Not Normal!
When the A/C is on, it puts an extra load on the engine. It will try to return to normal idling, but realize that it needs more power to run the A/C pump..... so yes, it's normal.
and the hesitation at lower speeds.... that would be normal if the A/C pump was on, or if you have an automatic, and it would do it if you had both. But if you had a manual, and the A/C was off, it should not hesitate.
Neither of these are normal. With today's cars everything is computer controlled. The car should be compensating for the AC being on.
The hesitation is also not normal either. I have about 1900 miles on my Soul now, and it has never done either of the above mentioned problems.
Take the car into the dealer. My guess is it will be as simple as the dealer hooking up the car and tweaking a couple of settings. They may also reset the transmission adaptive value data.
blueeagle65 your car may benefit from having tranny reset, although the transmission does adapt and learn your driving style, so it may improve on its own. I found after the 600 mile break in, when I quit babying the car, it started to shift more to my liking.
Years ago some of these symptons would have been considered normal, on some, but not all cars. The rough idle would have been a compromise from having the idle too high when the AC was off.
