POLL: What mode do you drive in and why what percentages?

[windstrings]

I"ve been driving in "eco" mode for some time now. But now that I'm used to it, based on my driving style, I feel like I actually get better mileage and prefer normal mode.

So was "eco" mode just a trainer, or will folks be preferring it forever?

I was wondering what mode most of you guys drive and whats the reasoning.

I know some prefer the fun of driving with the punchy power while others are conservative and enjoy the challenge of making the mileage ratings rise.

I've always liked normal better at high speeds than eco to accommodate for the subtleties of freeway driving.

[lamontcranston]

I think that for a lot of people, ECO mode will make the car feel too slow over time. Personally though I'm ok with it and have only switched out of it just to feel the difference.

[DanMode]

I drive in Normal mode about 90% of the time. Power mode gets used whenever I'm driving on large steep grades, or whenever I'm merging into highway traffic. Sometimes, I just like to get a little kick out of Power mode when starting up from a red light, just to see people's faces shocked and amazed that a Prius just zoomed right past them.

Eco mode I use only when I'm stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic and I want to conserve the A/C so the hybrid battery doesn't discharge as quickly. And I even use EV mode on occasion, simply to back up from the garage without turning on the ICE at startup.

So I'd guess it's about:

90% Normal
6% Power
3% Eco
1% EV

[windstrings]

I havent done much testing, but I understand that the lines converge.

In other words, when you depress the pedal more than 80% in eco mode, its supposed to be virtually the same as normal or power mode at 80% + depression.

I dont know if this is true in real life or if actually being in power mode gives you an edge.

I do prefer normal or power mode at full freeway speeds because I find I have to play with the pedal too much to maintain and deal with the subtleties of freeway driving at those speeds.

It would be interesting to see if full pedal depression actually accomplishes a faster 0 - 60mph when in one mode verses another.

One thing we do know, virtually the whole range and feel of pedal depression is changed with each mode.

[GoSkins]

I drive in ECO when I drive mainly because I don't think about it. My trips are 10 miles on average with 50/50 highway and small town, traffic lights only, driving. I always get 54.3 mpg. The wife has been attending a conference in Bethesda, Md., driving (40miles) 1.5 hours in rush hour traffic on I-270 and is showing 60.2 mpg on her trip B stats., again, this is in ECO. I would have to see what the greater numbers show in normal and power before switching. Honestly, I think both of us are use to the slower response of ECO and putting the pedal to the metal when we need to, leaving us with the knowledge that the power is there at our command.

[reginaever]

I'm not used to the slower response of ECO, so I switched to the power mode for the past two tanks. I've been averaging about 52 mpg.

[garygid]

My next "standard" freeway trips I will try PWR mode to see if mpg improves over my ECO trips.

What does ECO do to the Air Conditioning?

[brianric]

Can someone explain Normal Mode. I have a 2010 Prius and I have EV mode, ECO mode, and PWR mode.

[windstrings]

Originally Posted by brianric

Can someone explain Normal Mode. I have a 2010 Prius and I have EV mode, ECO mode, and PWR mode.

I got used to Eco mode, but then when I get my my GenII, it seems punchy compared to the GenIII.

If I run in normal mode in my GenIII, its comparable to my experience in my GenII.

Normal mode is basically no mode at all. You don't have eco or power engaged so your "normal".
I think of normal mode as being in between eco and power in the responsiveness of the gas pedal.

Power mode will basically make the pedal even more sensitive.

[Spartane]

I only see ECO mode useful when you need to reduce power fed to the A/C (doesn't apply to me right now because winter's coming ).

I like PWR mode because the response is faster and sometimes you might need it and you don't want to have to fiddle with the buttons to get it.

Since I get the same great fuel economy in PWR mode as in ECO mode (so far, more than 60 mpg), I try to select PWR mode if I remember; otherwise my drive is in Normal mode.