I have always used the ECO mode. I like the response, you can always push a little further if needed. The ECO mode makes it less likely the ICE will come on while I still have lots of EV left. I never used the EV mode button when I had a non-PiP. Letting the computer decide when to use EV is the best and easiest way to go. The Chevy Volt gets in the 40's mpg when the EV runs out. The ICE only charges the battery so 50% efficiency for EV (non-PiP) Prius operation seems a bit pessimistic.
Yes, 90% of the road here are up hills and down hills, and you have to be almost all the time on Power rpm uphill if you stay on Eco rpm people here will hate you lol. Just curious how do you know your engine temperature, did toyota forgot the temperature of the engine on prius?
ScanGauge II And yeah: I was driving one of our kid's econo car to Costco for a tire repair, started muttering: "even this piece of you-know-what has a temp gauge".
I don't use any of the modes. I tried them all out when I first got the car, but in the end, my OCD doesn't like the lights for pwr mode or ev or Eco, so I leave them all off.
I was able to continue on a cross-country trip when the low-coolant light came on. Our van had a temp gauge and after checking the coolant level, I was 99% sure the light was the result of a failed sensor. I kept an eye on the temp and it gave me the peace of mind that an idiot light wouldn't have. I had the sensor replaced when we got back home.
ECO does not change the power available to go uphill. It only changes how far you have to depress the accelerator. Same for using the PWR mode, same power available you just don't have to push the accelerator as far to get the results.
^ Worth noting. Some cars do tricks with different modes, different valve lift, reprogrammed fuel ratios, or whatever, but in the Prius you're not getting more or less power in any of the modes, it's just pedal travel remapped.
I would say that now with experience driving The Prius, I can maintain and achieve MPG's in default "normal" mode that are as good as the MPG's that I use to achieve with the aid of ECO mode. At first when I was inexperienced, I think the less aggressive accelerator pedal response helped me gauge and modulate the HSD responses better as I drove. Now I can do that in "Regular" mode almost as easily. So I primarily drive in "Normal". Occasionally just for obsessive kicks, I'll go back to ECO. I use "Power" for exactly what I think it's best for, the sudden merge on to a busy highway. Short periods where I want immediate and aggressive acceleration. But that's about the ONLY situations I use power. I didn't buy The Prius for "Power"...I bought it for efficiency. EV is actually the mode I use the least. Because again, with practice and time, I believe now I can usually coax "EV" driving out of The Prius when it is available and possible- simply using my foot on the accelerator. So often pressing the button to choose the mode seems redundant and unnecessary. EV get's used for those very rare times when I just really want to force EV as much as possible. So when trying to "Show Off" The Prius's EV capabilities, occasional holiday parking lot scenarios and short moves of the vehicle.
There's precious little interactivity in the Prius dash. Think "opposite of Space Shuttle cockpit". And then, there's these enticing buttons: Park, ECO, PWR and EV. I can't recall the last time I used any of them.
Agreed...except for the PiP the EV button is important so you can charge the battery downhill and save the charge for later in the flatland by switching back to HV for the uphills.
Meh, it works fine, but I think it comes with a built level of intrinsic disappointment, as with the button or without the button The Prius is a hybrid and NOT an Electric Vehicle. So the suggestion that an E "lectric" V "ehicle" mode is really even possible sometimes leads to frustration. The Prius can move on electric power if certain conditions are met. But Electric Vehicle? No it's not. Of the 4 possible modes including Standard or Regular...no button pressed, EV is probably the most "commercial". Probably neat for a salesman to point out or press during a test drive.
Well, that's what's so silly about it. The idea for the button was to enable the driver move the Prius on electric only, such as in a parking lot, but even that is fubared because if the engine isn't up to temp, it won't let you do it. Um...DUH? The point for EV is so you could move the car without engaging the motor. There are still the safeguards to shut if off if you get the battery too low or go to fast or demand too much torque.
Wait. "If the engine isn't up to temp"??? If the ambient temp isn't high enough, I think, not the engine temp. I've moved Pearl S with a cold engine (not run in 24 hrs) in EV mode. But it refuses sometimes, and I think it's because the ambient temp is too low, or the battery is too low, or the sky is the wrong colour?
