I recently acquired a 2019 GX 460 and am still adjusting to its features. I'm curious to know if certain behaviors I've observed are typical or if there might be an issue with the engine. Specifically, when driving on the highway and encountering an incline, my GX tends to decelerate. Even when I press the gas pedal more deeply, acceleration doesn't increase until the eco mode disengages. At that point, the car accelerates to the desired speed, but the RPM climbs to 3000, giving the impression that the vehicle is exerting considerable effort. I initially expected the GX to handle hills more effortlessly than my 2011 RX350, which I traded in.

 

Not sure what kind of inclines we're talking about, but it's a heavy truck, so it makes sense that it slows down with hills. I've disengaged the "ECO" mode and actually started to get better gas mileage (like 0.5 MPG) and it seems to handle angulating terrain with a bit more ease. I also drive with cruise control about 85% of the time, so the truck eventually figures it out. Again, I think weight and it being a truck and not an SUV are the main factors. I have also tried a throttle controller, to remove the struggle a bit, but that didn't work very well for what you're referencing, so this last week, I added a tune from VF and it does seem to handle the hills with more finesse, may want to look into that if you're overly concerned.

 

Physics isn't understood by many, but applies here. Pushing a heavy object up a hill is harder then pushing a light object up a hill. Viva-la-resistance.

 

lol true true, i think new car has me nervous but i see your point

 

These things are just a little underpowered, even with the V8. (My opinion, but I live part of the year at 6300ft, which warps my sense of power a bit.) That, combined with the really tall 6th gear (0.59:1, IIRC), means that they will downshift at least once on even the mildest grades. If some "ECO" mode is wanting to delay that downshift, the vehicle will slow. 5th gear is also an overdrive, so you don't get to 1:1 'till 4th. When ECO mode disengages and it finally downshifts out of 6th, it may go to 4th or even 3rd, which will increase engine RPM like you are seeing.

The first solution is to disable ECO mode permanently. Your finances will not notice the difference, if it even exists, and drivability will improve. The second solution, if you drive in places where it's constantly downshifting to get out of the tall 6th gear, is just to pull the shifter to the left in those situations. It will go immediately into the 1:1 4th gear, and so eliminate the nuisance downshifts.

Mark

 

Yeah, def. disengage that 'ECO' mode! Otherwise, nothing wrong with your vehicle.
Like stated, the power to weight ratio is quite lacking. These things should've had at least 350hp.

 

Where is this option to disable ECO and is it different than just turning the ECO light off?

 

unfortunately you have to buy a kit that will allow you to control it. i think it is called Throttle Response Controller.

 

Can it be disabled in Techstream or then is this just remapping the gas pedal curve?

 

ECO is just an indicator light that shows you are driving to save gas (basically a light indicator for manifold vacuum), it does not change any engine or shift perameters.
You can disable the light, but that just turns the light off
"Eco Driving Indicator Light During Eco-friendly acceleration operation (Eco driving), the Eco Driving Indicator Light will turn on. When the acceleration exceeds Zone of Eco driving, or when the vehicle is stopped, the light turns off."

 

Ahh, thanks for this. I'm sure I turned off anything that said "ECO" before driving off the dealership lot, and so plead ignorance

@walta007, you can obviously ignore my suggestion #1 above, since it doesn't exist. If you're slowing on grades, either move the shifter to the left or just press the right pedal harder. :-) Seriously, though, you can downshift with the throttle at the very start of a grade, and that might make any further downshifts feel smoother to you. Just practice.

Mark

 

@walta007 As another new owner my assessment aligns with yours. It really takes quite a bit of throttle to hold speed on a grade, and at least 1 downshift. I agree with others that it really picks up once 4th is reached.
Overall though I am still very happy with the powertrain.

My 3.5 Eco F-150 can hold nearly any grade in 10th gear. The torque difference between engines, especially at altitude, is very evident.

 

I have a 2011 v6 Avalon and it's flawless on steep grades where the GX has to downshift and roar to do the same thing. It's fatiguing on long drives.

 

... describing the lethargic OEM pedal (throttle) mapping ... get Pedal Commander or an equivalent ... wakes up the pedal response to where you can actually experience the immediate V8 power availability.