Eco mode isn't

[TallDude]

Eco mode also closes all the front vents right? Doesn't that impact cooling?

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[thesocalexplorer]

I've tried & don't notice a significant gain versus normal mode. Last weekend, did a weekend trip from the LA area to the eastern sierras (about a 600 mile roundtrip) and returned just over 25 mpg in normal mode. Big bend, stock tires @ 36 PSI cold.

 

[spiG]

Eco mode!? Sport mode and turn off instant MPG gauge!

 

[KirchTX]

It might make sense that eco doesn’t really do anything in a manual transmission since you have more control over the inputs and shifting.

 

[2100]

I see significant difference when using eco mode running around for errands. Live in a pretty hilly area and with eco I am getting 19ish mpg and normal gets me under 17 mpg.

 

[Wolfeman]

Just finished a 540 mile round trip from Seattle to Corvallis. As an experiment I had it on Eco mode for the drive down, and normal for the return. I had the same load, and took the same route -- 98% on I-5, between 65 and 75 mph both ways. In Eco I averaged 18.3mpg, and in normal I averaged 20.6mpg.

This was in a non-sas BL, 2.3l and 7mt.

Have others seen similar results in Eco mode?

Elevation differences, weather changes (wind, etc.), traffic patterns, and more could have impacted your MPG on the to and from trips.

 

[RHeinz]

Eco mode won't help much, if at all, on the highway. Eco messes with shift points and throttle response. It's for improving mileage when accelerating, primarily around town.
Highway mileage is a function of speed and aerodynamics.

Well said! Thank you!

 

[AZ_Liberty]

On flat freeway, eco,sport, normal, do absolutely nothing. On hilly freeways, I could easily see eco geting the worst MPG, because when going up hill, instead of downshifting, the ECM will give it more boost.

In town, sport gets the best MPG for the same reason, it downshifts faster, so you use less boost.

That's for an auto-magic transmission. For a stick, the modes don't do anything except affect the throttle response (and in theory the stiffness of the steering, but I can't feel it). Since you are shifting yourself, the mode's don't affect MPG at all.

 

[sameoldeddie]

Purely anecdotal but in my ‘22 Wildtrak my mpg is better around town in eco but significantly worse than either sport or normal for interstate driving

 

[userdude]

I don't know you will see much difference at a high speed like 75. It also doesn't compute that the wind and climb are going to be the same.

I never got the same mileage in my 2010 Silverado going from Houston to Dallas as I did back, it was like 22 to 19 mpg difference, I even asked some physics professors to explain and they thought it was drag and wind differences. Heading out 380 here in Texas between Denton and Decatur has a similar dynamic, more coming back (at night) then out (during the day).

I find cruise control (even around town) and staying UNDER 65 to be the best predictor of gas mileage efficiency, as well as not goosing it up hills, in my Silverado and my Bronco.

In other words, it's generally anecdotal, a rigid test with good design would be needed to know for sure. And even then you'd probably need to know how Eco differs from Normal mode so it was a valid comparison.

 

[Big Boss]

Like others said, eco won't do much on the highway.

To get the best MPG in eco you also have try and drive efficiently. When gas prices were up around 5/6 bucks a gallon, I did an experiment with normal eco and auto start stop. Basically what I noticed was I driving more aggressive in eco because the computer sucked all the fun out of it lol. Once I realized that I adjusted my driving style while in eco and saw an improvement. Was able to get around 25-26MPG in eco driving. In Normal driving in that same style maybe 23-24MPG.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Just finished a 540 mile round trip from Seattle to Corvallis. As an experiment I had it on Eco mode for the drive down, and normal for the return. I had the same load, and took the same route -- 98% on I-5, between 65 and 75 mph both ways. In Eco I averaged 18.3mpg, and in normal I averaged 20.6mpg.

This was in a non-sas BL, 2.3l and 7mt.

Have others seen similar results in Eco mode?

Don't have mine yet but looked up what you're supposed to get:

2023 Ford Bronco Badlands 4WD 4 cyl, 2.3 L, Manual 7-spd

17 combined city/highway MPG

City MPG:16 city

Highway MPG:17 highway

5.9 gals/ 100 miles

So whatever you're doing in either Eco or Normal it's higher than the sticker so good job!

 

[GreyZ]

Sometimes these gas milage threads make me wonder if something is up with my bronco. I have a 2.7 4 door badlands non-sas. I have a few road trip tanks on the interstate 100% between louisiana and alabama with zero stops for the entire tank and regardless of mode, at 70 mph I get 17 mpg on the dot. 75 drops to 16.7. Hand calculated tank average. Tires are at 39 cold, 44 hot

I had realistically expected to get about 19 with cruise locked at 70 on this type of road trip.

 

[swooshdave]

Highway mileage is a function of speed and aerodynamics.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Sometimes these gas milage threads make me wonder if something is up with my bronco. I have a 2.7 4 door badlands non-sas. I have a few road trip tanks on the interstate 100% between louisiana and alabama with zero stops for the entire tank and regardless of mode, at 70 mph I get 17 mpg on the dot. 75 drops to 16.7. Hand calculated tank average. Tires are at 39 cold, 44 hot

I had realistically expected to get about 19 with cruise locked at 70 on this type of road trip.

That's exactly what you're supposed to get, be happy. Lots of variables with gas mileage ... Altitude, quality of gas, hardtop vs. soft-top, quality of roads, weather, wind, mechanical variations, air conditioning, weight and on and on.

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