Forgive me if this topic has been brought up before but I seem to be getting a few miles less per gallon in my 15 lx when in Econ mode than when not in Econ mode. I have recently began commuting about 45 minutes a day back and forth (majorly interstate with no traffic) and when in Econ I was averaging about 37.5 mpg yet with it off I hover right at about 40. I live in metro Atlanta so the roads are a little hilly but it is far from mountainous. Why is this? Does anybody else have similar experience? I drive a CVT if that makes any difference.

Don't get me wrong that is pretty impressive mpg but if it is worse in Econ mode what's the point of Econ mode?

 

Many things can come into play.

The biggest one being are you driving the exact same way in both modes and is the AC on the same settings. Other then that I have no clue why your doing better without econ.

 

Cruise control? You mention hills and I've seen cruise control really ramps up rpms to maintain speed on hills.

 

There are many variables involved that affect fuel efficiency: wind speed, wind direction, differences in your driving style from one day to another (aka driver attitude), traffic, weather (wet roads are not good, higher temps are good), hvac use, cruise control use, etc, etc. Your best bet is to run a few tanks of gas in each mode and make sure all conditions are equal for both modes. Use the same pump at the same gas station at the same time of day and with your car parked in the same direction and fill the tank exactly the same way (e.g. 1st click or 2nd click or whatever you choose). If done correctly, I guarantee you will have better fuel efficiency in ECON mode. Good luck.

 

ECON mode definitely makes a difference for me. I get 2-3 MPG additional using ECON and I think it has a lot to do with the muted throttle application.

 

I also get 2 or 3 mpg more in ECON. Do you mash the throttle to compensate for the reduced response?

 

I've noticed with ECON on, the throttle has a definite dead band just coming off idle. I mean like when pulling out on the road slowly from a stop or at low speeds. This was really annoying to me. At first I though the electric throttle was misadjusted, but with ECON in the off position, there is no dead band.
Thus, I leave ECON in the off position most of the time.
I have found that in stop and go traffic, I get better mileage with ECON off; but when on cruise control on the highway, a get a couple more miles to the gallon with the ECON on.
Gregg