View Poll Results: What mode to you drive in the most?
Eco
28
48.28%
Normal
24
41.38%
Sport
6
10.34%
Voters: 58. You may not vote on this poll
All 300h guys.. What mode?
#16
Lead Lap
I'm not a guy am I allowed to post?
I drive in ECO all the time. I'm averaging about 35 mpg. When I drove in Normal I was averaging about 30 mpg. I can't figure out how to get this any higher - but my drive is all stop and go on hills and I think that's what's killing me.
I drive in ECO all the time. I'm averaging about 35 mpg. When I drove in Normal I was averaging about 30 mpg. I can't figure out how to get this any higher - but my drive is all stop and go on hills and I think that's what's killing me.
#17
I checked fuelly to see what 2004 Honda Odysseys are getting and it looks like between 17-20 mpg so I feel better about my 35 MPG.
#18
Lead Lap
Sport mode is really a pleasure, so I have two questions for you: where did you get the "5 mpg" from, and why is it a "risk" to try sport mode for a week or less? It's not like this choice is irreversible or permanent.
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landonm86 (02-15-22)
#20
If you look at the fill ups, you can see where I switched from Normal mode to ECO mode.
I may give sport mode a try and see if I can play with it and still get decent numbers.
#21
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I'm not a guy am I allowed to post?
I drive in ECO all the time. I'm averaging about 35 mpg. When I drove in Normal I was averaging about 30 mpg. I can't figure out how to get this any higher - but my drive is all stop and go on hills and I think that's what's killing me.
I drive in ECO all the time. I'm averaging about 35 mpg. When I drove in Normal I was averaging about 30 mpg. I can't figure out how to get this any higher - but my drive is all stop and go on hills and I think that's what's killing me.
#22
Lead Lap
My point is this: I drive in Sport mode almost 100% of the time and average 37+ actual mpg., often with the a/c going. With the added performance, it makes no sense for me, at least, to drive in ECO. I wonder if in ECO mode if the increased pedal effort/frequency could be actually decreasing mpg ??
#23
My point is this: I drive in Sport mode almost 100% of the time and average 37+ actual mpg., often with the a/c going. With the added performance, it makes no sense for me, at least, to drive in ECO. I wonder if in ECO mode if the increased pedal effort/frequency could be actually decreasing mpg ??
This weekend Lexi went in for her 5K service and I got to drive a 350 for a day. I put about 200 miles on it and averaged about 27 mpg (no traffic, majority freeway driving in sport mode, ECO in town). The car average was 24mpg so I figured I was doing pretty good.
#24
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My point is this: I drive in Sport mode almost 100% of the time and average 37+ actual mpg., often with the a/c going. With the added performance, it makes no sense for me, at least, to drive in ECO. I wonder if in ECO mode if the increased pedal effort/frequency could be actually decreasing mpg ??
I agree. I often wonder of is more economical to get up to speed quickly or stay on Eco with the gauge in the white zone a bit longer. All my driving life I’ve only had one choice be it 3rd gear, 4th or D. Now I have 3 choices and I really don’t know what the reasoning is. So I’ll just stay in Econ because psychologically it seems to me the best place for the best mpg.
I do like Sport though especially if I want to get the jump on someone at a light. I’m very impressed with its pep considering it’s just a lil ole 4 cylinder.
#25
Lead Lap
I think that with any vehicle with multiple driving modes, whether hybrid or not, the driving mode that is used is likely to make a small difference in gas mileage, but much bigger differences in gas mileage are going to be the result of several other factors, including how much stop and go driving is done, whether terrain is relatively flat or hilly, whether most trips are short or longer, what the ambient air temperature is, and, perhaps as important as anything else, whether the driver has a lead foot or not. The less time that is spent idling and the less frequently the transmission is dropping to a lower gear ratio, the better the gas mileage will be, and lower the percentage of total miles driven before the engine is warmed up to normal operating temperature, the better the gas mileage will be. And these differences in driving patterns/habits account much more for the differences that different drivers realize in fuel economy than does the driving mode used. And, if you are driving with a lead foot in Eco mode, gas mileage will be worse than if you are driving more conservatively in Sport mode. I'm sure that we would all like to think that there is a magic wand that will allow us to drive with a lead foot and still get great gas mileage, but, like with most things, there is no free lunch.
Last edited by lesz; 04-28-14 at 03:46 PM.
#26
i average close to 65-75mph on the highways and close to 35mph on city streets. I like 1 mile away from a major highway...so my city driving is limited.
I attain close to 37mpg's on the whole...and always over 600 miles per fill-up. It's serving its hybrid purpose.
I attain close to 37mpg's on the whole...and always over 600 miles per fill-up. It's serving its hybrid purpose.
#27
I've had my 2014 ES300h for a week now. First tank I averaged 36 MPG in Normal Mode. Yesterday, after I put only 11 gallons in the tank, I decided to run in Eco Mode. I am now averaging 40 MPG in city driving. I usually drive upwards of 70 and 75 mph with the flow of traffic.
I am really pleased with the performance of this car!
I am really pleased with the performance of this car!
#28
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Downside of ECO
I switch between the three quite a bit.
It seems to me, and I have sometimes read, that too slow an acceleration actually reduces mileage. Flooring it to accelerate is also a mistake, but a reasonably brisk, firm acceleration seems to use less gas than a very gentle but drawn-out acceleration. Mileage is a little worse while accelerating, but that is outweighed by getting it done so much quicker. (This is also part of the theory of pulse and glide.) To the extent this is true, ECO mode actually harms mileage because you spend so much more time accelerating.
It seems to me, and I have sometimes read, that too slow an acceleration actually reduces mileage. Flooring it to accelerate is also a mistake, but a reasonably brisk, firm acceleration seems to use less gas than a very gentle but drawn-out acceleration. Mileage is a little worse while accelerating, but that is outweighed by getting it done so much quicker. (This is also part of the theory of pulse and glide.) To the extent this is true, ECO mode actually harms mileage because you spend so much more time accelerating.
#29
Lexus Champion
I switch between the three quite a bit.
It seems to me, and I have sometimes read, that too slow an acceleration actually reduces mileage. Flooring it to accelerate is also a mistake, but a reasonably brisk, firm acceleration seems to use less gas than a very gentle but drawn-out acceleration. Mileage is a little worse while accelerating, but that is outweighed by getting it done so much quicker. (This is also part of the theory of pulse and glide.) To the extent this is true, ECO mode actually harms mileage because you spend so much more time accelerating.
It seems to me, and I have sometimes read, that too slow an acceleration actually reduces mileage. Flooring it to accelerate is also a mistake, but a reasonably brisk, firm acceleration seems to use less gas than a very gentle but drawn-out acceleration. Mileage is a little worse while accelerating, but that is outweighed by getting it done so much quicker. (This is also part of the theory of pulse and glide.) To the extent this is true, ECO mode actually harms mileage because you spend so much more time accelerating.
With those techniques, I've actually gotten 40+mpg for the last two tankfuls. In the overall scheme of things, I'm still happy to be in the mid 30's to 40 mpg with the ES300h, compared to my previous vehicles.
#30
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2013 w/ 14k. After experiment with sport or eco, it is always in normal mode now. Our car is used mainly in home to work stop & go commute where no highway driving involved. I found it seems to get high FE if I tried to accelerate as much as I can while keeping the green 'EV' light on. avg ~44mpg except in winter avg ~37mpg. I would love to switch to 'sport' mode but then I can not monitor the 'EV' green light anymore (due to display change) which I use to gauge my acceleration & speed. 'ECO' is just too sluggish for acceleration even during rush hours.