[bmoy88]

So now I've been driving the car for 3.5 months and am still trying to figure out what ECO does that Normal does not do.

I was told to use ECO while driving in the city and Normal on the highway.

I haven't noticed any fuel economy. I'm not a racer so I can't say that I get better pickup or such.

Can anyone explain what the 2 functions do or do not do?

If I drive exclusively in ECO, do I get better mileage. Is there any harm in driving for extended periods on the highway in this mode?

 

[johnleigh]

I've not got my CT yet but IIRC there are several fuel consumption threads that indicate that mpg is almost the same in ECO and normal modes

 

[maxa]

Eco mode
Gives a more sloppy throttle (takes more movement to react)
Puts AC in eco-mode (if not changed by user settings)
Change the steering and suspension to give a smoother ride

The actual fuel consumption is not lowered, its just stuff that help the user to drive more fuel economical.

 

[coubs]

I keep mine in normal mode most of the time (and bump it into sport when I need a quick punch to merge etc.)
The threads johnleigh are talking about lead me to believe people were actually getting better mileage in normal than if the used eco so I now use normal not eco. I think eco regulates the AC among others like accelleration etc. so maybe now that we are in the dead of summer eco mode might be better?

 

[crc333]

ECO mode optimizes steering , climate control and evens out the acceleration curve along with modifying the air conditioning system in order to create the best fuel economy.

 

[bmoy88]

ECO mode optimizes steering , climate control and evens out the acceleration curve along with modifying the air conditioning system in order to create the best fuel economy.

So no harm whatsoever in driving ECO mode at all times? Even on highway?

 

[Matt_RN]

Nope! Eco mode is safe to use all the time.

 

[crc333]

^^^Thanks Matt for replying!

This is where personal opinions come in, ECO mode is the most fuel efficient drive mode for the CT, besides using the EV for short distance drives!

Not earth shattering news here...I've found that most people are switching between the three (ECO - Normal - Sport) drives modes based on driving conditions whether it be light or heavy traffic.

I had someone on a test drive yesterday that couldn't stop playing with the selector during the entire test drive!

 

[midcow3]

ECO mode

The ECO mode will get better mileage than Normal mode because the throttle response and climate control are optimized (i.e. dulled), but still allow for fairly aggressive driving if needed. The ECO mode dulls some of the responses and actually "trains" you to drive more efficiently. You can actually use ECO mode all the time and if you start watching your "economy meter" and try to keep in in the lower end of the "ECO" range you can easily beat the published MPG numbers. For fun, there is always the "sport" mode ,but a tachometer with an ECTV is almost an Oxymoron, because the who purpose of ECTV is to keep the RPM constant at the optimum torque.

Get up to speed and "glide".. then repeat

 

[Boldlygo]

For fun, there is always the "sport" mode ,but a tachometer with an ECTV is almost an Oxymoron, because the who purpose of ECTV is to keep the RPM constant at the optimum torque.

I agree with the useless tach display. I went into the personal settings and turned it off completely so I can monitor the power meter when in sport mode as well.

 

[midcow3]

I agree with the useless tach display. I went into the personal settings and turned it off completely so I can monitor the power meter when in sport mode as well.

Thanks for the excellent tip - Boldly go

 

[farawayfan72]

Lol,the tack display is useless, but I kept it because the kids go "Oooh Aaah" everytime I kick it in...lol.

Btw, the other 95% of the time I keep it in ECO mode.