It all depends upon what your need for speed is. I'm a new Lexus hybrid driver and I find that the ECO mode is sufficiently powerful for my driving on both surface and expressway. I have not had my car during hot weather yet and I trust (hope) that the A/C will be good on ECO mode.

 

I was being facetious But it's close! Perhaps because I only drive the ES in SPORT, NORMAL even seems lazy to me.

 

Honestly, If I had done the test drive Eco Mode I wouldn't have considered the 300h over the 350. Fortunately the sales guy set the car in Sport mode just before I stared test driving. I was really impressed with the engine response and acceleration compared to the 350. It's not that the Eco Mode is not sufficiently powerful; but it's just definitely not responsive enough, This is very noticeable on the 300h as the battery power output to the electric motor is also reduced.

There's nothing wrong with driving 99%+ of the time in Eco Mode. It's just that in Normal or Sport mode the quicker engine response better matches the car characteristics; at least IMHO.

I'm willing to sacrifice 1-2mpg in Normal mode over Eco just to have a quicker throttle response without having to mash the accelerator.

 

A/C is definitely good enough. I have used Eco with an outside temp of over 103 F and inside temp set at 72F and worked without a hitch. If parked on the sun, maybe you will have to turn on the seat ventilation for a few minutes, but it will cool down the car very quick.

 

I have not seen anywhere where the battery output to the electric motor is reduced in eco mode. Do you have a documented source stating that?

 

Honestly not officially, I have read somewhere that in the Toyota Hybrid System the battery output to the electric motor is controlled by a power control unit that's closely related to the drive modes and throttle. But it definitely make sense based on my experience experimenting with drive modes on the 300h.

Apparently Eco Mode will map a default reduced voltage output to enhance mpg unless you floor it. If you push the gas pedal all the way, it will allow the full voltage output to the electric motor. The Sport Mode it will allow the full voltage output at any power band / throttle.

Maybe one of the more knowledgeable members of this forum could chime in on this.

 

That’s right, the battery output is the same on all modes.

 

You are probably correct and nobody outside Toyota knows exactly how all this works just like the charging system. I did look at my saved techstream hybrid data and it does show amperage for motor generator so could probably test that way if really wanted to know. ESh just answered and he works on these so he knows.

 

Couple of relevant sections from TIS - 2020 ES 300h specifically

 

My ES is ICE so I can't comment on ESh but in my RXh, there's little difference in drive modes whereas in my ES ICE, it's night and day on throttle response. I use SPORT in the RXh only because the dash looks cooler😄

 

I stand corrected, maybe total output is the same on all modes, but just at full throttle. There's definitely a different voltage output mapping at partial throttle depending on the drive mode. I'm guessing normal & sport mode present the full voltage of the battery to the electric motor early in the throttle response; and voltage output will ramp up exponentially as the gas pedal is pressed; whereas Eco is definitely more linear.

Anyway, to the OP here's a CCN video explaining Eco Mode & other drive modes....

 

I’ve mentioned this before but most of my driving is city. Driving in ECO resulted in horrible mpg. My service advisor recommended switching to Sport. It did improve mpg slightly and performance is far superior.

 

I get the impression from reading comments here that ECO would probably work best if you’re using the cruise control on the highway.

 

https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc...k5Rc/giphy.gif

 

Is your car the 350 or 300h as that would make a big difference in city mpg being in eco mode?