Joined
·
45 Posts
Just thought I'd take a couple of days and experience the difference of driving in each of the modes. I have been driving in "normal" so that is my baseline, so to speak.
In my previous car the variances were more subtle but in my Soul Turbo they are more dramatic.
In "Sport", the car is much more responsive with higher shift points and a little more engine noise. Steering response feels tighter, too. Arguably, you get a "sports car in a box".
Eco mode, on the other hand makes the car drive and feel somewhat the way I expected the Soul to be before I actually drove one. As a Senior Citizen I can say it drives like a senior citizen is behind the wheel. (grin) Engine noise is quieter and shift points are lower and smoother while steering is noticeably not as tight. However, there is an upside. In my condo development I have to drive about a quarter of a mile no faster than 15 miles per hour. I experience what virtually every review of the Turbo with DCT describes - noticeable repeated shift changes as it seeks the right gear. But, in Eco mode, virtually all of that goes away as the smoother shifting doesn't have a problem at 15mph.
Normal mode, they say, is somewhere in between and I'm going to agree with that. It has that low speed DCT problem, too, but not as bad as "Sport".
Supposedly, Eco mode will give you the best gas mileage - IF you drive the car the same way. I suspect it would be very difficult to drive the car exactly the same way in each mode simply because the mode differences are enough to make it seem like you have 3 different vehicles.
Question for those with the 2.0 non-turbo: are the differences as dramatic on yours?
In my previous car the variances were more subtle but in my Soul Turbo they are more dramatic.
In "Sport", the car is much more responsive with higher shift points and a little more engine noise. Steering response feels tighter, too. Arguably, you get a "sports car in a box".
Eco mode, on the other hand makes the car drive and feel somewhat the way I expected the Soul to be before I actually drove one. As a Senior Citizen I can say it drives like a senior citizen is behind the wheel. (grin) Engine noise is quieter and shift points are lower and smoother while steering is noticeably not as tight. However, there is an upside. In my condo development I have to drive about a quarter of a mile no faster than 15 miles per hour. I experience what virtually every review of the Turbo with DCT describes - noticeable repeated shift changes as it seeks the right gear. But, in Eco mode, virtually all of that goes away as the smoother shifting doesn't have a problem at 15mph.
Normal mode, they say, is somewhere in between and I'm going to agree with that. It has that low speed DCT problem, too, but not as bad as "Sport".
Supposedly, Eco mode will give you the best gas mileage - IF you drive the car the same way. I suspect it would be very difficult to drive the car exactly the same way in each mode simply because the mode differences are enough to make it seem like you have 3 different vehicles.
Question for those with the 2.0 non-turbo: are the differences as dramatic on yours?