[Reese]

Forgive me if these questions has been posted here before.

The Metris transmission program setting defaults to the "C" setting which according to the manual stands for "Comfort". One must make a conscious effort to switch the transmission setting to “E” or “Eco” after starting the engine.

Has anybody here run full tanks on the “E” setting in city driving conditions and compared their fuel mileage to full tanks run on the “C” setting in city driving conditions?

And IF SO, what was your average increase in fuel mileage on the “E” setting?

Thank you.

 

[Reese]

Anybody?

 

[Greenmanedlion]

The Economy setting does not inherently increase fuel economy. It reduces total throttle opening, increases the transmissions propensity to upshift, and decreases its propensity to downshift. Kicking down (depressing that little button under the throttle pedal at the end of its travel) kicks the system out of Economy, which is a safety feature that allows you to immediately access full power in a panic. But if you drive your vehicle at 40% throttle under Comfort, and then switch to Economy and simply push the pedal down further, such that you are still opening the throttle 40%, you will get the same fuel economy.

If you can use the longer-travel-for-the-same-opening feature to drive more conservatively, it will help your fuel economy. I personally leave my car in E all the time, because otherwise I'd be caning the **** out of the engine and accelerating too fast. Flooring the pedal without pressing the kick down switch reduces acceleration substantially versus comfort mode. So how much your personal increase in fuel economy will be varies on how you use the system. It can greatly increase your fuel economy if you are a fast driver and can force yourself to be disciplined enough to not constantly kick it into full power mode.

One way you can increase fuel economy is whenever you are done accelerating, manually tap the upshift paddle. I find that the car does not always put itself in the highest possible gear, even in E mode.

* Reese, less than two hours? Patience, young padawon!

 

[Reese]

Green Mandolin:

I'm going to interpret your 3 paragraphs as a "No" to my first question

* And you spelled "padawan" wrong, master.

 

[Road_Ghost]

I'm sure the differences are neglible. I would imagine ECO is better suited for driving in typically moderate-heavy city traffic.

 

[Greenmanedlion]

Actually, city traffic calls for C more often- you actually need more power in the city to dodge in and out of traffic.

And I disagree, Reese- my answer was "it depends". How can I spell a verbal nonsense word from a dead horse movie series wrong?

 

[Road_Ghost]

Better have 91 in the tank if you are expecting WOT moments during rush hour traffic.

 

[Greenmanedlion]

I never put in less. I need all 208 of the buggers.

 

[rick]

I use E mode most of the time.
C mode only when I merge onto freeways.
Sorry I can't answer your Q.

 

[Metrisguy]

I leave mine in comfort, and only ever use E when traffic is at a standstill. I really don't worry about mpg at all, and usually am doing between 60-80mph. I drive spiritedly just about everywhere, and can still get over 400+ per tank. I also run 93 octane 100% gas that is top tier. A/C is always on, and standard load in back is about 150 to 300lbs. I have never tried E all the time mainly because it drives like it is neutered. Hope that helps!

 

[kosta15auto]

I do weekly ski trips and with two of us down the highway round trip ~70mph I can get it consistently ~27mpg. It's cruising without crazy speeds and/or passings.

 

[Reese]

Yes I don't worry about MPG either as I am retired and I don't really drive that much any more. I do mostly city driving and I am getting around 19.5 MPG always on "C".

But I was just wondering if somebody had done an actual and somewhat scientific comparison between the C & E settings.

 

[gogoKawi]

I use 'E' mode to keep myself in check when I want to go slowly or take my time. I have to consciously mash the pedal just to get moving. This inherently makes the gas consumption in 'E' mode worse. On the highway cruising, 'E' mode works great. This is under the assumption that you don't try to pass anyone and you are maintaining a consistent speed. Otherwise, 'C' mode is the way to go.

 

[carrisr]

Wondering if anyone has any more experience with this in the last year? I do mostly highway/interstate miles with only very rare traffic slowdowns and am curious if it helps mileage. I wouldn't call my driving style aggressive. On that note, is there a way to change the default mode to E? I keep forgetting to manually change it for testing.

 

[RobbMeeX]

No way to default E. I drive E when on long trips without traffic. The trans is slower to respond on E. I think gas pedal is less sensitive too.