[sirius]

Originally Posted by RS01

1. Stopping on the traffic lights – do I use the Hold function/brakes and leave the gear shifter in D or should I shift to N with Hold or to move to P?

Shift to N and press brakes or move to P if you have to idle for a long time.

Originally Posted by RS01

3. Going Downhill, I have been trained to shift to a lower gear for engine braking. Now since I don’t have gears anymore in the normal D mode, I’m worried if enough engine braking is available automatically or should I be doing something about it.

4. I’m not sure if the +/- gears in D or S even work the same way as a manual. One of the Toyota’s video says e-CVT has infinite gears. Should I shift to manual or let the engine do its thing while going downhill/ overtaking/ normal traffic/ highway driving.

5. Any suggestions or resources on how to make best use of S mode.

For downhill, use sports mode which will keep your car in the lower ratio gear. if the incline is steep use paddle shifters too to reduce the gear.
The same is the case while going in water-logged areas.

[RS01]

Today, I shifted to N and held brakes at a traffic signal. It turned out to be longer stop than expected due to heavy traffic. The car started beeping with a message at the MID: "shift to D to protect traction battery".

I believe the Hybrid battery needs to charge even when stationary in bumper to bumper traffic, which is only achievable if the vehicle is in D.

So it seems the vehicle has answered my query itself

Still, going through this thread, I see that the topic has been discussed through decades now without a clear SOP. I feel every car is a different machine with its own gearbox type, hybrid and other setups and a one-size-fits-all may not be possible.

I think we all love our cars and that's why the topic garners much discussion, particularly from the folks transitioning from manuals to automatics. I don't remember much thought being given when people shifted from a geared to a non-geared scooter (although we love our two wheelers too) and that transition was relatively more seamless.

[cosmodan]

Originally Posted by sirius

Shift to N and press brakes or move to P if you have to idle for a long time.

Please do remember that shifting to P unlocks the door in some of the cars. It would not be an ideal scenario to unlock the doors while in traffic signal. My preference is to put in N and use hand brake.

[manupshankar]

For points 3&4 we will be using excessive brakes if relying only on Drive mode
For toyota / Honda CVT we can use the paddle to down the gears even in D.
You can drive wiith paddle for a while.
It automatically goes back to D more after a while, after driving in the top gear.
Or you can switch to manual and back to revert to normal D.
I use this for downhill as well as braking. At signals.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Whole heartedly agree on the bold part. It is lazy manufacturers and their lazy engineers who program the gear shifts that way.
In my conventional automatic also the gear shifts happen at 2000 RPM, which is criminally high - and perhaps the number one cause of high fuel consumption. Especially in city's rush hour traffic where your speed is typically below 20 kmph.

In my normal driving (which doesn't place any high torque demand), I shift from 1st to 2nd at 1000-1200 RPM, 2nd to 3rd at ~1500 RPM, 3rd to 4th at 1500-1800 RPM. Since lower gears produce higher torque at the wheel, one need not wait till high RPM to upshift.

Lugging the engine at low rpms is the primary cause of high fuel consumption because accelerating is a part of every day driving and we just need to accept it.

One need not wait till high rpm to upshift usually only in 1st gear. Most cars these days have tall gearing and this means that 2nd gear onwards one does need to be at higher rpms in order to be able to put their foot down and not lug the engine.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Lugging the engine at low rpms is the primary cause of high fuel consumption because accelerating is a part of every day driving and we just need to accept it.

One need not wait till high rpm to upshift usually only in 1st gear. Most cars these days have tall gearing and this means that 2nd gear onwards one does need to be at higher rpms in order to be able to put their foot down and not lug the engine.

Can you help me some kind of reasoning for this (why)?
Perhaps explain using the specific fuel consumption maps and gear ratios?

Acceptable acceleration to you may be higher than what is comfortable to me. This alone cannot justify shifting at higher RPM than what I find comfortable.

[Entells]

Earlier I used to keep my car on D and press brakes untill the signal turns green. Now, I have a habit of instantly changing the gear to N and then put hand brake.
The credit goes to my wife. After marriage she used to pin point many small small things that I never cared about. But because those things were actually correct and I was neglecting them from a long time, I have started following some of them.
Shifting to Neutral at traffic lights is one of the things