Eco Mode, Driving Modes - using a lot more lately

I've gone from one mode to another while driving and not had any problems. Eco to Pwr while driving is a bit of a trick because there's a delay, then the car can really accelerate. The Prius will only let you go to EV from the other modes if you're traveling less than 10 mph while still warming up, or 25 mph when completely warmed up. Going to Eco from one of the other modes happens without a hitch.

 

Yeah, the climate control is probably the biggest factor for using the ECO mode to affect mileage.

 

For the first ~5000 miles I kept in "normal" to get a baseline. Starting this week, I switched it to ECO, which I'll use for awhile. In a few months I will try using PWR exclusively, but I have a feeling I will frequently forget to switch it on when I start the car.

Anyway, I was getting around 43MPG in my v wagon in normal mode. I've only been driving on this tank for 2 days, but I am already set to end up at 45-46MPG despite consistently colder weather so far. Roughly a 5% gain just for hitting a button is not too shabby. I found that I mash the pedal harder to compensate for the lazy throttle mapping in ECO mode, but it doesn't negate the gains.