Drove a Gen 3 for the first time yesterday - don't get it.

i've had both. not a huge difference, but as long as they get 50+ mpg, i'm all in.

 

I think your thread title is wrong. Did you test drive a Gen3 or the new Gen4 Prius (2015)?

 

No! . The 200

no! the 2005 is sensitive! The 2011 seems as sensitive in "power mode" but eco.. Eco on the other hand is so dull it seemed dangerous!!

 

you can't test drive a gen IV.

he has a gen II, and after driving a III, he likes his II better.

 

In some of the latest documents regarding 2016 Prius, they're saying something along the lines of: ECO is adjusted to be like current normal. Normal like PWR, and so on.

 

I don't understand how the dull throttle response in Eco mode conserves fuel. Brisk acceleration is more efficient than slow acceleration. An engine operating at near full load, but not in fuel enrichment, is most efficient. That's the whole reason why pulse and glide driving is much more efficient; it only runs the engine at peak thermal efficiency and cuts it off to glide. Something got lost in translation between the engine and software engineers.

I'm still using Eco mode because I want the AC to run more efficiently, and I can still control acceleration by mashing the throttle more heavily.

 

If you make pedal travel so long that it's awkward, it's not helping anything. That's my take on the 3rd gen in ECO, way too much.

 

By dulling the beginning and middle portion of the pedal travel, you are increasing the sensitivity of the top portion of pedal travel making it difficult to hold a precise load at the higher end, where the efficient range is. The whole concept sucks and they should never have made that switch.

 

Other than how it tries to conserve power across all systems, the pedal play makes it easier to control the throttle output. Detrimental once you have the finesse to manage on normal mode or even PWR mode, but I suppose they figure ECO users wouldn't mind.

You can still pulse and glide in ECO...just more effort to pulse.

 

As this graph illustrates, the throttle becomes more twitchy towards 65% of throttle usage when in eco mode. In power mode, the upper section of the throttle is less twitchy. Maybe the power selector button is useful for those wanting maximum AC, but the car should only have the option of a linear throttle response.

Eco mode has done more to piss off other drivers than to deliver better fuel economy.

 

I use "Normal" mode 100% of the time as I believe that linear throttle response makes the car more predictable (and safer) for me to control, and I get great mileage with brisk (but reasonable) acceleration.***

Toyota's engineers seem to agree - the "Normal" linear throttle mapping is being used in the Gen 4 Prius while in Eco mode (per the presentations posted to PriusChat this week)!


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***(in case you want way too much detail!) I also try to maximize efficiency and avoid conversion losses by (where it is safe) avoiding use of brakes by putting just enough throttle to turn off regeneration while decelerating (so there is nothing showing in the "brake" area of the HSI), or maintaining speed on downhills.

Using the same logic, I accelerate briskly using the gas engine wherever possible, and maintain speed on uphills using the gas engine wherever possible. In both cases, I am avoiding excessive "nearing the midpoint on the HSI" electric-only acceleration in driving conditions (in other words, a traffic jam coming up soon and/or no big downhill or braking event coming up soon) where I know that the engine will later have to recharge the batteries.

As for using Eco mode for A/C, that may make sense for shorter drives (where target temperature may not be reached by the destination), but for the longer drives I typically take (say over 15 minutes), I think of regular A/C as "brisk cooling" -- in other words, the cabin gets to the target temperature sooner, and the A/C can "coast" in lower power "temperature maintenance mode" earlier. Side benefits: The passengers, and just as importantly, the traction battery, spend more time cooler and more comfortable.

 

I gotta keep hammering on this: I see little or no correlation between AC use and lower battery temps. Just in normal operation, cool ambient temps, the battery will level out around 35~38C.

AC will knock upwards of 10% of your mpg too. Excessive use hastens the compressor's demise, and they're costly. Heavy use also promotes mould growth.

 

I just filled a used sock with silica gel (crystal cat litter) and placed it on my dash. I'm hoping it will absorb cabin moisture and allow me to drive without running the defrost, which runs the AC. I should know by the morning when my shift ends if cat litter works to prevent condensation on the windshield.

 

i get 70 mpg in eco mode.

 

With your plug-in tho.

 

not plugging in tho.

 

Hmph