Which Mode ?

[CRUNCHER]

Hi All

Which is the most economical driving mode on a 2020  Rav 4 2.5 hybrid ?

[philip42h]

Normal - with a sensibly light right foot. The way you drive (road conditions, temperature etc.) make far more difference than which mode you select.

[Strangely Brown]

46 minutes ago, philip42h said:

Normal - with a sensibly light right foot. The way you drive (road conditions, temperature etc.) make far more difference than which mode you select.

Yup.

Using Normal mode and planning ahead returns better economy - in my experience - than Eco mode with radar cruise. The car spends more time in EV mode when I "drive it myself".

[Cyker]

The modes just change how the accelerator pedal maps/reacts, but doesn't really make the car any more efficient - You have access to the same amount of power in Eco as you do in Power, it just ramps up sooner on Power, and later on Eco.

I tend to use Eco, as I'm often crawling through city traffic, and the further pedal travel gives me more low-speed finesse, but I can still leave everyone for dead at the lights  

 

[Gray86]

The driving modes are a bit of a gimmic, as said above its just throttle response & steering weight. Makes no difference to MPG if you drive the same 

[Derek.w]

I go for its just a throttle responce curves against a straight line.

[Strangely Brown]

It's actually more than just changing the throttle map, or at least ECO is.

In ECO mode the HVAC system is also changed. Makes no difference to performance but it [is claimed to] help economy.

[Yugguy1970]

Sport brings more Battery in earlier, there is a definite difference in both instant and maximum acceleration between sport and normal.

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, Strangely Brown said:

It's actually more than just changing the throttle map, or at least ECO is.

In ECO mode the HVAC system is also changed. Makes no difference to performance but it [is claimed to] help economy.

Just FYI you can change that independently; My HVAC is set to be in Eco mode no matter what the driving mode is set to!

[YarisHybrid2016]

I most certainly argue the point that it DOES makes a difference.

Holding constant speed on a straight, constant grade section of road, and switching ECO/NORMAL on my G3 Yaris most definitely causes a SIGNIFICANT change in instantaneous fuel economy.

It is NOT imagination. I have tried this so many times through the years now it most certainly matters.

Sure, hard acceleration, inefficient driving, and start/stop it will not matter, but if you do any kind of cruising for any period of time, and the difference can be as much as 20%.

Remember, we're talking cars capable of above-average fuel economy. In my car capable of 80 MPG, 20% drops it to 64 MPG, and this is reflected in the instantaneous value.

Traffic makes it impossible to test, but the ultimate check would be to cruise for 6 hours at constant speed on the motorway, or stick it on a rolling road for several hours in each mode. That would settle the argument.

It seems to shift the balance of electric/ICE power with the mode.

On a new car that is still "tight" the difference is almost invisible, but my car has done 100k now, and the difference is night/day.

The following is purely for illustrative purposes only:

ECO: 70/30 electric/ICE

Normal: 50/50 electric/ICE

Power: 30/70 electric/ICE

Torque sensors can be used to balance the distribution.

[Strangely Brown]

So... as usual with any question related to driving the answer begins with the words, "it depends...".

While all of the advice above is sound the best answer will be to drive and try the different modes yourself. Find what works for you, your use profile and the way that you drive. My way works for me. YMMV.

 

[philip42h]

15 hours ago, CRUNCHER said:

Which is the most economical driving mode on a 2020  Rav 4 2.5 hybrid ?

As above, I guess it depends whether you are more concerned with economy or driving ... 😉

If the focus is driving - Normal and a light right foot is fine - the emphasis being on the light right foot.

If the focus is economy - Eco with the climate control and multimedia Off and a very, very light right foot will win out almost certainly. As will leaving the car in the garage! 😉

But more seriously, it's how you drive rather than the mode that you drive in that makes the difference ...

[Rav4ster]

I prefer the eco mode for the smoother accelerator pedal (right foot tends to hurt after long drive in other modes). HVAC is set to normal mode or fast when it is very hot outside. After 40k of driving two hybrid mk5 RAV4 and keeping the fuel log, I did not see much of the mpg difference between normal and eco. What I noticed in city driving, eco will use most of the Battery, normal will try to keep the Battery around 70%, but again not noticed difference in mpg over tank full.
My 2019 2wd Design with Ni-Mh Battery and 18" wheels averaged 45.7 mpg over 22000 miles. My current 2021 2wd Excel on 19" wheels with lithium battery averages 48.6 after 20k of similar driving.

 

[TonyHSD]

Eco mode will help with efficiency generally speaking as it will dampen the throttle response and prevent unnecessary switching ON of the ice which helps reduce the average fuel consumption. HVAC settings can be overwrite in any mode. 

Normal mode is as it’s says the title , perhaps the best for everyday drives. 

Sport or power mode - will sharpen the throttle response. Reduce the need of constant push of the accelerator to the floor when more power is needed, for example high speed motorway drives, going steep slope, long uphill, or racing with other drivers, the new term of keeping up with traffic flow 🫢👌

You can have very similar results in terms of performance or efficiency in any mode and it will depend on throttle control. The different modes helps the driver to pick the one that is most suitable for their driving style and needs and prevent fatigue on your foot. For me eco mode make the car very sluggish and uncomfortable to drive. Normal mode all the time. 👍

[Cyker]

I will say it's much harder to stay on EV (i.e. in the eco band on the power meter) in 'sport' mode, as the pedal travel before the engine kicks in is much smaller, but it would still be possible to get similar economy if you had exceptionally fine foot control!

I guess they do make it easier to drive economically/sportily, but to my knowledge they don't change e.g. the engine to use a more efficient combustion cycle or limit power or rate of acceleration or anything like that - The driver is still ultimately the source of any efficiency gains/losses.

It's different to e.g. some EVs, where Eco mode actually reduces acceleration and top speed, and Sport does the opposite.

[ernieb]

2 minutes ago, Cyker said:

…….

It's different to e.g. some EVs, where Eco mode actually reduces acceleration and top speed, and Sport does the opposite.

Which is the case with the RAV4 PHEV, I use the ECO most of the time.

[Cyker]

Oh, didn't know that! Nice!

Does it only do that in EV mode, or in HEV mode too?

 

[ernieb]

11 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Oh, didn't know that! Nice!

Does it only do that in EV mode, or in HEV mode too?

 

As far as I can tell it affects the acceleration etc. in both modes.

The modes also affect the AC/heating so in the winter I’ll often start the car in NORMAL mode and once the car has warmed up I’ll switch to ECO. (If I’m at home then I can pre heat or cool via the tether.)

[Cyker]

44 minutes ago, ernieb said:

As far as I can tell it affects the acceleration etc. in both modes.

Thanks, that's good to know! I've never heard of such effects on the regular hybrids so I wonder if that's exclusive to the PHEVs (And maybe BZ EVs?)...?

44 minutes ago, ernieb said:

The modes also affect the AC/heating so in the winter I’ll often start the car in NORMAL mode and once the car has warmed up I’ll switch to ECO. (If I’m at home then I can pre heat or cool via the tether.)

I was doing that last year when we had that nuclear summer!   

Set the HVAC to FAST until the car cooled to bearable temperatures then set it back to ECO.

 

[ColinB]

I tend to drive in eco mode most of the time, unless there are four in the car when it makes it a bit sluggish up hills. I don't like the ECO mode on the heating was it makes it very stuffy in the car, so set it to normal. 

Colin 

[Aaron Reed]

No matter how much I read different articles on this topic, someone says that normal is no different from eco. I can’t answer for 2020, but in my new rav 4 of 2023 I didn’t see any difference, perhaps with further use they will appear

[ernieb]

Generally the performance difference is in the acceleration profile. So if you don't have a heavy right foot you may well not notice any difference between the two modes.

[TonyHSD]

Eco mode messing around with hvac settings if in auto mode and reduce throttle response. All that equals extra mpg. Depending on driving conditions can make the car feel sluggish, even uncomfortable, especially on long trips or uphill high speed climbing if not using cc. 

[Strangely Brown]

On 8/7/2023 at 5:09 PM, CRUNCHER said:

Which is the most economical driving mode on a 2020  Rav 4 2.5 hybrid ?

My most recent tank of petrol (V-Power E5) lasted 583 miles before I decided to fill with probably with an indicated 80+ miles remaining. The driving was almost exclusively in Normal mode, on mixed roads so it represents a pretty typical use pattern for me.

The tank average on the display showed 58.8mpg. The full-full calculation showed 59.3.

I think I can say that I am pleased with that. 🙂