Inhibit engine pull-down based on past driving history

A vehicle comprising:

• an accelerator pedal with an associated pedal position sensor;
• an engine;
• a transmission;
• a motor-generator capable of providing drive torque, selectively coupled to the engine via a clutch, and selectively coupled to the transmission;
• and
• a controller programmed to inhibit the clutch from disengaging and the engine from stopping based on a moving average of previous pedal position magnitudes exceeding a threshold.

A method of inhibiting engine pull-down in a vehicle, comprising:

• via at least one controller,
• receiving a signal indicative of driving-condition data relating to road grade, accelerator pedal position, or steering wheel position;
• initializing a timer in response to an engine-stop request;
• and
• subsequent to the initializing, inhibiting the engine from stopping based on a moving average of the driving-condition data and the timer being unexpired.