That is it in a nut shell! H

 

Is there a gage or indicator on the dash to see if the update has been applied? Does this apply to ALL second gens? I plan on test driving one soon and would like to know this going in and if the mileage meter says it's only getting 35 or worse maybe I should pass?

 

Take the serial # into Honda and they will tell you if it has the updates. That is probably your only option! H

 

It's probably not better to only take the car because it didn't get the update: earlier battery failure and uncertain warranty replacement in that case...

My 2 cents,
Daniel

 

Actually there is an easy check for the main update... the 5th char of the VIN(the main VIN under the sliding plastic window) will have a punch mark under it. Or for an HCH I its the 3rd number.

hope that helps....

 

I have an 07 HCH. I got the update 2 weeks ago. Both the assist and the regen seem to be more aggressive. My estimate is that the city mileage went up by approx 4 mpg, but I haven't verified against the gas pump yet on a full tank. Now there is very little difference between city and hwy mileage. The SoC used to go to 1 bar or so, now it seems to bottom out at 4 bars. It is harder to find the sweet spot on the accelerator and coast on the highway, and really hard to get assist in that mode. Seems like it is charging without showing it on the indicator. With spring, temperatures (weather) are increasing so mileage is getting better, also removed the snow tires. It has done a recalib at 4 bars, while at other times it gives full assist at a green light while at 4 bars. Doesn't get a full charge a the bottom of a long hill as it used to. The software update improved the clutch performance. It is much smoother pulling out of a parking space than before. One of my co-workers with an 08 HCH was told the update was mandatory to maintain the warranty. The auto-stop routine has changed. It used to idle at 900 rpm for a couple of seconds prior to auto-stop. Now the engine stops from any rpm value when the car reaches a stop. It seems like the rpms are lower in day to day city driving.

 

On the dashboard meter instantly jumped about 3 mpg- and that was with them lowering my air pressure from 40 to 35. Now I seem to be back to where I was before I switched from low RR tires.

 

One thing that I've noticed since getting the update: although the fuel consumption seems to have remained somewhat similar (probably due to my very soft driving style in this car), the battery charge level logic is now completely geared towards preserving the battery and not to improve my fuel consumption.

I used to keep the battery charge at 6/8 most of the time and it never went below 4/8. Ever. This gave me a comfortable buffer for climbing long hills or running the A/C in heavy traffic.

Now the battery charge is almost always at 4/8 and even going down long hills will not make it increase the charge. Once in a while (still haven't figured out what the pattern is), it will go up to 8/8 for a few minutes, and then it will slowly go back down to 4/8 again. Sometimes, leaving for work in the morning, the battery charge goes down to 3/8 while I accelerate (slowly) to reach the speed limit.

Fortunately I don't need to go up long hills very often but I'm curious how this will impact my A/C use in summer traffic. Fortunately again, I live in Canada so the summer months are rarely very hot for extended periods.

 

Try using your 'S' gear for some down/uphills – you may find better battery management than before your update.

 

I am very skeptical as to what the car displays as state-of-charge, vs actual state of charge. I suspect every time there is a recalibration, the computer establishes a new full charge target. Prior to selling ours I found recalibration came with increasing frequency, and near "full" charge could drop off very quickly, comparing to when the car was new.

FWIW, the car is still in the family, and doing ok since the software update.