Alright guys, I know the new sport hybrid guy is all up on the forums like way too much, but insomnia and browsing online led me to this. I feel the sport hybrid gas pedal is particularly heavy in comparison to the 3.5 V6 variant. I understand with the hyrbrid power train and EV drivetrains Ive tried (lucid/rivian), one pedal driving is the thing. I am getting used to the idea and its certainly training me to coast while still stepping on the gas pedal slightly, but it makes my brain think the car is sluggish. My wife certainly thinks its dragging on its feet in the rear which matches the rear regen braking when coasting. She knows her stuff!

I searched heavy pedal feel in sport hybrid and led me down the rabbit hole of pedal commander and now the more superior pedalmonster. It got me thinking about when my dad had an e38 BMW 740il and it felt sluggish due to the pedal response tuning even though it had great chassis tuning. After an ecu tune from DUDMD, the car felt lively and light on its feet like my own dinan supercharged e38 putting out 400hp vs the 280hp car. the top end on WOT is not the same but day to day driving was very responsive.

I wonder if any of you feel the same way about the pedal response in the sport hybrid and hybrids in general vs the gas only variant. Maybe I was spoiled but the 2014 6 speed in sport mode was the perfect set up for spirited driving and pedal shifts were responsive especially in S mode. Ive read later 9 speed variants having laggy pedal response and shift logic. even this 7 speed DCT doesnt respond to my pedal shift commands much at all. its quite frustrating.

My car is still going through some suspension warranty issues, but I am very interested in this pedalmonster mod! or maybe I need to go to sport+ or S mode more.

 

Whenever I had ICE loaners the pedal felt the same. If you floor it the ICE is weaker / less responsive, but regular driving feels identical to my Hybrid.

Try the drive modes (comfort vs normal vs sport vs sportplus). Pedal response is very different in each mode.

 

i assume your loaners are 2016+ with 9 sp trans?

 

heyyy, someone else that has a sport hybrid that is interested in modifying it. I realize its been a month but I still want to put the information out for the web.

Part of what you are feeling is the 1st gear lockout. The DCT doesn't let you into 1st gear except in Sport+ mode, and it is honestly not particularly good. it's pretty much a launch gear, and even then it runs out at about 20mph after like a second.

Compared to the 2014 6sp I have, the paddle shifts are requests, not commands. It's a most responsive in Sport or Sport+ mode and S shift mode.

 

Interestingly, I’ve been feeling most comfortable and at ease driving in comfort mode. The pedal feel is lighter overall and less tiring on the right foot. Not sure how much of it is placebo with the mode being called comfort! S mode locked out last 2 gears and doesn’t hold gears like my 2014 did either. Sure the shifts are smoother and faster when it listens but it doesn’t listen half the time… it’s just a bit frustrating using the shift pedals to be honest.

 

I have for the system down to how I like to drive it now. It’s not perfect as I need to change settings based on driving conditions but it makes me appreciate the cars performance AND its hybrid fuel advantages. First of all, I like the lighter gas pedal feel in comfort and sport+ especially for long drives. When the road is opened up and on freeway speeds, i have it on sport + and S mode. Downshift and floor it for max acceleration and really feel all the torque and HP as it should. Drive up to 80mph and can also upshift into 7th. Freeway speeds the read motors aren’t turning on anyways. This would also keep the engine charging the batteries to full for the second type of commute driving; the slow traffic! As gridlock to 50ish mph, switch to comfort D for the engine to cut out and start using the battery you been charging previously. Driving back from Bay Area with SF traffic I got 25mpg and 10% was EV driving! And I had fun!

 

That is what I really like about the Acura Sport Hybrid system. The powertrain has a wider performance envelop if you lean towards "S" in SUV. I pretty much drive my 19 MDX SH very similar to my previous 11 MDX Adv. I get 25 mpgs lifetime in my sport hybrid compared to 19 mpgs lifetime for my 11 MDX. I actually get more performance from my 19 MDX living/driving 5000-7200 feet because of the 3 electric motors. My 11 MDX would make more noise than power at +80 mph higher the elevation (my max elevation of +11,000 feet in CO). I would purchase a new +2027 Acura MDX if they add the 3.5L+sport hybrid powertrain!