Somethings are unnecessarily complicated with hybrid cars. Take the steps involved in starting the gasoline (petrol) engine on a hybrid car like the Suzuki Grand Vitara strong hybrid or Toyota Hyryder hybrid. Both these cars come with a strong hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a 177-volt battery that drives the electric motor powering the front wheels through an eCVT transmission. The total system power is 115 PS with 122 Nm of torque.
The primary purpose of the petrol engine is to charge the hybrid battery. At slow speeds (usually below 40 kmph) the car runs only in electric mode. The petrol motor comes on when the battery drains out and it runs to charge it. However, if you want additional power and accelerate hard, the petrol motor and the electric motor combine to provide a boost of power. When you are cruising at a steady speed the car alternates between EV mode and combined mode.
You can drive the Suzuki Grand Vitara or Toyota Hyryder in pure EV mode as well for about 6 km – all it takes is a press of the “EV mode” button near the gear selector. Sounds good. But what if you want to start the petrol motor as well, when the car is stationary? That’s where things get complicated. One would have thought Toyota or Suzuki would have just put a button on the dash that says “Petrol mode” or some such, but no!
Now read the following steps very carefully and execute them within 60 seconds to start the Toyota Hyryder or Suzuki Grand Vitara petrol motor if you want to get a pollution check done.
Watch video: How to get a PUC certificate for Toyota Hyryder / Maruti Grand Vitara?
Steps to start petrol motor for PUC in Toyota Hyryder Hybrid
1. Ensure the transmission is in Park mode (P).
2. Turn on the ignition of the car without pressing the brake pedal (press the push button start button).
3. Press the accelerator pedal TWICE fully.
4. Press the brake and shift the gear selector to N or neutral.
5. Press the accelerator pedal TWO TIMES fully.
6. Press the brake and shift the gear selector back to P or Park.
7. Press the accelerator pedal TWICE fully.
8. Now press the brake and push the start button.
9. The petrol motor will start, and “ESP Maintenance Mode” will be displayed on the instrument panel.
10. After the PUC check is done, turn off the car and wait for 30 seconds before starting again – it will go back to hybrid / EV mode.
This little bit of information is buried in the owner’s manual. Most pollution control centres in the country don’t know how to deal with hybrids, as it isn’t easy to get the petrol motor to start. One can only hope that Toyota and Maruti Suzuki will provide a little button on the dash to achieve this on a future update of this car.
Watch video: Toyota Hyryder Hybrid: How To Get The Best Mileage?
