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

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

I think it times just how fast it comes on and also uses intelligence to run it more when the engine is already on anyway and try to lay low when the engine needs to drop out for mileage.

If it were to stay on constantly even when the ICE had dropped out, your "drop out" time would be shortlived as the AC would quickly drain the battery and force the ICE to come back on to recharge.

You foot has to be pretty sensitive to get good mileage in Normal mode, but in power mode I estimate it would be near impossible to drive economically as things are just too touchy.

I see eco mode more as a trainer to get you to normal mode, unless you want to have lots of room for error with the pedal and still get good mileage, just use eco mode.

 

No kiddin?.... I'll have to try that on my next long trip.
I knew I liked normal over eco, but I haven't considered Power over normal for interstate.

Your the first person I've seen who notes better mileage in power mode.. thats great!

Do you feel its so during times when you need to run the air "like on hot days", or has that been a non issue lately?

The reason I ask is I'm just wondering if the AC management that eco mode does will make a difference when we need to use the AC allot.

 

With my GenII, I tried getting up to speed quicker and that rational didn't work as well as taking it easy for gas mileage.

I guess whenever you have to get mass moving fast in a short amount of time, it takes energy.. hence the massive horsepower needed for dragsters.

I know the electric gives nice low end torque but its still energy nevertheless.

I'm wondering if the reason we are finding the higher modes more efficient is because when you let off the gas, that too moves more aggressively too than when in eco.

In other words, you may have noticed how when you barely let off the gas, you may still show 50ish mpg, but when you let off even more and then put it back, you get to use the battery more and the ICE drops out and you will show 100mpg or if your going pretty fast, maybe only 70mpg or so.

Point being, normal and even power modes move the pedal more aggressively so that when letting off, it lets off "more" engaging the ICE to drop out, or at least free spin while the gas flow is shut off.

If that rational is right, it would stand to reason that the best of both worlds would be to use the higher modes, but be easy on the throttle for take-offs?

Just thinking out loud here.. these "modes" put a new twist on things.