This isn't reactionary. I've owned the vehicle now for coming up on 3 years.
I've run full tanks of gas, with both the ECO mode activated and de-activated, and my experience is, I get better gas mileage with it de-activated. Regular normal driving.

OK, I speculate that maybe it has to do a lot with my own driving style.
I think regular...allows me to accelerate up to speed quicker...then I coast or pull back...thus getting better gas mileage. Where I think in ECO mode, the smoother, more passive acceleration actually has me demanding more....for longer..to get up to speed.

But whatever is happening....I get my best tanks of gas, just driving without the leaf illuminated.
Not what I expected.

 

ECO blunts throttle response and diminishes A/C output if memory serves. If you modulate the gas pedal better than ECO does, and if you never use the A/C, it wouldn't surprise me if you got better mileage without it.

 

Are you driving in the city?

I wonder if the ECO mode works better in city style driving with a lot of idle time, stop n go and speeds under 35mph. Just a thought.

 

In a similar vein, I rarely use cruise control in my Fit because I get significantly better fuel economy when I control the throttle.

The Fit is the only car I’ve noticed this with.

 

Think of it this way, the longer you're accelerating, the more gas you're burning. Of course, there is a limit to how fast you want to accelerate before you're using up too much fuel, but taking your time to get up to speed can actually be detrimental to your fuel efficiency. I personally accelerate up to speed and coast, just like you mentioned, for best results.

I use cruise control mostly for longer trips where my foot gets tired of pressing on the accelerator.

 

I recall your past thread related to this: Eco Mode...The Little Light that Lies???

Seems the constant variable is you.

After the initial excitement of a new car, I kept mine in ECON mode just to see what kind of MPG is could do. I drove the speed limit and really tried to push the car. On my normal daily commutes, it got better than EPA mileage. My best being 47MPG for a full tank of driving. Since then, I just use turn ECON off/on as conditions require. Personally I don't like ECON is stop and go driving. Throttle response is too muted for my liking so I turn it off. Same with really mountainous roads. Highway cruising ECON does well.

I also don't use cruise control when there is big elevation changes. CC will really increase your RPM to maintain a constant speed. Careful modulation of the gas pedal can maintain your speed without increasing your RPM at all or by a smaller amount.

I just got back from a work trip. Speed limits were 70 MPH so naturally everyone was going 75-80 and still managed 38.617 MPG. That's with doing a lot of passing because semis would have to crawl up the mountain overpasses.

 

Oh I'm sure a lot/most of it has to do with me. But like I said, I'm coming up on 3 years of ownership, and it's been long enough that I can say confidently it's not a fluke. At first I thought Eco or Non-Eco it was pretty equal, but now? I'd say, I get better tanks NOT using Eco.

I suppose it's a good thing, as like the "normal" driving feel better.

I suppose I have to learn....but the problem is, I'll drive in regular mode for several tanks, but then get lured into trying ECO again, to see if I can get better MPG. Then I'm routinely disappointed, when I run a tank, and it's worse.

I think now, after about 3 years, I'm just going to say...I choose to NOT push the green button.

 

I gave up on Eco some time ago. Anecdotally, I see no difference in mpg. Gas is cheap, and the car is way more fun.

 

I've 'splained this at least once before. I cannot use the ECO button since I have a 2015 EX 6 speed, but I have used cruise control depending on conditions. I live in Nashville, Middle Tennessee. If I drive east toward Chattanooga or Knoxville, it is hilly, down right mountainous. Cruise control wear the throttle out, accelerating up hill, decelerating going down and therefore using more gas. Heating west toward Memphis and Jackson, the highway dead mostly downhill or level, less movement of the throttle. Going east, I can modulate the throttle more efficiently with my own "cruise control", my artificial right foot (the OEM foot was removed 64 years ago to correct a birth defect}. Steady pressure on throttle is part of the key.

 

with my wifes 18, I prefer eco mode in terms of the throttle map. with it off or normal? it seems overzealous, almost jumpy. The Fit generally sees very mixed driving so MPG comparisons are out the window. But on average she gets 38 a tank, with generally short tripping. About the same as the 1.2 Spark it replaced and this has 44 more HP and more room. Win fucking win in my book.

 

Found this thread in my car does the same and normal mode it's about 18 miles per gallon and eco mode it goes to 16.5 it's probably be because Eco makes it hard to accelerate and I push it

 

My wife's CRV has an Eco button. I've noticed it's only useful when you do not want the car to engine-brake. Long highways and frontage roads. I don't know why this CVT can't chill out, it always wants to drag or accelerate when in normal mode. So I turn Eco mode on, but in traffic or between lights the acceleration is too sluggish and definitely kills my mpg. Maybe I just hate CVTs.

If you can stand constantly modulating the throttle I would argue that the cruise control is more detrimental to MAX MPG™.

 

When was the eco button introduced?

 

1st gen Insight, I believe.

 

My 1984 Toyota Camry had an ECO button - totally useless just like the current Honda one. These things are just PR/Marketing gimmicks.

 

I did some testing on my 2015, and I did get better MPG with ECO on versus off on various tanks of gas. This was when I was doing 20k annual commutes. I'm not talking 5MPG better, but 1-2MPG pretty consistently. Now I'm WFH so I just keep it OFF for the better throttle response when I'm running errands.

YMMV though.

 

Fits like to be driven hard. The difference between me hypermiling and driving my Fit like I stole it is only 15% change in MPG. Also the Earth Dreams 1.5 has poor air and fuel mixing between 1350 and 2150 RPM, so if ECO mode keeps the RPM inside that range, it will hurt your gas mileage. Many people report driving in Sport mode barely effects the gas mileage because they keep their RPM in the 2200-3000 range which is much more thermally efficient than 1350-2150, and it very nearly makes up the higher pumping losses at high RPM. The Fit is a strangely engineered car.

 

Lol.. i mean on the fit. I don't have an eco button 🤷