How often do you drive without ECO?

[Driver8]

I have pretty much always kept my car in the ECO setting, and I was wondering the other day how often people drive without ECO mode on their Leaf (I would guess rarely given so many of us are likely trying to maximize range)?

 

[oxothuk]

I use ECO all the time. It still has enough pep for my driving style, so there is no reason to switch it off.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I drive a '21, so I drive with Eco off most of the time now. I do turn it on for traffic. It's necessary for my mental health to have it off, at least in warm weather, because the car is a dog with it on. Imagine me driving my nice, new loaded SV home from the dealership in '21, only to find the brakes appeared to have glaze on the brake pads (sadly, no) and the throttle mapping made it feel like I was hauling concrete blocks. Oh, well...

 

[Drew21]

We have a 2014 SV, which we've owned for 2 years and 10K miles.
When we test drove the car ECO was on and nearly caused us to get rear-ended when backing out of the owner's driveway onto a busy street, as the car didn't respond the way I expected (i.e., basically no response for most of the pedal travel, impeding my ability to accelerate). That sort of put me off on the ECO mode.
I have played with ECO a few additional times, but at least in our Leaf I cannot document any improvements in range vs the normal drive mode. When you add that to the reduced driveability in ECO I don't see the point.

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you live where the Winters are cold, then Eco is helpful then because it limits the resistance heater draw to 5000 watts, IIRC.

 

[knightmb]

I have pretty much always kept my car in the ECO setting, and I was wondering the other day how often people drive without ECO mode on their Leaf (I would guess rarely given so many of us are likely trying to maximize range)?

I have to drive with Eco mode ON or my front tires would be bald. I'm an aggressive driver and without Eco Mode, all I do is spin tires everywhere I go because of the torque and my foot just can't feather the accelerator properly. But this might only be an issue with the 2019 and 2020 plus models as everything I've read here says that 2021 and after models had the Eco mode power turned down so low for the mapping as to be ridiculous. I think I need to borrow a friend's 2021 or later model to feel for myself because my wife's 2018 with Eco mode seems to feel like what people are describing with the accelerator mapping way too low to start. :?

 

[Learjet]

ECO off but use pedal gently

 

[GerryAZ]

The only time I use ECO is when driving to the airport if I know I am renting a gas engine econo box at my destination. In that case, I use ECO to get used to leisurely acceleration. I don't like the pedal mapping in ECO and I don't want the computers limiting HVAC power.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I think I need to borrow a friend's 2021 or later model to feel for myself because my wife's 2018 with Eco mode seems to feel like what people are describing with the accelerator mapping way too low to start.

Nope. My 2018 was fine in Eco mode. It was a Blast in Normal mode, but I usually stayed in Eco.

 

[Stanton]

I pretty much never drive in ECO mode.
The only thing I find it useful for is slick streets (rain/ice).

 

[Bouldergramp]

Never even tried it.

 

[user 24513]

I have driven in Normal mode maybe twice- once to see what it felt like and the second time t o see if the car will go 100 MPH. It does. Otherwise ECO all the time.

 

[Driver8]

Interesting responses (all over the map). Thanks to all.

Sounds like I should do a few tests with it off.

 

[crimsona]

I leave it off. Prefer feathering the accelerator, I feel like there's way too much travel on Eco

 

[goofyfoot808]

I always drive with ECO D/range and ePedal on, except on the rare occasion when going up steep grades
at which time I turn off ECO drive for that area. Such an efficient driving experience.

 

[Toby]

I turn ECO off when on the highway; on when in town. For me, the issue is keeping my speed down in areas abounding in pedestrians, bikes and local traffic. I frequently use B mode as a sort of down shift for faster stopping and better control.

 

[Nubo]

"ECO" has little to do with vehicle economy except perhaps as a psychological factor. Fortunately it is useful in another way.

Unlike some folks I much prefer the throttle mapping in ECO; it's much easier to drive smoothly in traffic. The increased "pedal resolution" allows finer speed control in normal driving. Contrary to some opinions I find I can always have as much power as I want, it's must a matter of moving the pedal. I.e., power is not restricted in ECO mode, it just comes later in the pedal arc. It doesn't make the car less powerful nor does it make it more "economical"; both of those things continue to be determined by your right foot.

The only time I switch out of ECO is if I want maximum heating/cooling when entering the car as ECO limits the power consumption of HVAC. Even this is a false economy, as you will ultimately add or reject the same amount of heat to/from the cabin; it will just take longer in ECO mode. HVAC economy is controlled by temperature selection, not by the rate of change used in achieving it.

Unfortunately, I have found that Tesla's "Chill Mode" does in fact de-tune the power across the entire throttle map, which I find quite stupid and while I'm not always a fan of Nissan engineering choices, they look brilliant here by comparison.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Unlike some folks I much prefer the throttle mapping in ECO; it's much easier to drive smoothly in traffic.

I always preferred it too, for the reasons given. The '21, though, is just too sluggish in Eco; sure I could mash the pedal a lot and get full power, but I prefer having very adequate power on tap instantly. D mode in the '21 also seems a bit de-tuned, so except in heavy traffic, D mode gives me the best combination of instant power and good pedal control.

 

[SalisburySam]

2012 Nissan LEAF - almost always driven in ECO, for reasons stated well by @nubo. Well, that and its 30-mile total range.
2018 Tesla Model 3 - tried the ECO equivalent once early on, never used again and don’t intend to.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq5 - haven’t yet even tried ECO, and likely won’t.

 

[Astral]

ECO mode is pointless. You can achieve the same economy if you are just careful with the acceleration. I tried it many times but concluded not to use it at all.

The only time I find it useful is if it rains and I currently have bad tires, it's easier to control slipping of from wheels with less power so I engage ECO. I am shopping for new tires now and don't plan on using ECO once I get them...