Normal > Econ MPG?

[DerekS]

Is it me, or does Normal seem to give better MPG than Econ?

I forgot to put it in Econ a couple of times and found myself surprised at how the numbers seemed to be trending better.

[dohcredsol]

I have the six speed and I notice a big difference in mpg when I switch to ECON mode.

[varoom]

I too have a 6mt and in my experience there doesnt seem to be much difference at all between any of the modes, including sport. Not nearly as much as that between length of trips. I drove with my wife 260 mi trip this weekend almost exclusively in sport and averaged 40.6 mpg. I now keep mine in sport almost exclusively where its more fun to drive anyway. Trips < 10 mi find it hard to average more than 30 mpg no matter which mode.

[ghost151]

I use Normal mode almost all the time averaging about 40 mpg per tank for the last few tanks. I only use Econ mode in wide open flat freeway cruising and some bumper to bumper traffic situations.

I found using econ mode during everyday driving frustrating because it was hard to keep pace with flow of traffic without accelerating hard. Using normal mode allowed getting to a cruising or coasting speed easier, depending on the traffic flow.

[ErikTheRed]

I find that Econ is far superior in traffic speeds that are 65 and below. Once you start pushing 70+ and trying to keep up with the flow of traffic than Normal would be better.

But I do find that when I am stuck in traffic that goes slow, Econ provides me the best MPG than any other mode can give on flat surface at around 42+ MPG a trip. Compared to when im cruising in Normal at 70+ I am pushing the upper 35s MPG a trip.

[crxtocrz]

After a couple of thousand miles -- most of them on the infamous Santa Monica Freeway -- I'm starting to think that Econ is at its best in urban slow-and-go traffic. But I'm still experimenting at this point.

[tsh]

My early thoughts on this are that the best mode depends on the average throttle position. Low speeds (30mph) econ probably gives the flattest throttle response, but maybe in the 50mph sort of range, the throttle response is actually steeper than you would get in normal. Flatter response for steady state should mean more uniform power delivery and presumably better MPG.
The ECON throttle response curve ought to be speed dependant if it was going to help most.

[atteSmythe]

The only time I'll use econ is when I hit cruise control at freeway speeds. Let the car know that I want it to do its thing and just be efficient.

I'm another that tends to get better mileage in normal and sport when I'm in control, though. I forgot to check the exact trip MPG after my, ah, spirited drive in to work this morning, but the 'per start' meter was one pixel shy of 40 when I was getting off the freeway. I can't complain about that.

[CRZin702]

I'm almost always in Normal, with a few exceptions in Sport when I need quicker throttle response, but I'm averaging around 40mpg's. I intended to try Econ on my next road trip, but I forgot, so I'll have to try that out next time...

[gomarlins3]

ECON 99% of the time and I have gotten over 43 MPG on the past two tanks. Lifetime average of 41+.