Hybrid - Using Eco Drive Mode

[gavioliuk]

Does anyone use this drive mode on a regular basis?

Anyone found any advantages of Eco drive mode?

[bewA]

I used it for the first month and it reduces the throttle response and smoothes it out and i believe enhances the regen.

I prefer driving in normal though but it was a fun test.

[PeteB]

ECO also slightly reduces the strength of heating and a/c cooling to save a little extra fuel.

I've used ECO mode almost 100% of the time since I got my Gen 3 Prius in 2012 (Gen 3 was the first Toyota Hybrid to get ECO/PWR modes from 2009).

To start with, I only used it on snow/ice, as the more gentle introduction of power makes pulling away easier to achieve without wheel spin.

Soon though, I just found I preferred the way it mapped the throttle, which suits my generally relaxed driving style.  I can still accelerate rapidly when necessary by pressing the pedal further.  Very rarely I briefly switch to PWR (Sport in the RAV4, but it's the same thing by another name - I guess the term Sport mode doesn't sit well with the Prius ethos) when pulling into very fast moving traffic.  In the RAV, I also occasionally select Sport mode because it adds a G force map to an All Wheel Drive display that shows torque and slippage on each wheel individually - it's not particularly useful in normal driving, but interesting.

When friends have driven my cars, I've always started them off in ECO, then switched to Normal, and they've all opted to stay in Normal mode without exception.

On the various chat forums I frequent, several people over time have stated they've standardised on Normal mode after a period in ECO and found that their mpg hasn't been any worse, one or two even claimed better mpg.

I guess we each decide what works best for our own preferences,

[bewA]

Just try and see how you like it 🙂

my driving style varies, relaxed on my commute to work so i tend to use eco and then normal on the way home 🙂

[Scottydog007]

I had the Rav4 2018 for 11 months and started of using it in eco mode. I just found throttle response was too slow and actually too dangerous. It forces you to drive slowly and would not accelerating quickly. If you needed to put on quick acceleration say on a roundabout to avoid an idiot it would not respond quick enough.

I live in an area where it is a fashion to not indicate or to be as inconsiderate as possible, hence every now and again I would have to respond quickly. So generally I would drive in normal mode. But often I like to put into sport mode and for the 2018 Rav4 there is a big difference giving sharp quick driving. I now never use eco mode.

I now have the Rav4 2019 and have had it one week driving quite a few miles. But I find there is hardly any difference between normal mode and sport. I really do not notice the difference.

Incidentally I experimented with the Rav4 2018 on fuel consumption between eco, normal and sport mode, and I didn’t see any difference. I assume I drive normal to fast, so in eco mode I would be pushing throttle hard to get the response I would want so force more fuel than would be expected so decided to just stay generally in normal mode.

[CurranShelter]

On 8/30/2019 at 11:29 AM, PeteB said:

...

On the various chat forums I frequent, several people over time have stated they've standardised on Normal mode after a period in ECO and found that their mpg hasn't been any worse, one or two even claimed better mpg.

Interesting - I've also had the impression sometimes that I've done better mpg-wise in normal mode than I have in Eco mode, although I have by no means tested that scientifically (and wondered if I was imagining it!). It'd be nice if Toyota could publish more info on how exactly it works as I can't help feeling there must be optimal conditions for when to use it, and crucially, when not to (I'd also love to know what some of the whirs and buzzes are all about, e.g. when unlocking and opening the driver's door or shortly after turning the power off - but that's an aside).

The handbook just says, "Use Eco drive mode to help achieve low fuel consumption during trips that involve frequent accelerating and braking" - I can only imagine they're assuming everyone would be heavy-footed otherwise and maybe cause the ICE to kick in when a gentler approach would allow it to remain more in EV mode. I did also ask via the Toyota blog for more information on Eco mode and when to use it, and if I remember correctly they said something about using it for maximum efficiency during motorway journeys, but I'm not sure I really understand how that helps.

I do like the relaxed feel of Eco when I'm not in a rush, but the rest of the time I appreciate the responsiveness of normal mode (all the more notable after using Eco for a while). I find hills very hard-going with Eco mode enabled, so that's one scenario where I make sure it's turned off. I rarely use loony (PWR) mode - just very occasional overtaking. As PeteB also noted, Eco can be useful in wintry conditions to avoid too much power delivery leading to wheel spin, but the other reason I use it more in winter is to minimise the engine kicking in for the sake of the heating, when it would otherwise be running on the HV Battery (e.g. when sitting in queueing traffic). Call me old-fashioned but I don't like the car sipping fuel and chucking out fumes just for the sake of keeping me a few degrees warmer while I wait at a junction. 😄