When you guys take off from a stop sign (i.e. normal city street driving) or stoplight is the car in electric mode for a few seconds before it switches to gas or does the engine come on almost immediately? If it stays in electric up to say 5-8 mph and then switches to gas...what gear is the tranny in at that moment?
The reason I ask is that my Volt has TOTALLY spoiled me with its smooth no gear shifting acceleration...like having a CVT transmission but w/o the noise or any of the other drawbacks - basically, it has redefined my definition of "smooth". On a regular car, most "shifting complaints" (i.e. my car shifts too hard, too soft, downshifts too early or late, etc.) seem to revolve around shifting coming from a stop (i.e. 1-2 shift and 2-3) and coming to a stop. If you can eliminate just those shifts with a hybrid you would achieve many of the smoothness benefits of an electric. I look forward to the feedback.
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