Total Newb: New 2012 Prius III 3rd Gen - Ev/Eco/Pwr/"other" mode?

Normal (nothing selected), eco and power mainly just adjust accelerator pedal mapping. Eco also makes some changes to the behavior of the HVAC system.

Although this isn't of any use now, in the winter, using Eco can help prevent the ICE (internal combustion engine) from coming on to provide cabin heat. See Why mileage gets worse in winter | PriusChat.

 

Eco/Normal/Power remap the response to pushing on the accelerator.
Power makes it very abrupt once you are off idle, but gives you more control once the pedal is almost all the way down.
Eco is the opposite, lots of pedal travel for very little difference in power at first , but once you stab the pedal, it is hard to modulate near the floor.
Normal is a balanced feel to pedal travel.

In addition, Eco 'relaxs' the HVAC routines, so the car can use less energy.

EV mode just tries to stay all electric.

 

^^^
Depends on the driver. Some people actually get better mileage in power mode than in eco or normal.

I don't have a 3rd gen, but have test driven them a bunch. (My 2nd gen has no such modes at all. The modes were new feature to the 3rd gen). I'd find Eco mode to be too sluggish/slow. Even normal feels kinda sluggish to me vs. the only mode I have on my 2nd gen.

edit: I finally found a chart that has been floating around for ages about the pedal mapping: Pedal to the metal, uphill grades | PriusChat.

Personally, I wouldn't be so concerned about small differences in mileage when the mpg figure is high. See Car and Driver: Mileage? No, it's Your Gallonage that Really Counts | PriusChat. Try running a few "gallonage" calculations (e.g. 20 mpg vs. 18; 50 vs. 45, 55 vs. 50 and so on).

 

^^^
Yeah, I hear you.

My Prius replaced my 255 hp 02 Nissan Maxima. I also had a 287 hp 350Z alongside my Prius for awhile. The Maxima actually felt faster than the Z, even though it wasn't (confirmed by trips to the drag strip). Maxima just had way less NVH when pushed.

Prius is really wimpy in power on the highway vs. either of those cars.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am a passionate Prius lover - Got 2 of them. But I think that EV / Eco / Power is a marketing scheme at best, and a driving hazard at worst. I need to instantly know how my car is going to respond in an emergency situation. For me to switch around how my gas pedal responds to a particular pressure of my foot is foolish! When faced with a decision that needs to be made in a nano second or two, I sure don't need to be faced with having to remember which mode I was in the mood for! Leave the buttons alone.

 

Having owned cars with less than 70 HP, it makes a Prius seem much more powerful.

In my 5 speed 1989 Toyota Corolla All Trac wagon, my daughter claimed she never saw me pass any vehicle while going uphill, except another Toyota Corolla All Trac wagon with an Automatic.

 

Coming from over 700rwhp the Prius feels fine for daily driving to me.

 

I think you made the right choice; when I test drove my Gen 3 I found “Normal Mode” or no mode selected as feeling closest to how my previous car behaved, and PWR mode felt too abrupt. Now that I’m used to how the car behaves, I have switched to ECO mode, to take advantage of the more efficient use of the A/C. I only use EV mode when I’m navigating around parking lots. The main thing is to use the mode that feels the most comfortable for how you drive.