Yaris Hybrid Heater

[Heyender]

Hi, Just bought a new (to me) 2013 Yaris Hybrid and find the heating system very poor. Any advice on getting the best setting? I've been driving a Hyundai i10 for 5 years, with very basic controls, but boy could it warm up the passengers better than the Yaris. The aircon cuts in automatically (and I shut it off) but perhaps I need to leave it alone and let the clever electronics do their stuff?

Any advice welcome.

Thanks

[IanLorenc]

The crux of the problem is that whilst almost all cars are Otto cycle engines (which generate a lot of heat, and therefore have lots to spare for the heater), Toyota hybrids are Atkinson cycle engines. These don't generate as much heat (because that's inefficient), and I've found the heater doesn't get as hot, as any other car I've owned. Also, if you set the heater to hot, then a lot of the time, the Hybrid System Drive will automatically get and keep the engine running, to provide some heat.

To be honest, I can't wait for summer when hopefully I won't need the heater. I refuse to have the engine running to get heat, so I'm freezing at the moment. Probably not the answer you were looking for, but...


Also, you may notice a problem with condensation, because the heater doesn't get hot enough to fully dry out any moisture in the cabin. I had a problem with heavy condensation on the inside of the windows. I bought a £5.99 re-usable 'moisture grabber' (basically a big silica gel pouch) from Homebase, and that sorted that issue out.

Also, the headlights are rubbish (especially full-beam), the LRR tyres are frightening in the wet (doesn't take much to get the ABS triggered), and I'm averaging about 60mpg, which is quite a way off the official figure of 80mpg.
Apart from those issues, I'm digging my Yar-Hyb.

[Heyender]

Ian - many thanks for taking the time to reply. I understand now why the heating is poor. It seems a slightly mad world when you buy a car with the Hybrid's credentials only to find that if you want to be warm in winter you'll sacrifice some of the fuel saving! I've been driving Hyundai i10s for 5 years, and since getting the Yaris a week ago I've wondered why I didn't get my third i10!

I'm watching the fuel consumption, expecting to see that the miles from a tankful will increase with careful driving. Some hope!

I'm sure I will get over these rather negative feelings and come to enjoy the car!

Thanks again. - and for the extra info about other 'issues'

Peter

[Cyker]

That is the slight irony of driving a very efficient car; The wasted energy that would heat you up isn't there any more so you have to spend that efficiency on making heat

I have a similar problem with my Yaris D4D; I can get half way to work in winter before the cold engine light even goes out!

If I am a bit more aggressive with acceleration I can get it to warm up much faster but this obviously has an impact on the mpg.