Expanding use of driving modes,what do you think? Excluding stop/start.

[vrskeith]

I was just reading through the New Fiesta ST general details and noticed that it now has 3 mode driving options. It that made me think how many option modes do most punters actually use day to day. Nice to have or OTT options or more of an automotive technology for technology sake money spinner.

Think that when using one of our 3 motors ,we barely use 2.and more like 80% of the time its 1.

What do you think?

Are we just lazily reducing our driving skills / abilities?

Will automotive industry re- introduce retro simplicity or is it just a drive for clean engines selling point to save the world and mankind from themselves  !

Edited 3 March, 2017 by vrskeith

[Robshaw]

I would normally use two on my commute.

 

Normal & Eco Modes - I put the car in Eco Mode for the town/country roads (40%). Normal Mode for Motorway's (60%).

 

[Ryeman]

I would think it's about your age for many.

Keeping up.........not being a nuisance to others and driving for minimum wear n tear and arriving in a good mood is my priority.

I AM retired though.

[Aspman]

It's just mince except for extreme conditions. I could see a purpose to a 'snow' mode but not much else.

 

In the BMW the modes affect the functioning of the autobox (mostly) which  maybe makes more sense since there is no way to manually control how that functions. If it had adaptable suspension I think it does stuff with that too (don't have that).

[vrskeith]

4 minutes ago, Aspman said:

It's just mince except for extreme conditions. I could see a purpose to a 'snow' mode but not much else.

 

In the BMW the modes affect the functioning of the autobox (mostly) which  maybe makes more sense since there is no way to manually control how that functions. If it had adaptable suspension I think it does stuff with that too (don't have that).

As an aside, do you use stop / start often. Sorry I realise I said exclude it from chat. However, out in rural areas and when I'm in town, not the London experience I just deactivate Stop as it's  a pain in the arse and a minimal saving imo.

[Aspman]

2 hours ago, vrskeith said:

As an aside, do you use stop / start often. Sorry I realise I said exclude it from chat. However, out in rural areas and when I'm in town, not the London experience I just deactivate Stop as it's  a pain in the arse and a minimal saving imo.

 

I leave it on but tbh it's got such a long criteria of things it needs before it'll work that it vary rarely happens.

• Car must be up to temperature
• Battery must be above a certain charge
• Air temp must be above 3C
• Car must be on the level and not on a slope of +/- x degrees
• DPF mustn't be regenerating
• Gearbox must be in Comfort or Eco mode
• Gearbox must be in Drive
• Driver mustn't be called Derek
• Scorpio must be ascendant
• Never during Lent or Diwali

 

Plus I'm fairly rural as well so not that much in the way of traffic jams. It's usually ok and starts up fast but it does get caught out occasionally.

 

Edited 3 March, 2017 by Aspman

[newbie69]

I am regularly switching modes: Eco when I feel like saving fuel (DSG coasting has an effect on that), Comfort when commuting with the family, Sport/Individual when I want to push the car a bit more and want it to be on its toes. Given that it's a whole set of components altered (engine noise, throttle response, suspension comfort, steering weight, gearbox) rather than just say power, it really offers the car multiple characters to best suit different situations. It's not a Jekyll & Hyde transformation but it's welcome nonetheless.

 

Start/Stop is the most useless and annoying thing though, it has been permanently switched off since 2nd month.

Edited 3 March, 2017 by newbie69

[vrskeith]

5 minutes ago, newbie69 said:

I am regularly switching modes: Eco when I feel like saving fuel (DSG coasting has an effect on that), Comfort when commuting with the family, Sport/Individual when I want to push the car a bit more and want it to be on its toes. Given that it's a whole set of components altered (engine noise, throttle response, suspension comfort, steering weight, gearbox) rather than just say power, it really offers the car multiple characters to best suit different situations. It's not a Jekyll & Hyde transformation but it's welcome nonetheless.

Really quantifiable or is in the mind once selected ??

Manufacturers measured figures quoted anywhere?

Edited 3 March, 2017 by vrskeith

[newbie69]

52 minutes ago, vrskeith said:

Really quantifiable or is in the mind once selected ??

Manufacturers measured figures quoted anywhere?

 

If you mean the modes themselves no, but regarding coasting (only possible in Eco) I see how it affects economy directly through the computer. You obviously need the road conditions to allow for it in order to make a difference and here it's quite suitable for it. It's a rather suburban area with mostly straight roads and light traffic so you can really lift off the throttle early enough and roll freely if you want to save a few litres. I saw between 1lt-1.5lt less per 100km when I tried to use the feature when and wherever possible. That's between 7.5%-15% less consumption which is not bad I think.

Edited 3 March, 2017 by newbie69

[vrskeith]

42 minutes ago, newbie69 said:

 

If you mean the modes themselves no, but regarding coasting (only possible in Eco) I see how it affects economy directly through the computer. You obviously need the road conditions to allow for it in order to make a difference and here it's quite suitable for it. It's a rather suburban area with mostly straight roads and light traffic so you can really lift off the throttle early enough and roll freely if you want to save a few litres. I saw between 1lt-1.5lt less per 100km when I tried to use the feature when and wherever possible. That's between 7.5%-15% less consumption which is not bad I think.

So all those meticulously saved litres of fuel are sacrificed when you dial up the uplift in power blast lol. Enjoy!

 

[Aspman]

I tried the beemer in Eco Vs Comfort (normal)

 

Got 39mpg driving like a saint in Eco-Pro

Got 39mpg driving normally (say 10mph higher and accelerating harder) in Comfort.

 

Same roads similar conditions. Car is pretty 'orrible in eco. Seems bleedin pointless to me.

 

Big difference with Sport, but then the box is holding onto the gears much longer.

 

Never tried it in manual, 8sp it'd be like riding a bike, I've never stop swapping cogs.

Edited 3 March, 2017 by Aspman

[Huskoda]

On my Subaru I regularly switch modes. Normally in Eco but I tap it into Sport for junctions where I know I need to get out quickly (totally different throttle and CVT response in Eco) or for overtaking on normal roads. If it didn't raise the rev baseline from about 1.5K to 2K, I would probably just leave it in Sport as I'm actually disappointed it doesn't fall back to Eco when you engage CC. However, I pretty much never use Track mode as it keeps the revs high (around 4K when you lift off) but it does make it go. Off road mode is obvious and makes a big difference when I need to use it.

 

Having driven a Subaru XV with the CVT and without SI-Drive (what they call their drive modes) I would say its horrible and there is no way I would have one without it. With an auto box, being able to tell it how you want to it behave and what you expect of it really transforms it.

[camelspyyder]

Last year my Mustang V8 had Normal/Sport gearbox modes, 3 levels of steering assist/feel and

 

4 selectable ECU programs:

 

Normal   -    

Sport +  -    

Track      -   

Rain/Snow - 

 

Loved the first 3 which range from Fun to Hooligan but the 4th was the only way to keep it on the road when the monsoon came.

 

 

Oh and I only once tried out Launch Lock mode - which allowed you to do burnouts and melt the rental company's rubber.

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 March, 2017 by camelspyyder

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

I thought the modes on my mates 140i and S3 were great. Comfort when cruising up the motorway was lovely and smooth compared to the teeth rattling 'dynamic' mode we had it in for making noise etc. You can set the steering to have a smaller lock to lock, heavier or lighter, change the exhaust volume, suspension, throttle response. 

 

140i was lacking adaptive suspension but still gave some more noise and sharper throttle in sport mode. His old M3 was even better, had most of the settings listed above but you had two buttons on the wheel, M1 and M2 and could set them all up depending on what you wanted. I think he generally had a comfort/cruising mode, everything soft and smooth then one set for everything flat out. Plus you could reduce power if required (I drove it with 70% I think, that was plenty lol)

 

My Panda is far more basic, sport button gives heavy steering and sharp (on/off) throttle.  

 

I quite like them anyway. 

[newbie69]

7 hours ago, vrskeith said:

So all those meticulously saved litres of fuel are sacrificed when you dial up the uplift in power blast lol. Enjoy!

 

 

Lol, true but anyway economy was never my first concern when going for this car but it's nice to know it can improve a bit if you feel like it. Most important is the fact that the car's character changes as a whole through the different modes.

Edited 3 March, 2017 by newbie69

[vrskeith]

Driving modes,probably are dependent of which side of the bed the driver got out of that morning. Are we get to the culture whereby "my car has more modes than yours" Essential must have , nice to have, really which I use every time I switch the motor on and drive off etc.?

[SWBoy]

6 minutes ago, vrskeith said:

Driving modes,probably are dependent of which side of the bed the driver got out of that morning. Are we get to the culture whereby "my car has more modes than yours" Essential must have , nice to have, really which I use every time I switch the motor on and drive off etc.?

I've just setup Individual mode how I like it and never feel the need to use any other mode.

[vrskeith]

Driving modes,probably are dependent of which side of the bed the driver got out of that morning. Are we get to the culture whereby "my car has more modes than yours" Essential must have , nice to have, really which I use every time I switch the motor on and drive off etc.?