it at the moment

T1 Terry

[Greynomad]

Ron,
I’m assuming you have an ICE model, not the hybrid.
I’m fairly sure I’d have noticed if the Haval steering wheel had paddles. Our Suzuki Baleno has them (& push-button start). Maybe GWM dropped them from the current model.

Dottie,
No toots… immediately I ‘failed to proceed’ I hit the hazard flasher button… I’d waived the extra charge to insure against dinging it. $22 for a couple of hours cover bringing the excess down from $1,000 to $500!

T1,
Lifting my right foot produced no discernible reduction in speed. I’ve driven long enough to know when a car is decelerating.
I’m sure the contra rotation of one generator works — in theory…
However it did light up a dashboard indicator that said ‘Charge’. That’s the only indication that I had stopped accelerating.
Initially the Service Department lass didn’t even tell us it was a hybrid! Just that “You push that button to start it.”
Did so… no apparent start. Had not one of the Service bods been passing & helped us, we’d still be sitting there waiting for the engine to kick over.

[jon_d]

Just that “You push that button to start it.”
Did so… no apparent start.

Yep, that's obvious when you think about it. ... The Chinese steal and copy everything. That's how Microsoft Windows works.

[T1 Terry]

Had a few heart stop moments when we first drove the Prius, the end cutting out at the lights and no idea how to restart it, back off an the feeling that it was like an automatic that just shifted to top gear and left you to sort it out. Soon found out that you need to completely remove the foot from the accelerator for regen to work, the first bit of the brake pedal pressure is actually regen and the harder the pedal is pushed, the greater the regen combined with actual hydraulic disc brakes, a sudden stab applied everything, the anti lock came on but the regen was still at max, couldn't belief how quick it could stop from any speed without a wheel lock up.
The Prius has an additional gear selector position, B, that engages MG1 to force the petrol motor to spin as well as doubling the regen for one pedal driving in winding road conditions and long down hill runs. It doesn't produce as much battery regen though because some of the regen power is used to drive MG1 backwards to drive the petrol engine for p*ss poor compression braking due to the valve timing designed for maximum fuel economy ..... and I don't think it opens the throttle to allow for max air intake to improve the volume of air being compressed ......

Haven't driven a Haval Hybrid so I don't know how well they copied the Prius system, but at the moment I'd have to say Toyota have the hybrid idea well sort ..... accept they need a bigger traction battery and make it a plug in recharge as well as the regen system.

T1 Terry

[jon_d]

couldn't belief how quick it could stop from any speed without a wheel lock up.

Must have good grip from the tyres. The Bedford has similar grip. I can't make it skid either.

"ABS" Marketing people think it Anti Skid Braking, when is actual fact, it's Anti Bedford Skidding. Patented back in the 70's

[bob r]

I think it was patented before that Jon
I can remember driving a 1949 Bedford you would pull the steering wheel up around you're ears trying to get enough pressure on the brake pedal.

Bob

[Greynomad]

Suzuki has an “emergency” system in the brakes.
If you just touch the pedal, light boost is applied to the brakes. Press harder and the boost is boosted.
However, stab the pedal and the full boost is doubled, which, combined with the ABS gives you almost windscreen-kissing brakes!! 🫢