Engine needs to "break in", i.e. rings & seals seating themselves. Analogous to the difference between wearing a brand new pair of denim jeans as compared to wearing a a well worn pair. Get another 4,500 miles under your belt then repeat your experiment.

 

Rubbish, new cars do not need "breaking in" these days. Eco mode tells you when best to change gear and curb your acceleration.

 

I see up to a mile per gallon increase using the ECO mode on the highway. It's worthless in slower speed, stop and go driving though. I only use ECO mode if I am going to be driving long, highway distances.

 

This is consistent with my observations on ECO mode. Not worth pushing the button in my view.

To the original poster, as already noted by others... give the engine several thousand miles to really seat in and then you will see the optimum fuel economy for your driving conditions, roads, routes, fuel, etc.

 

Good couple of thousand miles needed on your engine.

ECON mode does work at constant speeds as you describe, but at lower "about town" speeds, it actually makes the car worse and lethargic.

 

How you break the vehicle in many just get up and go. They ride it like they stole it, and some baby it, the Eco will help you keep it in the Green, and if the climate and temp plays a toll so will Mileage. take it off you are going to try to do the same keep it in the green with the car maybe not going into an overdrive gear, the book explains more of the Eco....

 

I have a 17 V and have driven several long trips, 1600 miles. I tried eco and found that the mileage was the same as non-eco. I drove at 70mph almost all the time. I am happy with the non-eco only. I find that wind plays a big bunch on mileage. More so than terrain. I also have the Honda data program. It works for me.

 

Just say NO to ECO mode.

 

I've used ECO with and without in both of my CR-Vs and it only negatively affects performance. There are no advantageous reasons for using it. It may also hamper HVAC performance.

 

It may make a slight difference on the highway by 1) allowing a greater speed drop on hills when using cruise control and 2) using the “Recirc” feature by default when the a/c is on.

But as others have pointed out it also makes the car feel lifeless, so probably not worth it. In addition, I believe there was a recent study suggesting that increased CO2 levels in the cabin when using Recirc aren’t a good thing.

 

But as others have pointed out it also makes the car feel lifeless,

I'm at around 3000 miles on my CRV and the first 2000 I hadn't driven a single mile with the ECO button off... I was blown away when I put the vehicle in sport mode. After being in ECO mode for so long, it actually felt quick.

... But yes, if you're going to have an ECO mode, it's going to dial back the throttle response in order to be effective... Thus making the vehicle slow as all hell. That being said, I'm in ECO mode 99% of the time.

 

I don't have any difference either in town or on highway. Engine response is definitely reduced when using ECON. I don't use it.

 

The elements, like wind, temp, and traffic can make more than 1mpg difference. Use whatever floats your boat. Eco is "off' for me.

 

As it is for me 95% of the time.

 

When I test drove a 2017 AWD Touring for the first time I told my wife there was no way I could live with a SUV this sluggish for 5+ years. When I was home I did a little research and realized that ECO button was pushed. About a week later I test drove the same CRV and turned off ECO mode. Way more responsive and that was just in D and not S. In my three years of ownership I've tried it a couple times and I'm quickly reminded that it turns the CRV into a slug.

 

It doesn't help me on the highway, more likely hurts mileage. My commute on the turnpike has rolling hills and with Econ, the CVT is in a higher "gear". So the cruise will open up the throttle to maintain speed up the hill, using more gas then normal.

 

That makes sense to me. I generally characterize highway driving as mostly straight and mostly flat, because that's chiefly how they are in my region. If I lived in a region where the freeway conditions were like they are for you, I wouldn't use ECON.

 

So... I guess this discussion sums up as follows:

- Some use ECO, some do not. Most owners have at least run it through it's paces to see what, if anything, it does.

- Nobody seems to find much measurable benefit in using ECO, except under specific conditions. The consensus appears to be that ECO and a disiplined foot on the pedal can save about 1 mpg. So, some owners will use it to very modestly improve fuel economy, which would show most benefit on a long road trip with use of ACC (which removes the drivers foot from the equation).

- The biggest difference ECO demonstrates is that it gimps the throttle, gimps the AC, and generally makes the vehicle less responsive in a range of ways... but can present a very small improvement in fuel economy.

- Each owners results can and will vary... depending on a range of factors... mostly a soft foot vs a heavy foot on the throttle. And with ECO, a heavy foot is actually a negative as ECO assumes a light touch on the accelerator in normal driving conditions.

Anything I missed?

 

My 2017 EX 1.4 turbo has been driven often on 700 mile round trip to see mom, all via interstate highways and while new, I use the ECO mode on the trips and never noticed an increase in mileage.

 

I have a 2019 XL with 24k miles. To me the mileage is worse with ECO highway and city. I just do not use it anymore

 

I'm not a fan of ECO mode, but I use it because I don't get nearly as good of gas mileage as others have reported. It's been one of the biggest disappointments of the CRV because I just get nowhere near the claims. I started using ECO to see if that would help things, and it has improved it to a more acceptable range even if it didn't get it up to what others enjoy. But I only use it when I'm on the streets, never on the highway. ECO on the highway makes me enjoy driving a good deal less, the response isn't quick enough for me, so it's a no go there.

If the CRV had a bigger gas tank, even just a few more gallons, not sure I'd use ECO all that much, certainly not as often as I do now. And I still might just stop using ECO all together at some point in the near future. Much more enjoyable to drive without it on.

 

2017 EX-L Turbo + Nav. I use Eco all the time just in case it does make a difference. Early on I did try to eyeball the situation with & without Eco but I really could not see a difference. Maybe a difference would have shown if I had put pen to paper in a properly recorded test but in any event I suspect that it won't be enough of a difference to affect the pocketbook. Some say that Eco affects performance but I am not a hot-rodder & it does everything & more that I need for it to do in my driving style with eco on.

 

So, the popular vote for the Gen 6 is to eliminate the ECON feature?

 

I think ECO messes up battery charging algorithm in addition to gutless acceleration, etc. to save fuel. NOT good for batteries. In fact I need to turn headlights ON, yes, on, to ramp up the charging rate as that alone tells the computer to get that alternator down to business, especially for short trip driving around town. Even turning on fan or A/C doesn't do that. Dealers have sometimes told customers to do that non-intuitive thing of turning on headlights. If you have a voltmeter or LED voltage indicator in the accessory socket you can see it happening. So, not to change the direction of this thread, another reason not to use ECO.

 

The ECO mode has nothing to do with the charge system. I have a scan gauge in my 17 V. Every time I start the engine, the battery shows 14.2volts. On short trips, it is there all the time . Turning on the lights does not increase the generator output voltage. It will put a bigger load on the generator, more amps. As an aside, the LED lights use so little power, that I doubt they would cause the voltage regulator to increase significantly. Running the heater fan on high would put a bigger load on the generator than the lights. Start your car, get a volt meter and test the voltage at the battery. I will bet it says 14.2 V.

 

Sorry, it's a 2012 CRV-LX

 

I think there maybe a slight difference in highway mileage since I think it's because it changes the frequency that the AC cycles on and off. For me with my 2016 I no longer use it since I mostly drive local and don't like the feeling of dragging around an extra 1500lbs.

 

Excellent point, about he AC cycle frequency on the highway! Here in the desert SW, we have so much heat, if we want a cool cabin, we can't afford to restrict the AC's work, so I have only used the ECO mode once, and that was it.

 

The best Eco Mode is your right foot and what's between the ears. I was an aggressive driver, but changed that up when I bought my first brand new car in decades, my CR-V. Dialing back my need to be impatient in traffic helps a lot. I also love the responsiveness of the turbo and CVT. Docile most of the time, but when I want more power, no problem. Damn sight better than my Outback. That's a slug without needing an Eco Mode. 😁

 

I have 1,500 miles on my new 2020 Hybrid and I average 40mpg combined city & hwy. in three fill ups so far. Yes I use Eco Mode 100% of the time and I drive like an old man to get the 40 Lol.

 

ECO is always on when wife or I drive our ‘20 FWD CRV, 4500 miles. It seems to act as a “governor”, preventing us from flooring it, so when we need “performance” (interstate On ramp), we switch it off until we reach cruise speed. We hover around 35-36 MPG around town, but we are retired and avoid the rush-hour stop-go mess. Fuel economy is a game with us, we plan our accelerate/decelerate while not antagonizing other drivers, the goal being 37 MPG, which we hit often in the hills of east TN. IMHO, fuel economy is largely a matter of mental state and driving style. Love the ECO mode and the 1.5 turbo!

 

WHAT THE ECON BUTTON DOES:

Pressing the Honda Econ Button changes certain parameters in how your vehicles functions and reacts to changes in order to obtain the best fuel economy.

• Throttle Response: Econ Mode adjusts your vehicle’s throttle response to help you consume less fuel when you accelerate. Econ Mode leaves your low and high-level throttle responses unaffected, impacting only your vehicle’s mid-range behavior– so you’ll only really notice a difference when you’re first attempting to accelerate on the highway from your cruising speed.
• Shifting Behavior: Frequent up-and-down shifts can be significant drains on your fuel economy, but when you enter Econ Mode your transmission will guard against this possibility by altering its shift points. When you’re traveling in a hilly environment with cruise control activated, Econ Mode will limit unnecessary downshifts, even at the cost of speed.
• A/C System: Air conditioning is an important convenience, but you may not realize that a cooler interior climate may cost you in terms of fuel economy. Econ Mode limits the activity of your A/C system. Your car won’t cool down as quickly on the hottest days, but you’ll save money with better fuel in the long run.
• Fuel Injectors: Fuel injectors are what deliver gasoline to the interior of your engine so the internal combustion process can occur– this is an essential part of making power so your vehicle can move. There is a margin of fuel that needs to be injected under different circumstances to allow your vehicle to perform properly. Pressing the Econ Button reduces the fuel injected inside your engine to the lesser of the margin, which effectively helps to use less fuel.

WHEN NOT TO USE ECON:

• Entering the Highway: Being that Econ Mode can reduce throttle response and limit downshifting, it is best not to use this mode so your Honda model can utilize its full power in order to get up to the necessary speed.
• Overtaking: Much like when entering the highway, when overtaking another vehicle it is best to be able to utilize the full power of the engine if needed.
• Hilly/Steep Conditions: Whether you find yourself traversing up one steep hill or you find yourself in a very hilly region, it is best not to use the Honda Econ Mode. Being that this mode limits power and keeps the transmission from downshifting as needed, you may find that your vehicle actually loses speed and consumes more fuel on inclines with the mode on compared to off.
• Towing: When towing anything behind your Honda, you want to be able to utilize all of the power and performance from the engine and transmission if needed. Econ Mode can reduce power and responsiveness in favor of fuel efficiency but in this instance, you could end up using more fuel and make your vehicle work harder with it activated.
• Hot Days: Being that Econ Mode lessens the performance of your air conditioning system in favor of better fuel economy, it is best to not activate it on very hot days. This can lead to hotter temperatures inside the vehicle, and it may also cause your A/C system to work harder than needed, which can potentially reduce fuel economy

When to Press the Honda Econ Button
Being that you already reviewed when NOT to use Honda Econ Mode, we can keep this part short and sweet.

• Cruising at a steady pace on the highway
• Normal city driving conditions
• Areas where the terrain remains relatively flat
• You aren’t towing anything
• On days that aren’t unbearably hot and you won’t need to use max A/C for long