I drove my Prius in PWR mode for the first time today! Wow is all that I can say! It felt like a little sports car. What does that button do anyway? I noticed that the ECO light can't come on in PWR mode.
All the modes really do is remap pedal response. After 50% pedal travel, all modes are the same. So in ECO you have to press more to get more acceleration, in PWR you simply have to press less. ECO does more than simple remapping in that it will lower fan speed and reduce compressor consumption when a/c is on. There are threads about it if you care to search to learn more. Here's one thread about it already: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/66661-eco-vs-reg-vs-power-modes.html And here's a page about it user John1701a created for his site: http://john1701a.com/prius/prius-drivingmodes.htm
The Power mode is very nice when needed. I normally leave my car in its regular mode all the time. For bad traffic situations, like trying to turn into a high traffic road, or passing a car on a 2-lane road with limited visibility, that's when I use the PWR button. There have been a few reports here that leaving it in PWR mode all the time doesn't use that much more fuel........ but with the way gas prices have been climbing, I'm saving fuel as much as I can. Might even switch to ECO mode soon. Vic
Yeah I have to agree. I like when driving in a very hilly area having that extra feel of quick throttle response you get in PWR mode. When I first got mine in June 09' I ran exclusively in ECO mode the first month or two but then just always left it in normal except for pwr bumps when I wanted it. Now I tend to use ECO a little more during the winter and in the summer just leave it in normal...
Stay in power! Toyota hates it because it can produce bad mpg. I may be a minority on this forum, but if you understand Prius -- and I graduated from a 2004 -- Power mode can save mpg. Enjoy the mid-range throttle and avoid high revs.
I'm with you silverfog, I use power mode 99% of the time!!! This is my first Prius and it makes it feel about as responsive as my previous ride. Since my purchase in Oct 10, I have averaged about 47mpg.
I don't personally find PWR mode helpful at all. If I need more power to merge or something, I just press harder on the pedal. Voilà ! More power. Nothing magic or technologically fancy going on behind the scenes; I'm just asking the car for more power, and it's giving it to me. Meanwhile, I still get the small non-drive-train benefits of ECO mode, along with more accurate control of the low-power range.
Pwr Mode adjusts accelerator pressure (like everyone said), but it also causes more gas consumption, so if you want better MPGs use ECO Mode, plus smooth braking techniques.
