Most of my driving is on a mix of A class urban and rural roads and not on dual carriageways or motorways. I am very much aware that mpg is seriously affected by how you drive, type of roadway and length of journey.
However, whilst trying to drive on similar routes in the same manner, I have found that I get little variation in mpg between Comfort and Eco modes. Can others comment on what sort of routes or driving style is best suited to Eco mode and are do they find Eco mode of any benefit.
I find the main downside of Eco mode is a sluggish response time if sudden acceleration is required, for example for overtaking quickly, which can easily catch you out if not being careful.
Eco Mode
Different drive modes actually change the way I drive the car. Hard acceleration will always negatively affect fuel consumption. When I use Eco mode there’s a significant mpg gain because it forces me to refrain from hard acceleration or overtaking knowing the engine and gearbox won’t respond fast at kick-down. I find AC and steering settings in Eco mode uncomfortable, so I use Individual mode with engine on Eco and everything else on Comfort.
Most of my driving is A roads / rural, with a motorway journey approx once a month. Like eugen61, I use individual mode with eco for engine, everything else in comfort. I find this mode suits the car, making it a more refined drive with smoother acceleration, but I don’t find it makes a huge difference to fuel consumption. Maybe that’s down to driving style.
Personally, I’ve never found eco mode too sluggish for overtaking, or pulling away at junctions. This may differ with different engines, especially those without hybrid batteries giving a bit of a boost.
Personally, I’ve never found eco mode too sluggish for overtaking, or pulling away at junctions. This may differ with different engines, especially those without hybrid batteries giving a bit of a boost.
MY22 XC40 Inscription B4P, Auto, FWD, Denim blue, Blond Leather, Climate, Versatility, Sunroof, Tints.
I think Eco is really unsuitable for UK save for a few days a year. Whenever i tried it the car would mist up in less than 5 minutes due to no air con and high humidity.
Other than that, i feel Eco is very boring, it tends to use same fuel (in London traffic) as Comfort as it wastes a lot going slooooooowly through all the gears instead of bumping it up in a high gear (equivalent of selective gear change for manuals, really) and once you really need the power ie at a roundabout, it will take ages to rev properly and when it finally jolts (a temporarry ignoring of Eco mode), it will suck so much fuel for the troubles, that on a few trips i ended up using MORE fuel than i did on Comfort. It's true that i tend to drive with a heavier foot, but i also feel there are too many trade-offs for Eco to be enjoyable.
To be fair when i got my MY20 T4 RD, i obsessed over MPGs as it was registering well over 10MPH less than the Mazda 3, but i learned to live with it and enjoy rather than worry. In the end, fuel economy was way down on the list of priorities when i got this particular car.
Other than that, i feel Eco is very boring, it tends to use same fuel (in London traffic) as Comfort as it wastes a lot going slooooooowly through all the gears instead of bumping it up in a high gear (equivalent of selective gear change for manuals, really) and once you really need the power ie at a roundabout, it will take ages to rev properly and when it finally jolts (a temporarry ignoring of Eco mode), it will suck so much fuel for the troubles, that on a few trips i ended up using MORE fuel than i did on Comfort. It's true that i tend to drive with a heavier foot, but i also feel there are too many trade-offs for Eco to be enjoyable.
To be fair when i got my MY20 T4 RD, i obsessed over MPGs as it was registering well over 10MPH less than the Mazda 3, but i learned to live with it and enjoy rather than worry. In the end, fuel economy was way down on the list of priorities when i got this particular car.
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Deleted User 3629
The best Eco mode in my opinion is to stay in comfort mode adopt a light foot anticipate your surroundings and let the car drive at its own pace and like today saw the TM averaged in the mid 40's around town with light traffic in a B4 FWD. Don't understand why anyone would wish to drive with a heavier foot - smooth driving and anticipation is the key to hyper mileage.
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Greggspies
- Posts: 404
- Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:16 am
We use Individual mode based on Eco but with normal Aircon. Never experienced any lack of performance. The main difference seem to me to be the linearity of the throttle.
MY22 T5 Recharge Inscription Pro in Denim Blue with Blond Interior
I use eco if the road conditions let it coast ,makes 8 to 10 mpg difference in my commute to work as there are some long gently hills,then go to manual for a bit of engine breaking before turning off the main road,still have too break a little so regens the battery ,it's a B4,coasting like this may cause more wear to the brakes not much engine breaking in an auto anyway,it's going to vary for all of us,differ ant road conditions,traffic,type of journey,driving style,car,gearbox,etc,whatever works for you is good.
