[ryeguy]

The way I see it, there are only a couple useful functions of the trip computer:

1) Clock (obviously)
2) Outside Temp
3) Range (distance on remaining fuel)

I think the others are pretty much useless:

1) Instantaneous MPG: Fluctuates wildly with acceleration/deceleration. Goes from 14 to 28 to 56 to 88 and all over the place within seconds depending on driving conditions.

2) AVG MPG: Assuming it uses the above instant MPG and averages those values, pretty much inaccurate.

3) E/T (Elapsed Time). The manual says it resets when the ignition is turned off, but this isn't the case. It "stops" when the car is turned off and picks up where it left off when the car is turned back on.

4) AVG SPEED: Who cares?

Am I missing something?

 

[ryeguy]

I guess the E/T would be useful if you wanted to know how much "drive time" it took you to get from point A to point B on a long trip say. And the fact that it stops while the car is turned off (for stops for meals and the like) means you get a more accurate picture of how long you actually drove.

My wife would like this feature, because whenever we go on trips, she obsesses over how long it took us "to get there". She is always taking total time, subtracting half an hour for a meal here, ten minutes for gas/potty stops there, etc. Since the clock "pauses" when the car is off, takes the guesswork out of total drive time.

OK, I will put E/T back into the "useful" category.

 

[ryeguy]

I've read a lot of complaints about the location of the instrument cluster, but as a tall person, I love it. In other cars with traditional "in front of you" placement, visibility was always obstructed by the steering wheel.