Over the years, all cars have gotten more advanced. It is not a matter of getting into a car, turning the key and driving without shifting anymore. Although cars do not have a manual transmission normally, they do offer different types of driving modes that cause your Toyota to handle differently depending on the type of driving you are doing. If you are new to the Toyota brand, and you’re not sure how the drive modes work, we’d love to give you a basic explanation, so that you can get the most out of your Toyota.
What Are Drive Modes?
In the past, people had to shift gears when they wanted to drive at a different speed. However, Toyota’s drive modes are different. You activate the different drive modes with a switch. These drive modes don’t really change the overall performance of the engine, but they may make a difference on a long highway drive or a long commute. Toyota offers a few different driving modes on their car models.
The normal drive mode is the mode that you will be in when you begin to drive your car. Normal means you will get your usual power, horsepower and torque without adjusting your driving mode. If you want to be fuel efficient, such as when you have to drive a long time, or you are in a long commute, you may want to use the ECO option. Your throttle will be slower, because your engine won’t work as hard. Your climate control will also be adjusted.
The sport mode does the opposite of ECO mode. It gives you the freedom to improve the response time of your engine, and allows for cleaner shifts. This means your car performs more like a car on a racetrack somewhere.
If you have a four-wheel drive or an all-wheel drive Toyota model, they also have a snow mode. While we don’t have much use for the snow mode in Florida, you may need it if you travel north. The snow mode makes your car easier to handle during ice and now. The torque of your car is reduced, which means it grips the road better and gives you more traction control.
Toyota doesn’t make any vehicles that are all-electric, but it does offer several vehicles that are hybrids or even plug-in hybrids. The EV mode allows drivers of hybrid cars to move to using all electric power for short distances, which greatly improves the fuel efficiency.
If you are looking for a great Toyota, we can help! Give Marianna Toyota a call at 850.526.3511. You can also come by and see us at 2961 Pennsylvania Avenue, Marianna, Florida, 32448. Remember, if you can’t come see us, we’ll be happy to drive the car to you!