[HONDA-UK-DUDE]

As a hybrid owner, I can confirm you can certainly run into performance issues when going uphill for a long time. As soon as you deplete your battery (and if you push the car hard, you certainly do that fast). There are certain ways to avoid that - use sport mode proactively.

Also as a previous 2.2 I-dtec owner (which you probably also own now) - your diesel will usually never run out of power, keep this in mind. And before buying a hybrid, do an extensive test drive. Your concerns about performance are valid.

You know what I am sick of this..

If you READ THE MANUAL. It says switch the vehicle to sport mode for, overtaking, highway driving, high speed driving and any sort ot "performance" requirement. It is more than adequate for the design scope of the vehicle and offers performance that far outweighs the rivals of KIA, HYUNDAI, etc.

It is not a track day weapon, or a hot hatch, it is not a performance car, or trying to be some kind of german autobahn clone.

It has been designed to function as a comfortable, economical, practical runabout vehicle, the clue is IN THE NAME, CRV

If you want a high performance vehicle, buy a CIVIC TYPE R instead, they are about the same price as the CRV. Or even better, do what I do and keep your speed demons to two wheels and get a motorcycle. You will quickly realise once you have been riding for long enough no high performance car can offer the thrills two wheels can; and Honda make something called the fireblade.

Honda have nothing to prove with this vehicle; it does what it was designed to do so stop winging like a little girl, either sell the car and get something else or be happy with what is was designed to do.

 

[metcalfjohn]

As a hybrid owner, I can confirm you can certainly run into performance issues when going uphill for a long time. As soon as you deplete your battery (and if you push the car hard, you certainly do that fast). There are certain ways to avoid that - use sport mode proactively.

@JeffJo has much deeper knowledge about how Honda's system works, but wouldn't the gasoline engine (as electricity generator for the electric motor that is usually driving the vehicle) simply continue to provide power to the electric motor when the battery is nearly depleted? You may hear the engine working to deliver that power, but how the engine sounds is a different concern than whether it can provide the power.

 

[RTI_MD]

@JeffJo has much deeper knowledge about how Honda's system works, but wouldn't the gasoline engine (as electricity generator for the electric motor that is usually driving the vehicle) simply continue to provide power to the electric motor when the battery is nearly depleted? You may hear the engine working to deliver that power, but how the engine sounds is a different concern than whether it can provide the power.

I'm sure @JeffJo has deep knowledge about how Honda works, we've previously discussed some topics. He can probably confirm this - indeed, the ICE works as a power generator, although the generator motor provides 105Kw max which is trying to feed the electric motor which has 135Kw...
Of course the battery on the CRV never gets fully depleted, the system is trying to always keep a "healthy" charge of about 20%, although I'm not entirely sure it's usable in these conditions.

P.S.
My feedback from the power issues, is based purely on my observations, and is purely subjective. I do agree that in normal driving conditions, you will not run into any problems. (some of the members stated that they didn't go full throttle on their CRV, I probably drive different with different loads and different conditions... We're all different, with different perceptions and opinions. If being different is not welcome on this forum, I apologise - my post can be deleted, as it has been previously.)

You know what I am sick of this..

If you READ THE MANUAL. It says switch the vehicle to sport mode for, overtaking, highway driving, high speed driving and any sort ot "performance" requirement.

If you carefully read my reply, I've clearly stated this - "There are certain ways to avoid that - use sport mode proactively."

Disagree. Like you, and as a 3x 2.2 i-DTEC CR-V owner, the diesel runs out of steam once you hit the red line/limiter - irrespective of whether you are on a flat road or going uphill.

But anyway, this is about the Hybrid....

Having had 6 gears on my diesel CRV, never had any issues hitting the red line, unless I were in 6th gear...

 

[metcalfjohn]

indeed, the ICE works as a power generator, although the generator motor provides 105Kw max which is trying to feed the electric motor which has 135Kw...

Point. I wasn’t allowing for the smaller “generator” motor.

P.S.
My feedback from the power issues, is based purely on my observations, and is purely subjective. I do agree that in normal driving conditions, you will not run into any problems. (some of the members stated that they didn't go full throttle on their CRV, I probably drive different with different loads and different conditions... We're all different, with different perceptions and opinions. If being different is not welcome on this forum, I apologise - my post can be deleted, as it has been previously.)

The purpose of the forum is to hear various perspectives, isn’t it? I live in a relatively flat region with moderate motorway speeds, so my experience and comments reflect that. The needs of prospective CR-V Hybrid buyers who will often race up the face of Jungfrau with their extended family at 150 km/h differ from mine, so other drivers with similar experiences are more helpful to them.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

Having had 6 gears on my diesel CRV, never had any issues hitting the red line, unless I were in 6th gear...

Off topic, but you misunderstood my point. Hitting the red line isnt the issue. Its an issue thereafter its hit - there is no power/upside at all - you hit the wall, so to speak. But I digress....

 

[RTI_MD]

Off topic, but you misunderstood my point. Hitting the red line isnt the issue. Its an issue thereafter its hit - there is no power/upside at all - you hit the wall, so to speak. But I digress....

offtopic I totally understood your point. I can explain how I view it. The "wall" or the ceiling, that you've mentioned, about the diesel CRV is a bit higher, here's why:

The 2.2 I-Dtec has 350NM (±260lft) @2000-2800 rpm available in any gear (that's why I said it never runs out of steam, in comparison with the hybrid). The diesel has lower power, but that's in the higher RPM (that's how torque vs power band works, it's a simple formula).

The hybrid on the other hand, has 232(315nm) lb-ft @ 0 - 2000 rpm, and since the electric motor has no gear-box, [and from some data it spins to 13500rpm] => considering the top speed is 185km/h, 2000rpm would correspond to roughly to 27km/h; after this speed the torque of the electric motor will slowly go down.

my math could be wrong, but I'm assuming the electric motor has a linear power delivery/gear

Hybrid specs here - 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid Specifications & Features

 

[Niels]

Hello to all

Before my CR-V Hybrid I had the Civic 1.5 sport + with Hondata tuning... (235 hp and 340Nm of torque on Super Premium 98 octane fuel without any ethanol). I did the tuning (and absolutely drove likewise) before I got married. Just to indicate I was quiet spoiled and really (really) enjoyed my regular 1400 km road trips on holiday from Belgium to central Italy. On mountain passes such as the Swiss San Gottardo the Civic easily kept up with the likes of an Audi A5 V6 etc.

I switched to the CR-V for the obvious (and indeed all too stereotype) reason that we needed more space and... that with my wife and daughter (and our dog) in the car, I needed to mature my driving style.

Still, I was wary of how the CR-V Hybrid would fare on the mountainous highways through France, Swiss and Italy. We took delivery of the CR-V on November 20th and on Christmas Day we already got the chance to find out. The San Gottardo mountain pass was (of course) closed, so we didn't get the chance to experience that just yet. That'll be for our summer holiday's...

So far though it turns out that power absolutely is more than adequate. Sure, the Civic was way faster. But even when loaded for about 75%, the CR-V always easily held on to 135 km/h on the French autoroute and in Switzerland I still had to pay attention not to exceed the 120 km/h speed limit. On the Italian highway through the Apennines my wife even noticed that I had discovered the CR-V's Civic-DNA and was still enjoying myself going up the hills at 150 or more km/h. Fuel consumption of course did become another story, rising to approximately 8 liters/100 km instead of the 5,5 I'm now used to on my daily trips.
After 9,2k km, I have not yet used "Sport" mode. The battery has never fallen below 20%.

So, yes, the CR-V Hybrid is not (and does not pretend to be) a race car but as a family hauler it's absolutely great: easily fast enough, economical, superbly spacious and practical and always comfortable and smooth. It more than lives up to its name of a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.

 

[HONDA-UK-DUDE]

The generator motor provides 105Kw max which is trying to feed the electric motor which has 135Kw..

Can I please just clarify the meanings of these power figures. They are not absolute, the motor may well be capable of delivering/drawing 135kw, but in reality it will spend most of its time at half that power, and more likely a 3rd or under. I'd imagine that running the car at its top speed of 112 mph for extended periods of time is really the only time you are going to be pulling the full 135 kw of power from the system as a whole and I doubt it would be able to sustain that for long, my guess would be a few mins.

Also about the generator, most battery systems I know of, cannot be charged at the same peak discharge rate. This is why the generator has been designed to deliver 4/5 of the power the motor makes as a safety margin. Consider that assuming the system voltage is 500 volts, your looking at 210 amps of current being dumped back to the battery at its peak rate (in theory) that is a hell of a lot of power. That's insane that a battery can absorb that kind of charge. For comparisons sake, my house mains is 415v 100 amps, that a rating of 40KW. No wonder these battery packs are actively cooled. When you consider it, a hybrid car demands more from its battery pack than a full electric car, as full electric cars are no where near charged up at the same rate.

The motor unit can draw 270 Amps at 500 volts on full load, and the CRV battery that can deliver 1KW over a one hour period before fully discharged which assuming at 500 volts is 2 amp-hours. So with a load of 135KW at 500 volts, that's 270 amps of discharge the battery will be fully depleted in approx 20 seconds. Then of course you have the engine dumping in 210 amps of power, assuming that this is ALL going to the battery (it isn't, but for the sake of simplicity) then of course this will increase the time available on the battery. And we know that in the real world, some of that power is sent directly back to the motor and doesn't even go to the battery, its pretty mind boggling tbh.

Perhaps asking you to stop complaining like a little girl was a bit juvenile on my part, and for that I apologise. But the the hybrid car is a completely different type of vehicle and you need to get your head around that. Its not a performance car, its design scope, and complexities are vastly different to most other vehicles.

 

[beww]

As a hybrid owner, I can confirm you can certainly run into performance issues when going uphill for a long time. As soon as you deplete your battery (and if you push the car hard, you certainly do that fast). There are certain ways to avoid that - use sport mode proactively.

I don't think it's possible to "deplete" the HV battery in the BEV sense. The system simply won't let you do that.
I routinely climb Sherman Hill, which is a challenge, just ask any trucker or RR engineer, never had any issues with power.
I have learned the "Roar" you get sometimes seems to be at least partly artificial "Blow and Show", not directly related to performance.
I only use Sport mode to get heat faster, I haven't found any other use for it (except it remembers the regen setting).

 

[SpectraBob]

My 2020 CRV Hybrid Touring with nearly 30k miles has been fine on highway ascents. That said, if I were buying a car for the highway, I wouldn't get the hybrid. The real benefits (ie improved mpg) of the hybrid are in the city. A hybrid on the highway loses a lot its efficiency given the extra weight of the batteries, etc. I think the highway mpg rating for the hybrid is lower than the non-hybrid.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[HONDA-UK-DUDE]

My 2020 CRV Hybrid Touring with nearly 30k miles has been fine on highway ascents. That said, if I were buying a car for the highway, I wouldn't get the hybrid. The real benefits (ie improved mpg) of the hybrid are in the city. A hybrid on the highway loses a lot its efficiency given the extra weight of the batteries, etc. I think the highway mpg rating for the hybrid is lower than the non-hybrid.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Correct, the hybrid gives better fuel economy for town driving. But it's still pretty damn good on the motorway too, but yes better in town.

 

[Hybrid Theory]

Just brought my Hybrid to the mountains, it does really make allot of noise but it does get the job done maybe a little bit of struggling even switching to sports mode the sound even gets louder and for the first time my battery charge meter got to full because of the down hills after going up hill,. Another note it did do better than I expected that it would after reading about it. But I still love the way this car drives I only go to these kind of up hill roads maybe once a year so I do not recommend this Hybrid or any other if you live in the mountain area all year round.

 

[JB in AZ]

This extra engine noise (or roar) in hybrids when they are working hard (fast acceleration or going up hill) is not unique to Honda Hybrids. Our Toyota Highlander Hybrid, is very quiet, until a load is placed on the engine, then it is very unbecoming! LOL Nature of the beast at the moment. I hear (see what I did there?) that EVs are much quieter.

 

[williamsji]

Just brought my Hybrid to the mountains, it does really make allot of noise but it does get the job done maybe a little bit of struggling even switching to sports mode the sound even gets louder and for the first time my battery charge meter got to full because of the down hills after going up hill,. Another note it did do better than I expected that it would after reading about it. But I still love the way this car drives I only go to these kind of up hill roads maybe once a year so I do not recommend this Hybrid or any other if you live in the mountain area all year round.

Your ear becomes accustomed to normal sounds of your vehicle, when driving under normal conditions. Therefore it is overly sensitive to any new or different noise. In your case.. the ICE power train working harder to assist with the power demands of steep mountain road trips.

Keep in mind, the 2.0 ICE in your hybrid is electronically tuned to produced an "Atkinson cycle" and that also changes the noise characteristics of the engine and hence the vehicle. It is also an engine that is a bit under powered if it were the sole driving force for the vehicle. Also you have no transmission, but rather a eCVT which is actually a single drive engaged/not-engaged ICE power train. Bottom line, you should expect very different noise from your ICE component of you hybrid when it is running under heavy load conditions (such as mountain grade climbs).

I agree with you that hybrids in general are sub-optimal for mountain driving, and probably always will be. Mountain driving is a thing for sure, but not for a majority of owners so I would not expect vehicle manufacturers to specifically design for mountain driving, only doing so enough to "get the job done".. albeit less than ideally. Buyers need to understand that hybrids shine their brightest when used mainly for urban mixed speed stop and go driving. They don't really pay much in mpg dividends on highway driving, nor are they optimized for high load conditions like mountain roads. They can do mountains, but not ideally and it is not their sweet spot.