I really like my new Escape Hybrid, but I've started to notice some interesting UI issues:
I was stopping at a traffic light yesterday. I'd been driving a while so everything was warmed up. The gas engine turned off as I dropped below 20MPH -- as expected.
If the radio's not on it gets eerily quiet when you stop. Cool.
Then I took my foot off the brake. I noticed something unexpected. The car started to creep forward, just like "normal."
Hmmm...
In a normal car, the creep happens because the gasoline engine has to keep running. The torque "leaks" through the automatic transmission's torque converter. But for a hybrid the gas engine is off, and an electrical engine doesn't really need to keep spinning. In fact I'll bet the electrical engine was at a dead stop, too, when my foot was on the brake. Where is the creep coming from?
I'm betting that it's designed into the system to comfort those of us used to an automatic transmission. It reinforces the concept that a hybrid is "just like a normal car, only more efficient."
I wonder how much time Ford wasted getting this behavior to feel right. Personally I'd just as soon my car stayed where I put it unless I explicitly tell it otherwise.
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My Prius does the same thing. It also slows down like a "normal" car using regen braking. However, as one who used to drive a stick and liked being able to throw it into N to coast to a stop, I wish I could control the regen braking. The average consumer probably wants it to act like a normal gas powered vehicle.
Another issue with the Prius is how you start it. It should just have a button to push, but they went with the key approach because it was more natural. And then there is the gear shift...
I wish they would just forget about the old ways and give us something more modern.
Yeah, the Escape uses the key-start idiom, too. I already figured out, though, that i don't have to turn and hold it. Just bouncing it to the start position is good enough.
On the upside. When you come to a stop, turn it off, and take out the key the accessories -- particularly the radio -- continue to run until a door is opened. I've gotten really fond of that feature.
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