I don't have the factory nav system in my FEH, so I'd like to hear from other owners....what information that is on the factory hybrid display is useful for improving your mileage?

I'm guessing that the voltage on the battery would be useful. And I can already tell when it's on the battery and when it's charging with the dials on the dash, but is there more to it than that? What else am I missing?

 

With the display you can:

See what the current charge is on your battery, and how fast and slowly you charge or replenish it, as well as see what mode you're in, be it engine drive or hybrid drive at high speeds or low ones; it's not nearly as straightforward as one might think. With it you can get a stronger feel for battery charge levels, and allow you to better plan out your energy management, so you're at your peak of efficiency, allowing you to plan around depleted and overcharge battery conditions.

See and record your average fuel economy and instanteous fuel economy, and graph out your FE over the previous 15 minutes. The instantanious teaches you how to apply pressure to the pedal in an effective manner, and the graph helps teaches you how to maximize performance, and allows you to see the differences and peaks for your vehicle.

Allow quick button location for current location, home destination, or current area street maps. Knowing where you need to go allows for smother drving, which is better FE.

Oh, and one more thing, anyone compares the nav system to their handheld seperate unit gets a warning and maybe a ban. Stay on topic here, he asked about the system in terms of FE, not which is the best navigation system for your buck.

 

All of which can be done with a handheld so that kind of takes that out of the equation.

Why the anger?

 

Hi xplore

The energy and fuel economy screens that the FEH navi comes with has been a debated issue as long as I've posted here on GH. Also, the 6 CD changer under the passenger seat that comes with the package is something that was not standard on the FEH.

Was it all worth $1850 for me? I think I'm still happy with my choice. For me, I would have never got to the MPG I'm getting now without it. After I learned how the FEH worked with the energy and fuel economy screens, the most important gauge on the navi for FE for me now is the battery level. As soon as I turn the key, I push that sceen on and it stays there 99% of the time. IMO, the battery gauge is the most important gauge in the FEH for improving mileage. A cheap SG can be added for other necessary readouts. The standard Charge/Assist needle also is very helpful and not let us forget the tach and speed O. The more tools the better IMO.

The Scangauge was modified in Nov. '05 to work on some hybrids when many of us had already bought the Nav package. The SG still does not have the battery level, but I bet it will just be a matter of time that they do. I prefer using the SG over the other readouts on the navi.

GaryG

 

The reason I bought the NAV unit was for the hybrid displays - the average FE graph and the Hybrid system displays.

My logic was that your already spending a bunch of $$ on the Hybrid technology and are selling yourself short if you dont have the data to exploit it. The battery level and the directional arrows are the most useful. The arrows get thicker when more energy is flowing to and from the various components. This data replaces the standard charge guage next to the tach and I find that guage completely useless. The battery level tells you the state of battery charge and is very useful to know if you should use LGA to get the charge up quicker or should stay in D and get the advantages of coasting. The FE display is also very useful and the past 15 minute graph really encourages you to be efficient and maximize FE. I use the Hybrid system screen when under 40 mph and the FE screen otherwise.

I think most would agree that is the reason to buy the NAV. If you are looking for a good stereo or a good navagation system then there are far better solutions for far less money.

The other reason I got it was because I wanted a factory sunroof and the only way to get one of those is to order the permium package.
Tim

 

Yup...I got the Nav mainly for the hybrid display. I've test drove the Lexus 400h and love their Nav, but still setttled on the *somewhat deficient* FEH/MMH Nav for the hybrid display. Besides, I had no choice: 1 car...get it or wait for the next available 07 MMH.

 

My biggest complaint is that the GPS was bundled with the hybrid gauges. I bought my '05 off the lot and it didn't have the nav unit. When it came time to get the second one, I told the dealer I wanted the exact same thing and bought the '06 off the truck. I look at it like AWD, it would be nice for me to have once in a while but live perfectly fine without it 99% of the time.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have the hybrid gauges as I am sure they are pretty handy and fun to play wth. But, I don't think my (I said my, can't speak for anyone else ) mileage would be any better with them. I can tell by the charge/assist needle when the ICE will fire and have refined my driving style as much as I am going to. I just couldn't justify paying close to $2000 for it.

Maybe one day they will separate the good from the bad.

 

We bought ours equipped with the nav/energy management display to get the hybrid displays, as well. Both my husband and I are geeks, and we wanted all the features the hybrid came with if possible -- especially if they were absolutely unique to the hybrid. The price was painful but we figured we'll have this vehicle a long time and want to enjoy it and show it off, and those displays make it a lot more interesting chatting with folks in the passenger/back seats about how the hybrid functions. "See the arrows?" "Ooooh! Your engine just went off! You're electric right now!?!"

I can't say what I think my MPG would be without the screens. Who knows. But I know I always have those screens on, so much so that I wish you could program one of the hybrid energy mgmt. screens to come up at vehicle start-up, instead of your radio/CD/etc.

(Not sure about the anti-portable GPS vibe I'm getting. I use one, and leave my FEH's nav screen available for the hybrid energy displays, thereby providing me with fuel economy data *and* nav capabilities without interruption of either.)

 

At first I got mine for the coolness factor. It is a hybrid, so why not have a dash board that proves it????

At first I knew nothing about "hypermiling". But with just the energy flow screen, I was getting about EPA ( 35-36 MPG ) from the start.

While not very impressive visually, and quite small in size, the battery charge icon is my most useful tool in the city.

You really don't need the hybrid display if you do mostly highway.
In the city, the Hybrid display 'probably' gives me the advantage to get +5 to +10 MPG over EPA numbers.

It is a rare day that I get LOWER than 46 MPG on my city commute in mild weather.
But with cold starts, short trips, hot summers, cold winters, and A/C use, well, you can see my lifetime average below.

 

All of that is why "spot" mileage is useless number and the only thing that really matters is your average over time.

Sure, take out the ineffient parts of a trip and put any car in perfect conditions and you'll get great mileage compared to te lifetime average. I got 28+ mpg once in my 2004 V6 Escape after filling up with a warm engine and driving the whole tank on the interstate, at the speed limit, on relatively flat terrain and a nice warm day. I never shut the engine down until I needed gas again. If those were the only conditions I ever drove in I never would have gotten rid of it.

Yeah, you can get 46 mpg during controlled parts of your trip but factor in every thing else and reality sets in.