I recently leased a 2017 Volt Premiere. I love the car but can't seem to get the hang of Hold mode. First, it's very hard to get the car into anything but Normal mode. I've tried holding the button down longer, letting go faster, you name it. It takes several tries before some magic combo achanges the mode. Then we went to put some gas in the Volt for a road trip. Apparently turning the car off reverts to Normal mode again, because once on the highway we noticed the electrical side depleting! Any tips? We live less than a mile from a freeway on ramp, so we would like to do the freeway portion in Hold mode and switch back to normal when we get nearer to our destination.
Problems with Modes
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Cycling sequentially through the modes should not be difficult. If you haven't already done so, try doing it while sitting in your driveway and watching the progression. If 4 pushes in a row over a couple seconds does not do it, I'd show it to the dealer . . . the switch could be bad. Note that your engine probably won't start up while you are sitting in park, but you can observe your mode on the DIC. Once you are comfortable with the pressure required, and speed of presses, you should then feel comfortable doing it as you enter the freeway.
Yes, any time you turn the car off, and then restart it, it will always default to Normal mode. And I suspect most of us, when the car was new, have had that same experience of stopping for gas and forgetting to put it back into Hold. mode.
Yes, any time you turn the car off, and then restart it, it will always default to Normal mode. And I suspect most of us, when the car was new, have had that same experience of stopping for gas and forgetting to put it back into Hold. mode.
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Yes all modes revert to normal after turning the car off. I have a gen 1 but I think it's the same, 4 button pushes to get to hold. I think your problem, if it is like my car, is the display lags the button push a little. Just push the button lightly 4 times and you'll be in hold. Mashing the button seems to have caused it to fail for some people. Not sure, is there a 5th mode on the gen 2? If so, just count how many it is to "hold" and push it that many times.
This. It's not a good user interface due to lag, but counting four button presses will put the car into Hold. One button press no matter what mode you are in will return you to Normal.
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I'm on my second Voltec car (ELR) and I still forget to re-enable hold on a trip after stopping. If I really, really want EV range at some point I use mountain. Mostly, I don't bother with hold since the ELR Bose noise masking works very well.
If the car isn't smoothly and reliably going into hold, I'd have the mode switch checked. I can change modes without looking at this point.
If the car isn't smoothly and reliably going into hold, I'd have the mode switch checked. I can change modes without looking at this point.
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Some will disagree, but I'm generally a fan of sticking with Normal mode. More often than not it is your most efficient choice. Trying to "game" the mode to be more efficient (saving for city driving later in the trip for example) can often result in more gasoline usage if done wrong. It's a gamble, and it doesn't save a whole lot more gasoline. And even with a battery that is depleted, the car will cycle the engine on and off when in stop and go traffic.
That said, as others note, each individual button press advances the mode, you should be able to press the button 4 times and go from Normal to Hold mode, cycling past Sport and Mountain.
That said, as others note, each individual button press advances the mode, you should be able to press the button 4 times and go from Normal to Hold mode, cycling past Sport and Mountain.
I can't see it being difficult to move between modes. That's beyond me.
However, IMO having the car revert to Normal when you turn it off completely sucks. At least you should get a prompt. I only use Hold when I'm on a 100+ mile trip, and it can create a problem when you stop for gas and then forget to put the thing back into Mountain or Hold. If you have time you can engage Mountain Mode and build some cushion, but I hit my only "Propulsion Reduced" message after gassing up right before a big climb on a trip to Mammoth.
However, IMO having the car revert to Normal when you turn it off completely sucks. At least you should get a prompt. I only use Hold when I'm on a 100+ mile trip, and it can create a problem when you stop for gas and then forget to put the thing back into Mountain or Hold. If you have time you can engage Mountain Mode and build some cushion, but I hit my only "Propulsion Reduced" message after gassing up right before a big climb on a trip to Mammoth.
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Don't watch the dash. There is some lag before it engages (consistent and predictable). 4 clicks and you're there. I have driven gen 1 and 2, pretty similar. I'm good with the return to Normal (default).
Reason the car reverts back to normal is EPA regulations. Not just the volt but all cars with multiple driving modes must revert back to normal or the worse case for fuel economy must be used to calculate the FE label. This regulation was written for vehicles with trailering mode and sport modes that modify the shift schedules of transmissions or the mapping of the throttle response. Cars with multiple suspension modes not affected by this regulation.
I don't think it's "worst case fuel economy" because my mom's RAV-4 reverts to Normal upon restart if it was left in Normal or Sport, but it reverts to Eco upon restart if it was left in Eco.
I've always wished the Volt could revert to Sport at startup, as it doesn't change the efficiency at all (only the pedal response curve), but I've recently just gotten used to driving in Normal instead.
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The reverting to normal is a big hassle for me. When you are using mountain mode or hold mode and then you make a quick rest area stop, very often I will forget to change the mode, and then the mountains or the city come and I'm out of charge. Very frustrating.
I agree, that has happened to me, too. Obviously it was designed to reset at startup instead of remaining permanent because if someone put it in hold or mountain mode (maybe accidentally) and never bothered to take it out again, the car would never again work as it was designed to. However, I think a better design would be for hold or mountain mode to remain sticky through every startup on a given day and only reset on the next startup after that day is over. That way, you wouldn't have to reset the mode after rest stops on long trips. And of course, long trips are when these modes are most used.
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I agree, Chevy wants us to use elec as much of the time as possible! No accidental use of gas allowed!
That's a great idea! It is a pain on a long trip to remember to set Hold mode every time you stop at a rest area or gas up. I just did a 650 mile (each way) trip from Eastern NC to Upstate NY, hold mode all the way.
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