Econ Mode

[Hicardo]

Horses for courses. I'm an Econ mode user primarily because I like the green leaf on the dash. Makes me feel happy 

[Kremmen]

It's interesting that the aircon under Econ works for some.

Mine was parked in the hot sun for a while and the interior was over 50C. Powered up, dial set to 21.5C, and the aircon briefly kicked in and got the temp down to about 30C then went into limp mode, fan speed 1.

Turned Econ off and immediately the fan speed went up and started cooling again. As a test, during the drive, I turned Econ back on and the fan speed dropped to 1 again and the interior started getting hotter under the full sun.

This scenario has been the same on 3 Civics and now the Jazz.

Regarding the throttle, I was on a motorway joining slip road, saw a gap to accelerate into, pressed the throttle, nothing. Turned off Econ, got throttle response back and was able to easily accelerate into the gap.

Econ, nope, not for me.

[Jazzist]

Strange, it seems that you have a completely different Jazz. I do not experience any limitation in Econ mode. Last month 2833 km driven to Italy and Austria and a consumption of 4.1 liters per 100 km realized driving over mountain passes and the German Autobahnen.

[Lord Voltermore]

I find the throttle response noticeably suppressed in econ mode.    You have to press the pedal that little bit harder and wait a fraction of a second longer for power to be delivered.  You do (eventually) get the same total power delivered so it doesnt affect hill climbing ability etc. 

Throttle response is still good in Econ mode. If you always use econ mode  you may get used to the car responding in this way and happy to regard it as normal.  Some drivers may prefer it that way.

[Marmoset]

From the outset I kept it in Econ mode but recently decided to try not using it.  I've not noticed any reduction in mpg economy, in fact I've been getting a little better fuel economy.  But as it's now warmer I'd expect that anyway.

I do find that the more responsive accelerator with econ off encourages a lighter foot style of driving.

[Jazzik]

Regarding the throttle, I was on a motorway joining slip road, saw a gap to accelerate into, pressed the throttle, nothing. Turned off Econ, got throttle response back and was able to easily accelerate into the gap.

Econ, nope, not for me.

Strange... Econ on (I thought you never use Econ?)... you saw a gap to accelerate into, pressed the throttle and... nothing... Really? Nothing? But then you had time to turn off Econ and then... you could easily accelerate into the gap.

How does our Jazz react to the throttle in such a situation, Econ on or off?
Then it's "pedal to the metal" (we ignore the mat ) so real kickdown! It immediately goes like crazy. I've never noticed any difference between Econ "on" or "off".
Besides, at such a moment I really don't have time to check if Econ is on or off and fiddle with the button.

And as for the aircon: it does indeed work less effectively with Econ on. However... I never immediately get in the car when it has been parked in the full sun on a hot day and the interior is about 50°C.
I open all the windows from a distance with the key fob (and we stay in the shadows if possible). Then arrived at the car open all the doors and also the tailgate. Let it blow through for a few minutes. Then with everything open, start the car with the aircon on, to blow the hot air out of the system. Driving away with the air conditioning set about 5°C lower than the outside temperature.
When it is really hot, above 30°C (like now here) I switch off Econ and then the air conditioning does indeed work more effectively.

[peteo48]

Having followed this tread for a bit and being an ECON user I decided to turn it off this morning. It's like having a new car! The responsiveness is noticeably sharper. Might be leaving it off permanently now.

[Whiteshark]

Completely agree with Pete. Having always used econ, and following comments on here, I switched it off, wow  different car. Much nicer to drive, with no noticeable difference in economy.

[Kremmen]

If you've used Econ consistently then you will get used to it.

The few times I've tested it, over 4 Honda's now, I also noticed how it dulls the throttle. My sliproad experience was pressing the throttle just hard enough to speed up and blend in based on my knowledge of the throttle. Having been used to Econ off I knew how hard to press and with that same level I hardly accelerated.

Your next mission, should you decide to accept it, is to climb into a hot car, say 40C to 50C+ Econ on, windows shut, and with a temp set to 21ish. After a few miles turn Econ off and see if your climate control suddenly jumps more into life, fan speed increases and the inside starts cooling down a lot faster.

[Jazzik]

Your next mission, should you decide to accept it, is to climb into a hot car, say 40C to 50C+ Econ on, windows shut, and with a temp set to 21ish.

Who would do that? And why?

[shufty]

Your next mission, should you decide to accept it, is to climb into a hot car, say 40C to 50C+ Econ on, windows shut, and with a temp set to 21ish.

Who would do that? And why?

? Perfectly obvious scenario...

...You're in your car it's very hot, you can't wind the windows down to let the heat out, as you're in a hurry and travelling down the motorway @70 so the noise would be deafening and ruin your fuel consumption figures too much.
You set your aircon but after a while you realise that you're not getting much cooler. Upon switching off the econ button you reach utopia and the car cools much quicker 

[Jazzik]

Maybe re-read the last sentence of this post of mine...

When it is really hot, above 30°C (like now here) I switch off Econ and then the air conditioning does indeed work more effectively.

Oh, and since when have we retirees been in a hurry? And do we live next to the motorway slip road?

[coldstart]

Pardon my barging in. As a future Jazz owner I find this discussion very interesting!
What I fail to understand is how exactly the more efficient air conditioning in normal mode should correlate to better fuel efficency
If I have learned anything yet it is that nothing comes from nothing.

[Marco1979]

Pardon my barging in. As a future Jazz owner I find this discussion very interesting!
What I fail to understand is how exactly the more efficient air conditioning in normal mode should correlate to better fuel efficency
If I have learned anything yet it is that nothing comes from nothing.

I think it has to do with compensation; both normal and econ make the car behave in a certain way. When you notice it and don’t like it, you will automatically compensate. E.g. setting the temp to another value or pressing the throttle more. This might work opposite.
In both settings you as a driver will ultimately make the car run economic. So choose what fits best to your needs.

[5thcivic]

I used to leave econ on in the last Civic since never needed a larger amount of acceleration from the 1.8 VTEC, and down at 35mpg it probably helped a little bit. At 60mpg plus in the Jazz I don't care so never even tried it yet.