I am finding the Gen4 to be very different to the Gen2 and the Gen4 certainly likes to use the battery, this results in a low state of charge in urban areas (20 and 30mph limits). I have started to concentrate on my braking swapping to a light touch and much earlier than I would normally, previously I would keep momentum and just let the car coast down effectively with my feet off the pedals until the brakes were needed. On the display I see the HSI dipping below the line but still above the dashed line and the yellow arrows feeding the battery. This gives me more regen and keeps the state of charge a bit higher than if I wasn't driving this way.
I'm finding the same thing and I think this is true of the NiMH vs. Li-ion. I had a Prius C back in the day that I would coast to a stop the same way. My '18 Two Eco charges much better when lightly pushing the breaks. Once I figured this out I had a nice little boost in city fuel economy by a couple MPGs.
That's certainly the best way, though you don't have to worry about the better HV battery SOC... The car is perfectly capable of keeping it constantly in the optimum range without the driver's intervention. I'd shout to you, but don't think my voice would carry that far, so I'll just wave next time I'm paying on the M5.
