or Login >>         
C4 - DS4 Owners :: Forums :: C4 Picasso and Grand Picasso - PRE 2013 only :: C4 Picasso Road Tests and User reports

C4GP 1.6 e-HDi Airdream

Home   Forum Rules    Forum Help  Conversion Tools
   
Please Register to enjoy additional Member Benefits
Top Thanked Forum Posts: Today | Week | Month | Year | All time | Most Thanks Given: To member | By user
Author Post
sjamais   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 09:15am
14 June 2011

Got it, it took 2 months from order, looks great in Kyanos Blue but no time so far to go for a spin, heading home with it in 15 minutes so first impressions to follow shortly. It does definitely say e-hdi on the tailgate and under the bonnet!
sjamais   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 09:17am
15 June 2011

So, first impressions...

Well it only took about 250 yards after leaving the office last night before I hit a bit of a queue leaving the business park, so applied brakes and when the car stopped, so did the engine. Although the car is near silent at slow speeds and I sort of expected it, it is still a strange sensation. I didn't expect it to be operational so quickly though.

Then for a bit of crawling traffic, it gets a bit of getting used to, for me the main challenge is to keep the foot on the brake on a flat surface, not something I used to do and as soon as you let go the brake the engine is back on, but remarkably with no jitter whatsoever. So the car will idle when stationary unless you press the brake.

I initially thought the crawling traffic would feel strange with frequent restarting jitters, but as it is almost imperceptible, the only issue for me now is to learn to drive the car to avoid letting go of the brake in stationary situation.

Yesterday, my 20 miles 35-40 mins trip home faced me with a bit heavier traffic than usual, but when I got home, the eco timer showed 5 min 30s of engine off time.

I may be a bit of a gadget head, but I am loving it already...
sjamais   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 09:32am
17 June 2011

The journey home yesterday was slow but more crawling than stopping, so similar engine off time than yesterday of 1 min 45s.
Very clear ride this morning, as seems to be usual on Fridays around here, still 1 min 28 engine off, so this is starting to look like a stable value. I read somewhere that the 1.6 HDi block requires 0.4l per hour when idling, so I saved... 1.4p in fuel this morning!

Right now I think I would prefer it if the engine restart was triggered by re-applying the accelerator rather than releasing the brake. I find it unnatural to have to keep the brakes on when the car is stationary on flat. A question of habit I guess.

Trip computer currently says 47 mpg average, that's on a delivery drive from London and then local back roads commute through villages for 3 days. That isn't as good as my Xsara Picasso was reporting on the same stretches, but the real mpg at the pump was a fair bit less than what the trip computer claimed. I am still driving on the "free" delivery 1/2 tank so I will really only start looking at mpg when I put my very own fuel in there.

On my Xsara Picasso, I used to get at the pump around the claimed combined cycle of 55 mpg for my commutes, maybe down to 50 mpg during cold winter spells. I am hoping this car will achieve the same, as it claims 56.5 mpg on the combined cycle (it is the Exclusive trim)... am I fooling myself? Time will tell...
Blayderunner   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 09:39am
If you keep your foot on the brake does that mean the driver behind you is dazled by your brake lights(one of my little bug bears)?
sjamais   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 09:47am
I have not driven the car in the dark yet, but I do assume that yes the brake lights stay on when the engine goes off, as do the indicators, the A/C and (hopefully the book doesn't lie here) the headlamps...
I'll check the mirrors on the way home, luckily the brake lights are only a small part of the C4GP tail lights, otherwise it could well feel like an interrogation.
Hoipoloi   
Fri Jun 17 2011, 02:10pm
Member No: #6006
Joined: Nov 01 2008
Location: Walsall
I'd be interested to know how the A/C stays on while the engine is off.
sjamais   
Mon Jun 20 2011, 05:30am
Although admitting to read the manual is risking disgrace both as a bloke and an engineer, doing so has allowed me to find the way to avoid giving the people behind in the queue a sun tan with the brake lights. Simply stick the car in Neutral and the engine will cut off.

I can confirm the A/C is maintained, I assume the compressor is electric rather than belt driven, but obviously after some period of time it will have to restart if the demand is too much to guarantee engine restart. So if you do a lot of crawling with headlamps and A/C, then the off time the system can achieve will be reduced.

Also worth noting that putting the car in reverse disables engine stops, I assume to avoid too many restarts when parking the car, which makes sense to me.

Didn't drive the car much this weekend so not much to report and not my turn to drive today (car sharing good boys we are).

This is hardly relevant, but it looks like I have got a buyer for the Xsara so one load off my mind!
dr_gummi   
Mon Jun 20 2011, 05:33am
If Citroen is like all the other car makers the compressor will go off but the fan will keep running. In most other cars, a high AC demand will over rule the stop-start and keep the engine running.

(This is based on my experience in VAG group, Fiat group and BMW group rentals).

Joe
sjamais   
Mon Jun 20 2011, 06:53am
The weather having been a bit chilly since I got the car, I've not had much running time in hot weather. On the first ride home though it was sunny and about 25 outside, so A/C was on and I did do a fair amount of standing still without feeling the air coming in was getting any warmer. It wouldn't stay cool for very long on just the fan. I'll try to pay more attention to it on the next A/C on drive.
Smudger   
Mon Jun 20 2011, 04:11pm
sjamais wrote ...

Although admitting to read the manual is risking disgrace both as a bloke and an engineer, doing so has allowed me to find the way to avoid giving the people behind in the queue a sun tan with the brake lights. Simply stick the car in Neutral and the engine will cut off.

You still need to keep your foot on the brake pedal though ( unless you want to run the risk of the car rolling away if not on perfectly level ground), even in neutral - as soon as you put the electronic handbrake on the engine starts up.
At least it does on the C4 Hatch 1.6HDi EGS
sjamais   
Tue Jun 21 2011, 09:31am
Correct, the comment only applied in situation where roll forward or back is not an issue... leaving in the fens that means pretty often for me...

On mine too applying the park brake restarts the engine, not sure what the logic is here.

Not much new to report on the car, it keeps running smooth and the start stop is operational almost immediately, waiting to come out of my pretty short street onto the main road this morning, the engine stopped.
sjamais   
Wed Jun 22 2011, 03:21am
First full tank this morning, only 51l to the first click, so it looks like the fuel too low alert and miles left to cover (it said 24) are a tad pessimistic. Not e-hdi specific but do people run it down to no bars on the fuel gauge? I had one bar left when the alert came up.

Anyway, trip 1 reset so will let you know what the car does mpg wise.
dr_gummi   
Wed Jun 22 2011, 05:30am
Mine comes on at either one bar or 100km range (can be 2 bars at 180kph :$) whichever comes first. But 50l when one bar is showing is normal, I've never had the guts to drop it to 0 bars!
Joe
routemaster1   
Wed Jun 22 2011, 11:46am
Member No: #574
Joined: Jul 08 2007
Location: Dorset
Both of mine gave/give the 'fuel level too low' alarm when the second to last bar disappear. I have never run for more than about 30 miles with the alarm showing. It is noticable that the newer one takes less to fill in these circumstances than the older one.
sjamais   
Thu Jun 23 2011, 09:48am
I am not sure but it seems to me that the engine restarts while on eco stop if a door is opened, at first I thought it was a coincidence, but it has happened a few times now. I don't get this...
Go to page       >>   

Jump:     Back to top

User Colour Key:
Head Administrator, Administrator, Forum Moderator, Forum Moderator, Premier Member, Technical Expert, New C4 and DS4 Forum Moderators, Member