[hfs99]

2021 Soul LX VIN KNDJ23AUXM77sssss
Shifting behavior changes dramatically with cruise engaged.
I'll try to suppress the rants.
Just want to know if this is normal for a 2021 Soul
or if it is something that can/should be fixed/adjusted.

Search results suggest it is common/normal.
MANY posts say they set gear manually.
But I swear the car didn't do this when brand new.
Started suddenly in mid-trip @ ~950 miles.
Admittedly I wasn't paying much attention before. (No need.)
Dealer said everything is fine.
(And that it was in Sport mode. Possible - leftover from a "test drive" the day before.)

65 mph. cruise off:
2200 rpm (7th) on flat or slight upgrade
2700 rpm (6th) on significant upgrade
3000 rpm (5th) only on steep upgrade
1950 rpm (8th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

65mph, cruise on
2700 rpm (6th) on flat
3000 rpm (5th) on slight upgrade (sometimes on flat)
2200 rpm (7th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

cruise still set for 65
press accelerator to reach 66
2200 rpm (7th) on flat
take foot off accelerator
2700 rpm (6th)

Another approach:
I normally use Drive mode as opposed to Sport mode
cruise off:
changing mode to Sport causes downshift/rpm increase
cruise on:
changing mode to Sport usually doesn't affect rpms

This would reduce my mileage from ~34 to ~27
So I set the gear manually.
But I must downshift on upgrades and don't have the best feel.
And in some circumstances I'd prefer not to deal with it.
I'm perfectly satisfied with the shifting behavior when cruise is off.
I'd like it to behave the same when cruise is engaged.

 

[newzanadian]

2021 Soul LX VIN KNDJ23AUXM77sssss
Shifting behavior changes dramatically with cruise engaged.
I'll try to suppress the rants.
Just want to know if this is normal for a 2021 Soul
or if it is something that can/should be fixed/adjusted.

Search results suggest it is common/normal.
MANY posts say they set gear manually.
But I swear the car didn't do this when brand new.
Started suddenly in mid-trip @ ~950 miles.
Admittedly I wasn't paying much attention before. (No need.)
Dealer said everything is fine.
(And that it was in Sport mode. Possible - leftover from a "test drive" the day before.)

65 mph. cruise off:
2200 rpm (7th) on flat or slight upgrade
2700 rpm (6th) on significant upgrade
3000 rpm (5th) only on steep upgrade
1950 rpm (8th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

65mph, cruise on
2700 rpm (6th) on flat
3000 rpm (5th) on slight upgrade (sometimes on flat)
2200 rpm (7th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

cruise still set for 65
press accelerator to reach 66
2200 rpm (7th) on flat
take foot off accelerator
2700 rpm (6th)

Another approach:
I normally use Drive mode as opposed to Sport mode
cruise off:
changing mode to Sport causes downshift/rpm increase
cruise on:
changing mode to Sport usually doesn't affect rpms

 

[jdmartin]

2021 Soul LX VIN KNDJ23AUXM77sssss
Shifting behavior changes dramatically with cruise engaged.
I'll try to suppress the rants.
Just want to know if this is normal for a 2021 Soul
or if it is something that can/should be fixed/adjusted.

Search results suggest it is common/normal.
MANY posts say they set gear manually.
But I swear the car didn't do this when brand new.
Started suddenly in mid-trip @ ~950 miles.
Admittedly I wasn't paying much attention before. (No need.)
Dealer said everything is fine.
(And that it was in Sport mode. Possible - leftover from a "test drive" the day before.)

65 mph. cruise off:
2200 rpm (7th) on flat or slight upgrade
2700 rpm (6th) on significant upgrade
3000 rpm (5th) only on steep upgrade
1950 rpm (8th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

65mph, cruise on
2700 rpm (6th) on flat
3000 rpm (5th) on slight upgrade (sometimes on flat)
2200 rpm (7th) rarely/inconsistently on downgrade

cruise still set for 65
press accelerator to reach 66
2200 rpm (7th) on flat
take foot off accelerator
2700 rpm (6th)

Another approach:
I normally use Drive mode as opposed to Sport mode
cruise off:
changing mode to Sport causes downshift/rpm increase
cruise on:
changing mode to Sport usually doesn't affect rpms

This would reduce my mileage from ~34 to ~27
So I set the gear manually.
But I must downshift on upgrades and don't have the best feel.
And in some circumstances I'd prefer not to deal with it.
I'm perfectly satisfied with the shifting behavior when cruise is off.
I'd like it to behave the same when cruise is engaged.

Sounds like everything is fine. When you are driving with "your foot", you can (if you've drove for any length of time) feel the car and feather the gas pedal so that you more or less maintain speed without downshifting, and thus get better fuel economy and not have to feel the shifts. In cruise, the computer couldn't care less about your feelings for fuel economy or how it feels. It's a stupid computer. What it knows is that you want to maintain the speed at 65 MPH, and it doesn't care if you're going uphill, downhill, or on flat ground. My 2012 auto does the exact same thing. My 2019 Ram 4WD Crew Cab with a huge engine does the exact same thing.

Cruise is never going to behave the same as your foot. Even in a fancy car. In a car that's more aerodynamic, and has a stronger engine relative to the weight of the vehicle, it will be closer, but it will never be exact. At least not until a cruise control comes out that you can specify your parameters. I live in the mountains, and when I get to the parts where I have to do a lot of climbing and descending I just turn it off.

 

[hfs99]

Thanks for the replies. I'm grateful, and if my service manager would be profusely grateful if he knew. In my searches here and elsewhere, I've not found a single post saying, "No, mine doesn't do that."

----------
Or even "Mine didn't do that when it was new." Seems I'm the only one making that claim.

Simplest story is that I ignored the behavior during the first 950 miles. I still haven't fully accepted that. 400 mile round trip on Christmas day 2021. After I merged onto I-55 to bypass Springfield, IL, I re-engaged cruise. "What the heel is going on here?" The higher rpms were so obvious I can't imagine how I'd ever have ignored it. I did the final 150 miles without cruise, periodically testing the behavior. (Didn't try manual control on that trip.) Day log claimed ~35mpg average. Instantaneous mileage reads ~27 in 6th.

 

[Rock the Box]

The higher rpms in cruise seem to be to provide more power when a hill is encountered. The cruise system will be able to maintain speed more easily but only by using more fuel. I disable it when climbing hills and use my foot to feather the engine and it works well. I also use sport mode when cruising on flat stretches with the hope of increasing mileage. Doesn't always seem to work when I glance at the instant MPG gauge and switch back and forth from sport to drive. At the current gas prices seeking to get the best mileage I can.

 

[Hammerhead]

You will always get better gas mileage when you don't use cruise control. Cruise control cannot anticipate hills. When driving without cruise on , you can see hills coming up and react accordingly. Unless you're playing with your cell phone. Always watch what you are doing and look as far ahead as possible.

 

[dustin110]

Does anybody have issues with their cruise control being almost completely impotent? Mine only works OK if I am traveling in completely flat ground. I can set cruise at 65, it'll drop down to 63 or so and take dozens of seconds, if not minutes, to climb back up to 65, if it even gets there at all.

It doesn't want to accelerate unless I'm losing a lot of speed (steep hills). Going downhill is game over, since it doesn't do a fake downshift or anything to try to slow the car, so I have to tap the brakes and that disables cruise.

I was trying to enjoy 35-45 mph cruise through Joshua Tree National Park, which has very gradual inclines and declines, and found that I was constantly under speed or tapping the brakes and starting over. Very annoying.

I've owned four other cars with cruise control, including vacuum controlled 90s cruise control, and they all worked much better than this.

Edit: mine is a '22 Soul that has been like this since I got it a few weeks ago.

 

[mbw31]

I never use cruise control, but I will be taking a long drive from the East coast in the US to Mexico. Does using cruise control for an extended time increase the likelihood of engine and/or transmission damage since it increases the RPM?

 

[Hammerhead]

I never use cruise control, but I will be taking a long drive from the East coast in the US to Mexico. Does using cruise control for an extended time increase the likelihood of engine and/or transmission damage since it increases the RPM?

Using cruise isn't going hurt your vehicle. If I may ask, where do you live on the east coast? Reason I ask is I live in Virginia and if I get the opportunity I want to move to Arizona.

 

[mbw31]

Using cruise isn't going hurt your vehicle. If I may ask, where do you live on the east coast? Reason I ask is I live in Virginia and if I get the opportunity I want to move to Arizona.

I live a state over in Maryland. I’m moving from Baltimore to Mexico in September for the cheaper cost of living and better weather. Working remotely with the currency conversion rate the quality of living there will just be better.

 

[Hammerhead]

I live a state over in Maryland. I’m moving from Baltimore to Mexico in September for the cheaper cost of living and better weather. Working remotely with the currency conversion rate the quality of living there will just be better.

Make sure you research and find a safe place there. Don't want you to get scuffed up by a drug cartel. I'm trying to move to Benson Arizona, not far from the Mexican border. Can't blame you for wanting out of Maryland. I actually lived in Baltimore when I was in the 1st grade. Only for a short time. Stay safe.

 

[Rock the Box]

I live a state over in Maryland. I’m moving from Baltimore to Mexico in September for the cheaper cost of living and better weather. Working remotely with the currency conversion rate the quality of living there will just be better.

Where in Mexico? It's a big place. I spent a year in El Paso - pre-violence era - and enjoyed Ciudad de Juarez many times.

 

[mbw31]

Where in Mexico? It's a big place. I spent a year in El Paso - pre-violence era - and enjoyed Ciudad de Juarez many times.

I will be living in Ensenada for a year. The area has a lot of ‘ex pats’ so it will make it an easier transition while I become fluent in Spanish. After that I will be moving to the Mexico City area. I’m in my low 30s with a masters degree and with a pretty good job as a therapist. I just don’t enjoy working 50-60 hours a week to survive and not have time to actually live. After running the numbers I can get a remote counselor job that is only part time and maintain the same quality of life if I live in Mexico. Plus coming from Baltimore almost every town in Mexico is safer haha.

 

[Rock the Box]

I will be living in Ensenada for a year. The area has a lot of ‘ex pats’ so it will make it an easier transition while I become fluent in Spanish. After that I will be moving to the Mexico City area. I’m in my low 30s with a masters degree and with a pretty good job as a therapist. I just don’t enjoy working 50-60 hours a week to survive and not have time to actually live. After running the numbers I can get a remote counselor job that is only part time and maintain the same quality of life if I live in Mexico. Plus coming from Baltimore almost every town in Mexico is safer haha.

Wow! I didn't know Ensenada was so large - over a quarter of a million people. Well, that will be fun. You got to do stuff that makes you happy. Don't wait. And I'm learning Spanish and will tell you: Ten una gran experiencia allí! (Have a great experience there!)

 

[hfs99]

@dustin110 My expertise is limited to having viewed every cruise post I could find on the internet. I didn't see any with the symptoms you describe. As I mentioned, my experience is pretty much the opposite - my 2021 behaves as if it is in Sport mode once I engage the cruise. However I've not really checked it at under 55mph.

@Rock the Box re mileage. I probably misread your post. But from what I've read you have to go to manual mode and then shift up a step or two if you want better mileage.

 

[Rock the Box]

@dustin110 My expertise is limited to having viewed every cruise post I could find on the internet. I didn't see any with the symptoms you describe. As I mentioned, my experience is pretty much the opposite - my 2021 behaves as if it is in Sport mode once I engage the cruise. However I've not really checked it at under 55mph.

@Rock the Box re mileage. I probably misread your post. But from what I've read you have to go to manual mode and then shift up a step or two if you want better mileage.

On flat stretches at highway speed I test whether manual mode (7th or 8th gear) or auto mode gets better mpg. Sometimes being able to keep it in 8th gear lowers rpm and that should help. But all this is probably going to be a waste of effort because I'll catch a train at a railroad crossing or some traffic delay and it becomes meaningless. Oh well.