Pre-heat

[John Ratsey]

Is your Crosstar kept in a garage or open on a drive? Also does the engine keep running until the cabin set temperature is reached? I would expect Honda to program the climate control to keep the engine running until the set temperature is achieved.

My Crosstar lives outside. Yes, the difference between target and actual cabin temperatures affects what the engine does and enabling the Econ mode increases the allowable difference between the two temperatures. Ideally a running engine is doing some useful work (moving the vehicle or charging the battery or both) and the heat is just a by-product. Running the engine to provide heat when the vehicle isn't moving and the battery is fully charged is a poor use of fuel. Honda provided an electrically powered aircon to avoid the engine running just to keep the vehicle occupants cool but omitted to make any similar provision for the cold half of the year (and it does get cold in Japan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55359771 ).

[Expatman]

My Crosstar lives outside. Yes, the difference between target and actual cabin temperatures affects what the engine does and enabling the Econ mode increases the allowable difference between the two temperatures. Ideally a running engine is doing some useful work (moving the vehicle or charging the battery or both) and the heat is just a by-product. Running the engine to provide heat when the vehicle isn't moving and the battery is fully charged is a poor use of fuel. Honda provided an electrically powered aircon to avoid the engine running just to keep the vehicle occupants cool but omitted to make any similar provision for the cold half of the year (and it does get cold in Japan https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-55359771 ).
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Sorry to be pedantic but on a cold morning does the engine keep running until the cabin has warmed up or does it cut out and leave you in the cold? For example in a line of slow moving stop/start traffic would the engine keep running to provide warmth or would you sit in the cold, and if so for how long?

[Kremmen]

Not pedantic at all in my book, I'm interested as well.

This maybe Hondas first attempt at this technology and may have made mistakes.

This is the time of year for MK4 owners to tell us what's actually happening under various road conditions. For me, if the engine runs longer to keep me warm then I'm not bothered about a bit of extra fuel.

[Jocko]

This maybe Hondas first attempt at this technology and may have made mistakes.

This drive/transmission system was used in the 2014 Accord Hybrid, then from 2017 until the present on the Accord Hybrid. It was introduced to the Clarity PHEV in 2018, the Insight from 2019 and the CR-V from 2020 so it is new, but not exactly their first attempt with this system. It will be interesting to see how Jazz/Crosstar owners fair over the winter concerning cabin heating though the lockdown and reduced mileages won't help.

[Kremmen]

Thanks Jocko, glad I used the 'maybe' as I wasn't sure.

Next question ........ from the posts, I've picked up that the drive is via electric only and the engine is there primarily to top up the battery pack ?

If so, why a 1500cc ? Wouldn't  a far smaller, say, 500cc do the job more efficiently ?

[ColinB]

Next question ........ from the posts, I've picked up that the drive is via electric only and the engine is there primarily to top up the battery pack ?

If so, why a 1500cc ? Wouldn't  a far smaller, say, 500cc do the job more efficiently ?

Even I know the answer to that one. You might usefully have a look at Honda’s website for the Jazz, which explains the various drive modes. When the road speed gets high enough (I think it’s around 40-50mph) the hybrid system can’t supply enough power and the engine starts driving the wheels directly. At that point, you lose the advantages of the hybrid drive, the car is behaving more like a normal ICE but the engine is having to move a heavy car (because of the weight penalty of the hybrid system) as well as charge the battery. I suspect Honda decided a smaller engine would struggle, especially given the criticisms aimed at the 1.4 in the Mk3 of it being “underpowered”. The flip side of that is that fuel economy drops off in direct drive mode.

[Jocko]

Next question ........ from the posts, I've picked up that the drive is via electric only and the engine is there primarily to top up the battery pack ?

This video, posted on another thread, is excellent. It shows the transmission's workings, in easy to understand terms, and is definitely worth the watching.

[Kremmen]

Ah ha, so the engine can drive the wheels, thanks

[MRCLICKCLICK]

We find that a) the heated seats in the crossbar are great, B) on cold days we wrap up warm - maybe its not the done thing with youngsters - but us oldies have it in built. 

[Jocko]

I always wrap up warm in the car. On the other hand, my wife takes her coat/jacket off before she gets in. I keep saying to her; if we were involved in an accident and waiting to get cut free, you could die of hypothermia before the fire brigade were on the scene.

[Kremmen]

I never wear anything coat, gloves or hat related when driving. I find it hampers me.

If the car won't get to ~20C inside or at least blowing hot air within about 5 miles then that's a fail.

[ColinB]

I once had a job that involved an occasional trip in a Beech King Air (small turbo-prop). The shirt-sleeved pilot would look at his 6 or 7 passengers bundled up in coats and scarves on a cold morning, and remark that we should take note of what the pilot was wearing. Sure enough, it got very warm soon after engine start!

[Downsizer]

The older readers will remember the days when cars did not have heaters - hence the car rug for passengers, and warm driving gloves.

[Kremmen]

All this info is useful, thanks.

Something to note when I book the test drive, have they pre-warmed it.

[culzean]

I always wrap up warm in the car. On the other hand, my wife takes her coat/jacket off before she gets in. I keep saying to her; if we were involved in an accident and waiting to get cut free, you could die of hypothermia before the fire brigade were on the scene.

Is it a woman thing ? My wife sits on the sofa in a blouse when outside temp of 1 or 2 degrees and wants to turn up the thermostat to make the house tropical,  I just put a jumper on,  the room is already over 20 degrees, but the bad news is that when the thermostat keeps getting turned up your body gets used to it and needs it turned up some more.....  I always wrap up warm in the car,  but with things like a zipped fleece what I can unzip a bit.  The problem with modern car heaters ( like Honda, but maybe they are just the worst )  is that the vents start blowing warm air but after a few miles as the cabin heats up the vent air gets cooler and in the end feels it like a cold draught ( my wife complains about it ) - so you turn up the temperature and it blows warm again for a while,  then goes cold again ( this is not on auto climate control ).  I did an experiment a few years ago with a dual readout thermometer with a thermistor on a wire, I poked the wire into the vent and went for a drive in fairly cold conditions,  the air from vent started off at below ambient,  quickly climbed to about 50degC then started to drop and it actually went below ambient ( from car instrument outside temp reading ), after blowing cold air for a while it decided the cabin was getting cold and blew slightly warm air,  then went cold again, causing a cold draught.  What I wouldn't give for the two heater controls on your MK1 Jocko, one  for fan speed and one for vent air temperature - so you can set it to blow warm air and it keeps blowing warn air,  if you get too hot you turn it down - but it still blows warm air.   I hate car automation.. it never really seems to work very well.