Sensitive Accellerator

I have been driving a Toyota Prius for the past 7 years and just took delivery of my new RED CX-5 GT with the Tech Package. NICE CAR!!

The one thing I am having a hard time getting use to is the very sensitive accelerator. I got use to the immediate torque of the Prius but the CX-5 seems to be even more sensitive and it feels like I'm coming off the line at a race when I barely touch the pedal.

Any comments?

Tom

They do tend to lurch off the line a bit if you're not careful. What I've learned to do is anticipate the light changing and take my foot off the brake just before it does to allow the car to take off on it's own just a bit before I get on the gas. This makes for a smoother start.

Tom95134 said:

I have been driving a Toyota Prius for the past 7 years and just took delivery of my new RED CX-5 GT with the Tech Package. NICE CAR!!

The one thing I am having a hard time getting use to is the very sensitive accelerator. I got use to the immediate torque of the Prius but the CX-5 seems to be even more sensitive and it feels like I'm coming off the line at a race when I barely touch the pedal.

Any comments?

Tom

Click to expand...

I find the CX-5 to be the exact opposite. Linear drive by wire throttle. I actually wish it had more pick up from a dig, but can't expect much from a NA 4 banger even with direct injection and the 4-2-1 header.

Tom95134 said:

The one thing I am having a hard time getting use to is the very sensitive accelerator. I got use to the immediate torque of the Prius but the CX-5 seems to be even more sensitive and it feels like I'm coming off the line at a race when I barely touch the pedal.

Any comments?

Tom

Click to expand...

I've noticed the accelerator pedal is very linear in response. This makes it feel more powerful off the line and less powerful at higher speeds. But it takes all of five minutes to learn how to drive it in all situations.

Go test drive a Camaro, a Corvette and a Mustang. The CX-5 will feel very tame when you're done.

Seriously though, I've definitely never felt that the CX-5 was too peppy off the line. Nothing even close has ever crossed my mind. So if yours is scaring you, you might want to take it back to the dealer to check it out, maybe something needs calibrating.

Tom95134 said:

I have been driving a Toyota Prius for the past 7 years and just took delivery of my new RED CX-5 GT with the Tech Package. NICE CAR!!

The one thing I am having a hard time getting use to is the very sensitive accelerator. I got use to the immediate torque of the Prius but the CX-5 seems to be even more sensitive and it feels like I'm coming off the line at a race when I barely touch the pedal.

Any comments?

Tom

Click to expand...

Note that what you might be feeling is the hill stop assist feature. Basically, the car applies brakes when you are stopped and not on completely level ground then "unbrakes" about a second after you take your foot off the brake. So if you lift your foot off the brake and press the accelerator, there can be an instant where you aren't really moving, but will lurch forward as soon as the hill stop assist quits "assisting".

I would think it would mainly be a feature for the manual transmission so I was a little surprised when I heard it was on the auto transmission also. Paris1 has a good suggestion to try taking your foot off the brake a little ahead of time, leaving an extra second for the hill stop assist to quit "assisting" before pressing on teh accelerator.

If I remember the manual correctly, I think hill asist disengages as soon as any amount of gas is given (or after a second if not), so I doubt that is the reason. I think it's just another car and you simply need to get used to the slightly different feeling of it...

All electronic throttles can be programmed differently to respond in different ways.

I have a prius in the family, so I know exactly what you're talking about.

Something like the prius, it is programmed to force the driver to be more economically minded. They do this by requiring much more travel/input from the driver to get a certain amount of acceleration. This makes the driver not want to drive so fast or push the car so hard due to the big inputs. With cars that are not very economically minded, their throttles require a lot less throttle input to get the acceleration so the car feels more powerful and responsive (something you'd want in a Camaro, a Corvette and a Mustang). My Miata's throttle response would scare the bejesus out of you if you think the cx5's throttle is sensitive. I feel like I could just look at the gas pedal and get the engine to rev up to 4k rpm. lol.

The CX5 just takes some getting used to, but you'll learn quick. I find the throttle response is right in the middle of being somewhat performance oriented and economical, which is perfect for this type of vehicle. Like others said, it's a very linear response and does very well at balancing responsiveness vs fuel efficiency.

Just spend some more time driving the cx5 around and you'll get used to it in no time. Who could complain about having to drive the cx5 more? (drive)

vroom said:

If I remember the manual correctly, I think hill asist disengages as soon as any amount of gas is given (or after a second if not), so I doubt that is the reason. I think it's just another car and you simply need to get used to the slightly different feeling of it...

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Well speaking from experience with my 6MT, moving your foot from the brake to the accelerator when not on level ground causes the car to not move for an instant then suddenly move forward when the hill stop assist quits "assisting". It is really noticable and I assume someone who isn't used to this might think it could be due to a sensitive accelerator. I think Paris1 has the auto trans and shared the same suggestion on how to get a smoother start.

So whether you doubt some real world experience in the US and may have read something about the HSA disengaging "as soon as" any gas is given or not, I'd like to hear if the OP can try this and see if he can notice any difference.

Buger said:

So whether you doubt some real world experience in the US and may have read something about the HSA disengaging "as soon as" any gas is given or not, I'd like to hear if the OP can try this and see if he can notice any difference.

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Well, I have some real world experience in Canada (exact same system as in the US) with the auto transmission, been on many hills (anyone who has been in Quebec City knows what I mean), and never felt any lag at all. It might be a difference between MT and AT. I still think it't just a matter of geting used to a car with a more sporty feeling than the fuel consious Prius. In any case, any suggestion the OP cant try out that might help him enjoy his car more is worth trying!