Mystery buttons you never use?

[Nick72]

I just noticed I had a button right in front of me I never ever use. Never thought about it either. Until now. 

Fast Eco ... it's on the air con panel. Now I thought Air Con and a bunch of other stuff were already moded off the Drive mode. So if you were driving in Eco then the air con and heated seats etc are deliberately under powered to save energy. 

So... What does it do?

I've had a skim of some US Forums and the mystery only deepens for me. Some saying it keeps the ICE on longer before switching back to EV. I need to understand that.

What other buttons do you never use or didn't realise they were there?

[kucyk]

16 minutes ago, Nick72 said:

I just noticed I had a button right in front of me I never ever use. Never thought about it either. Until now. 

Fast Eco ... it's on the air con panel. Now I thought Air Con and a bunch of other stuff were already moded off the Drive mode. So if you were driving in Eco then the air con and heated seats etc are deliberately under powered to save energy. 

So... What does it do?

I've had a skim of some US Forums and the mystery only deepens for me. Some saying it keeps the ICE on longer before switching back to EV. I need to understand that.

What other buttons do you never use or didn't realise they were there?

Just noticed yesterday the one to turn off the traction control, never used that one. If you would ask me two days ago where it's located, I wouldn't be able to answer it.

[Bernard Foy]

Hi Luke, from a fast fading memory, iirc it powers up the de-icing/ windscreen de-misting system. Details should be in your handbook.

[Tove]

I just discovered the switch that transfers airflow from all the car to front only and if there is only the driver in the car, it's only to the driver.  Also spotted the Fast/Eco and not a clue what it's for!  I presume different rates of airflow?  There is nothing in the user manual except for 'blower customisation switch'

[Roy124]

12 minutes ago, Tove said:

There is nothing in the user manual except for 'blower customisation switch'

Hard copy or download manual?  Using the download and searching with your own search terms often throws up information omitted from the hard copy or indexed differently from what you expect. 

[nlee]

As far as I know, it just changes the fan speed when AC is in Auto. It cycles from normal, fast & eco. I don't use it but I seem to recall when you drive in eco, it sets this eco as well (but you can drive in Eco and change this back to normal if you wish).

Manual states.....

■ Blower customization

The fan speed can be adjusted

according to your preference.

1 Press the automatic mode or

airflow mode control switch.

2 Press the blower customization

switch.

3 Each time the blower customization switch is pressed, the fan

speed changes as follows.

Normal → “ECO” → “FAST”

[nlee]

I never use the Auto EV/HEV button. I get what it's supposed to do but I could never tell any difference from being in EV (obviously talking about PHEV). Never used the long press to charge the traction Battery from the ICE either. 

[Nick72]

2 hours ago, kucyk said:

Just noticed yesterday the one to turn off the traction control, never used that one. If you would ask me two days ago where it's located, I wouldn't be able to answer it.

Where the devil is that? And isn't that just the same as putting the car in trail mode where traction control is disabled so the wheels deliberately spin? Now I need to look.

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, nlee said:

I never use the Auto EV/HEV button. I get what it's supposed to do but I could never tell any difference from being in EV (obviously talking about PHEV). Never used the long press to charge the traction battery from the ICE either. 

Me neither on those. 

Nor have I used the shifter in S +  -. Its a CVT. Why would I want to do that and what on earth does it mean.

[NASY]

So I use the Auto EV/HEV button, usually after an overnight charge which sometimes puts the car in EV mode, which then precludes use of 300 plus BHP as only electric drive. Shifter in S is great for retardation on long declines. CVT - well yes of course however it's variation can take a steer from the operators inputs like a pianos pedals.

[kucyk]

3 hours ago, Nick72 said:

Where the devil is that? And isn't that just the same as putting the car in trail mode where traction control is disabled so the wheels deliberately spin? Now I need to look.

I don't think it's the same, this one turns off ESP and TCS, so the car won't correct skidding by breaking specific wheels etc 

[Terry10]

6 hours ago, Nick72 said:

I just noticed I had a button right in front of me I never ever use. Never thought about it either. Until now. 

Fast Eco ... it's on the air con panel. Now I thought Air Con and a bunch of other stuff were already moded off the Drive mode. So if you were driving in Eco then the air con and heated seats etc are deliberately under powered to save energy. 

So... What does it do?

I've had a skim of some US Forums and the mystery only deepens for me. Some saying it keeps the ICE on longer before switching back to EV. I need to understand that.

What other buttons do you never use or didn't realise they were there?

ECO BUTTON. Just had a conversation on another thread here about this button . I have been using this mode for most of the 3 years that I have owned my Rav and even complained to the dealer about my rubbish heated seats. The reason I used eco mode is because I get dry eye and air conditioning makes it worse. So the eco button runs everything at a lower rate.What I didn't know was that it also lessens the output of heated seats as well.Turned eco off and the seats are now acceptable.You live and learn!!!!!
Terry.

[Terry10]

3 minutes ago, Terry10 said:

ECO BUTTON. Just had a conversation on another thread here about this button . I have been using this mode for most of the 3 years that I have owned my Rav and even complained to the dealer about my rubbish heated seats. The reason I used eco mode is because I get dry eye and air conditioning makes it worse. So the eco button runs everything at a lower rate.What I didn't know was that it also lessens the output of heated seats as well.Turned eco off and the seats are now acceptable.You live and learn!!!!!
Terry.

😂😂😂😂😂 Nick, I think you and I are at cross purposes with our eco buttons!!!! I was referring to the dashboard eco button in the other thread a few days ago. Still convinced that it made a big difference to my heated seats.

Terry

[HSDish]

Have not needed to try the TRAIL button yet 🙂

[HSDish]

6 hours ago, nlee said:

I never use the Auto EV/HEV button. I get what it's supposed to do but I could never tell any difference from being in EV (obviously talking about PHEV). Never used the long press to charge the traction battery from the ICE either. 

Use the EV/HEV button to drive in HEV on longer highspeed roads.

Have used the long press to charge from ICE some times when I havent had the posibility to charge from cord/socket and still wanted to be able to preheat the cabin

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, Terry10 said:

😂😂😂😂😂 Nick, I think you and I are at cross purposes with our eco buttons!!!! I was referring to the dashboard eco button in the other thread a few days ago. Still convinced that it made a big difference to my heated seats.

Terry

Yeah it's confusing right?

There's the Drive mode button with ECO, Normal, Sport. ECO setting here restricts certain things like aircon and heated seats AFAIK. 

Then there's the ECO FAST button on the Aircon panel which has nodes of ECO, Normal (default) and FAST. I think folks are saying this is the override for the Air Con - it overrides the drive mode effect on the Air Con.

I think. But I'm still confused.

[Nick72]

42 minutes ago, HSDish said:

Have not needed to try the TRAIL button yet 🙂

I've used it but didn't make a difference. The car still climbed up a wet muddy very steep bank with no problem at all. And many more after that. So I've not been in a situation where only Trail mode would get me out. 🤞🙏

[ernieb]

I think I've used once in anger when parked on a wet grassy slope facing downhill. The car just seemed better able to cope with the slip and slide. 

[Primus1]

I never push the mrs buttons…I end up in too much trouble…🤭

[ColinB]

I always drive in eco mode, but occasionally change to normal if there are 4 in the car. I wondered why my windscreen was misting up so much, I realised that the aircon was set to eco and must have changed when I set the car back to eco.

[SB1500]

I've had a think and nope, I know pretty much every one of the buttons on the Avensis by now. Although I don't know exactly what the traction off button changes... as in, what exact differences would I notice in the real world? 

[Nick72]

4 hours ago, ernieb said:

I think I've used once in anger when parked on a wet grassy slope facing downhill. The car just seemed better able to cope with the slip and slide. 

Sort of like a hill descent solution but manual control? 

[ernieb]

18 hours ago, Nick72 said:

Sort of like a hill descent solution but manual control? 

Interestingly you could really hear the wheel locking alternatively as the car got grip. Anyway on the occasion I was very pleased to have a button to try. My problem is I have a tendency to forget that the car has such features as they seldom get used and my last remaining brain cell needs a new Battery. 😇 

[spicyhotone]

On 12/18/2023 at 4:36 PM, Nick72 said:

Me neither on those. 

Nor have I used the shifter in S +  -. Its a CVT. Why would I want to do that and what on earth does it mean.

In EV mode using the shifter S+- allows you to modify the amount of regen applied when coasting. S6 is the minimum (so you can coast longer distances without the car slowing so much), S1 gets you closer to the one-pedal driving mode on some EVs. I like to use S6, requires a little more forward thinking, but reduces the inefficiency of regen, and if use properly can slightly increase the EV range.

[spicyhotone]

2 hours ago, ernieb said:

Interestingly you could really hear the wheel locking alternatively as the car got grip. Anyway on the occasion I was very pleased to have a button to try. My problem is I have a tendency to forget that the car has such features as they seldom get used and my last remaining brain cell needs a new battery. 😇 

In one of the carnut videos he says the trail mode applies a limited-slip-differential mode. Of course it's not a real lsd as there's no hardware in the car for this - but it applies the brake to any wheel which is spinning, directing the power at the wheel(s) with grip. Which seems consistent with what you describe.