Quote:
Originally Posted by blueapple
So I went to the local dealer and test drove the only Manual they had, the car drove well, steering was better than what I originally expected.... But this is what bugged me the whole time:
Throttle delay, when I up shift, I do it as I do on my other cars, lift throttle simultaneously with clutch depression (A split second before, actually). And what I noticed is that, instead of RPM dropping, it goes up another 700RPM or so before coming back done. Blipping the throttle on down shift seems a bit delayed as well, it does climb, but never seem to synchronize with my foot. After driving it for a little bit, I realized, the only way to drive this thing smooth, is to time my shifting by letting out the throttle almost a second before I disengage the clutch... this is just annoying the hell out of me, what's the point of a manual if I have to "wait" on the car.
I figured this is caused by the electronic throttle, probably programmed this way for emission purposes. I'd like to know, does it go away? Does the ECU learn that I need it to respond faster? or is this just how Toyota is nowadays? Among all the electronically throttled cars I've test driven, This one has by far the longest delay, even worse than the Camry I test drove, which is odd, they are the same engine, and the xB should technically be programmed more sporty.
Thanks!
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I expect the throttle release behavior is indeed related to emissions, and I agree it's an annoyance, however -- as mentioned, it can be worked around. An effective solution is to accelerate and shift in a calm and relaxed manner, which reduces the overshoot plus allows time for a closer rpm match when re-engaging the clutch. The other is to make a point of releasing the throttle in advance of depressing the clutch, for me, somewhere around 1/2 sec or less seems to work pretty well.
I like manual shift cars and the switch to that behavior is jarring, but given a little practice, it's not hard to adapt to. I feel the vehicle has enough positives going for it, I can live with that flaw. I wouldn't be surpised iif some degree of that behavior is fairly typical in modern economy cars, though I really don't know.
