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Any update on throttle lag?

31K views 80 replies 42 participants last post by  eg310 
#1 ·
I've had the horrible throttle lag ever since the newest update. I have Polestar and the acceleration used to be smooth as butter prior to the latest update. Has anyone found a solution to this problem other than using dynamic mode all the time?
 
#2 ·
It's funny that you brought this up, I didn't realized that it could be better. An hour ago, I needed to change lane quickly at a dead stop, I put the pedal to the medal and it took a split second before the car started moving, it was extremely sluggish. I was in comfort mode fwiw. But even in Dynamic it feels slow. I hear a lot of engine with very little forward motion. I'm used to syncing gas and steering but driving the XC90, I have to train myself to gas before reacting to the steering.

I thought to myself, "OMG having Polestar and it's this bad, I can't imagine not having it."
 
#57 ·
I put the pedal to the medal and it took a split second before the car started moving, it was extremely sluggish.
Just had my first experience with this issue yesterday. At a stoplight, I switched from Pure to Power (2017 T8), and then the light went green, I hit the pedal.

I moved halfway into the intersection at a snails pace, and then the car took off... I'm sure people waiting at the red lights around me thought I was driving a manual and may have stalled, or forgot to change gears before I zoomed away. Very odd feeling - and hadn't happened before.

I did take my car in on Friday for a Check Engine Light (sensor issue that came up after the fuel filler pipe was fixed in November), Volvo On Call Service required issue, and the latest Sensus update.
 
#3 ·
Yeah, we have Polestar on both of ours and we feel the lag sometimes too...especially when you try to launch from a full stop. But I believe Polestar does not help you launch from a full stop. It only helps out at 1,500 RPMs and above. I do have to say that there are times I get a lot of power and that is in Comfort mode.
 
#6 ·
I have Polestar for a year now. I have complained to dealer about the horrible hesitation/deadspot in the throttle response from a stop. It is so bad from startup that I have to be careful pulling into traffic. the rolls but with increasing throttle it does nothing then jumps to like 1800 rpm. I am regretting paying for Polestar and would advise no one buy it if the car can't pull out into traffic safely. Who cares if it can go faster on the highway.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I have the same problem. Lag in acceleration from a stop then it jumps. I have talked to Polestar and of course their response is that it has nothing to do with them. I tend to believe them. The dealer has reset the transmission a couple of time for me (the computer part of it) and that seem to clear it up for a month....then back to the old lag and then take off kind of thing.

It doesn't happen every time I accelerate from a stop but often enough to make me worry.
 
#9 ·
Did you guys try putting in Sport and dropping the gear to 1 to see if it's transmission issue or just throttle lag in general?
How about pressing all the way down, is there little clicker like other cars which overwrites everything else and drops the gear with open throttle?

When you hit the gas does it rev, but not move, or does it not even rev at all?

I had this issue with my older BMW, I hated when I had to make quick left turns against oncoming traffic, or I had to prep/prime the throttle in order to catch up with traffic when overtaking but eventually it started performing better. With newer generation it was improved dramatically. Coming from Jeep to BMW it felt like I was being dragged by ropes until they snap and vehicle would fly off the line.

Like CWL said, most recent drive-by-wire vehicles have adaptive transmission, is there a way to reset it? Engine start, press pedal, stop engine, don't let go of pedal, etc some native American chant, scent sticks, dried garlic?
 
#10 ·
It's never happened to me from a dead stop where I'm actually at a standstill for a few seconds or more. But if slowing down in traffic and then briefly stopping, if I need to then floor it there is sometimes a lag. That makes me feel it's more of a transmission issue where it's in too high of a gear. If I'm manually shifting then there isn't a lag. When the lag is there, it does feel like nothing is happening - throttle is unresponsive until you push past the click or the transmission downshifts. But what I'm experiencing may not be what the others are experiencing. I drive 90% in the city, from Monday to Friday I never get on the highway so it's all stop and go. It's most apparent if I'm coming to a stop and then there is a gap in the lane over - a couple of times I've cut out and hit the lag, that's a terrible feeling when you see a car barreling down on you. My prior cars had similar behavior too as they were electronic throttles as well. Mine is only 7 weeks old so no changes in behavior, it's been like this since day 1.
 
#12 ·
I think it is transmission related. Had a v-8 Infiniti and at times it took a pause before the power all kicked in. Like the post above, when I would use the manual paddle settings on my Infiniti, the power was instant.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I think before we were calling it a "dead spot followed by a burst". I was able to catch this video (sorry for the vertical orientation). You can see the tach goes up to 1800RPM, stops for an instant (which feels like an eternity while driving), then bursts up to 2500RPM. This is all with smooth pedal input from a stop. Going through this particular intersection, there is a crown from the crossing road which seems to make the issue worse. Also, a cold engine/transmission exacerbates the problem.

Show this to your dealers if you're having the problem and hopefully we can find a solution. Volvo needs to see how widespread this issue is. I hope to make it back to the dealer soon as "comfort" mode is unusable.

 
#15 ·
I am the principal driver of the XC90. 98% of my driving is in the city, and I basically drive the same way every day. Sometimes the acceleration in comfort mode feels smooth and buttery as I lightly apply pressure to the accelerator ,and other times it feels overly punchy like your head being pushed back into the seat acceleration with the same amount of pressure on the accelerator. I had Polestar added when the vehicle was ordered by the dealership. Sometimes you just want tool around town with grace and refinement. I just can't predict when acceleration will be smooth.
 
#16 ·
Could it be the engine auto stop/start causing this.

On a stop, the engine is stopped, and then when it starts it jumps to 1800, then the lag and then your acceleration.

I just ordered a 2018, so if this is happening, it's going to be a pain... I come from a 6 cylinder V60 RD.. so... that type of performance will pain me :(
 
#17 ·
Definitely not auto start stop.

Something I noticed this morning, I grabbed the wrong key that was brand new never been used in this vehicle. The throttle response with very sensitive compared to the key that I normally use. Maybe the transmission learning feature is just goofy like that.
 
#18 ·
OK so I did a couple of things this weekend based on some of the comment - I ran my XC90 pretty hard in Dynamic mode. I used the manual shift as well as the automatic. Side note - it was a lot of fun!!!

I then went back to the comfort mode and I noticed that the acceleration was back to when I first had Polestar put in. The sudden jump wasn't as frequent if not gone. I think it might have reprogrammed the transmission a little. Now yesterday and today I have been driving in comfort mode and it might be reverting a little. Just some thoughts!

The different key is interesting and I think you are it assumed you are a different driver and resets transmission etc...........
 
#23 ·
It locks the front to rear clutch in the haldex AWD system (which is, in a way a differential...Volvo's own literature says it locks the "center differential") but it's not a left-to-right locking diff. It does brake assisted limited slip through ABS which acts like a limited slip diff.
 
#24 ·
I put the car in "off-road" mode and then very gently accelerated to 30mph, which caused the car to automatically revert to "comfort" mode. I then put the car in "dynamic" mode and drove like a jerk for a while. The flat-spot-followed-by-surge behavior of the powertrain during initial acceleration now seems to be gone. Let's see how long it lasts.

Thanks, xc90rus and mtuhoop24!
 
#30 ·
I would love to know the fix to this problem. It was really bad before Polestar, but afterwards it is somewhat better.

Mine is just at certain speeds -- around 20-30mph when you let off the accelerator for a few seconds in traffic and then press it again. There's what seems to be a few seconds
of just nothing, then all horses come all at once.
 
#33 ·
This is exactly my experience. Most often the scenario is I am approaching a red light/traffic, my foot is off the accelerator (between 20-30mph), I notice the other lane is moving faster and make a move to get in that lane. When I accelerate to get over (often because cars are approaching in the other lane and Im trying to hurry to get in the gap) is when the lag happens. I agree with everyone that it's nerve wracking! I don't know what it says about my driving patterns if the cause is the learned transmission. I have been trying to remember to switch to dynamic every day and see if that makes a difference, but I haven't done it enough yet to form a conclusion. I don't have Polestar.
 
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