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Eco Button Impact on Performance?

9K views 46 replies 19 participants last post by  crabman 
#1 ·
I am currently in the market for a new vehicle and had the EcoDiesel JGC as #1 on my list until I drove it yesterday for the first time.

As a comparison I drove the VW Touareg TDI over the weekend and it's engine and transmission were buttery smooth and when getting onto the highway you could feel the torque and it would push you in the seat a little.

Yesterday in the JGC SFU there wasn't that same feeling. Felt very lethargic and wasn't very smooth with shifts. When getting back to the dealership my dealer who rode with me the whole time points out that he never drives the truck with the "Eco Button" on as it seems to make the vehicle less responsive.

Is this true? Does the "Eco Button" make an impact on performance?

I searched and found some mileage comparisons around the Eco Button but no one saying it truly changed the engine performance feeling of the vehicle. Any insights would be appreciated as I was a little let down.
 
#2 ·
in a word, yes.
Sport holds gears longer, will let the diesel rev and pull. You'll feel that torque.

I find the ECO mode 'short shifts' the truck. I guess this is better for MPG, but I don't want my diesel lugging around, so I'm trying to get in the habit of placing the transmission in Sport mode at all times.
....wish that was a setting option in the "Infotainment" screen.
 
#3 ·
At first I used to turn ECO off, but after learning to apply the throttle a little differently, I no longer bother. If I feel the need to be snappier for some reason, then I just shift it into sport mode, which turns ECO off.
 
#5 ·
Putting it into Sport turns ECO off, it is just knocking the shifter back once more when in drive turns on Sport mode.
 
#8 ·
The only thing that I really dislike about Eco mode is the way the engine reacts when you need to hold the Jeep to lower speeds. When I leave my house I have a good amount of enforced 25mph. The tranny will get into 5th gear and the engine starts lugging.

I sometimes forget to turn it off when I leave a store or something. I never notice it until I get into my development, slow down, and after a few hundred yards the lugging starts.

I really wish that the default settings for everything when you start the Jeep would be whatever it was when you shut it down.


___
 
#10 ·
I really wish that the default settings for everything when you start the Jeep would be whatever it was when you shut it down.
I wish the same about the wife.
 
#9 ·
I considered the Toureg but then it cost $10k more MSRP (similar price to X35d and ML350 Bluetec) than the EcoDiesel I could not think that I'd ever find it was worth the significant price increase (I'm also not one to fawn over brand names and pick my vehicles based on ability).

That said - my previous 2007 CRD Jeep had a lot more get up and go but it had a 5 speed auto shared with the then generation SRT8 which then put highway cruising doing 70 mph at 2,700 RPM which was way too high (short sighted ratios).

But I didn't buy the diesel for 0-60 prowess but instead wanted the economy of the 900 mile per tank range and effortless towing through the mountains yet still return excellent mpg.
 
#11 ·
That said - my previous 2007 CRD Jeep had a lot more get up and go but it had a 5 speed auto shared with the then generation SRT8 which then put highway cruising doing 70 mph at 2,700 RPM which was way too high (short sighted ratios).

Your CRD also had 3.73 gears v/s whatever pitiful excuse these EcoDiesels have. Great highway mileage


Sent from NSA Surveillance Van #574
 
#13 · (Edited)
You really need to DRIVE any diesel for a few miles and you would find that the VM engine/ZF tranny combo IS buttery smooth. Was the JGC warmed up or cold? If it was cold, you really need to get it up to normal operating temperature and then evaluate it. We also considered the VW "Toerag" but it cost "more for less".

According to Jeep, the Eco Mode helps improve fuel economy by adjusting the transmission shift schedule, idle speed and interactive deceleration fuel shut off. We use ECO on all long road trips.

Note that Sport mode lowers the suspension (before it gets to 55mph), reworks the shift points and engine mapping. I prefer to use Sport mode around town :) !
 
#17 · (Edited)
I worked with a friend of mine - also a member on here - and compiled a spreadsheet 8 weeks ago - using just EPA numbers, real world fuel prices based upon prices here in the upper Midwest, and using DEF of $5/gallon, dealer oil change costs. The EcoDiesel v/s the V8 will pay for itself within 14 months, and the EcoDiesel v/s the V6 will pay for itself in 36 months, all based purely on fuel economy.

None of the data was manipulated in anyway, so please spare the rhetoric of how a spreadsheet can be skewed/manipulated in order to achieve the desired results. And, with his permission, I would be happy to share the spreadsheet with anyone. We did the same on the other forum, but there was so much anti-diesel hate, and so many anti-diesel trolls that the thread was removed.


Sent from NSA surveillance van #574.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I worked with a friend of mine - also a member on here - and compiled a spreadsheet 8 weeks ago - using just EPA numbers, real world fuel prices based upon prices here in the upper Midwest, and using DEF of $5/gallon, dealer oil change costs. The EcoDiesel v/s the V8 will pay for itself within 14 months, and the EcoDiesel v/s the V6 will pay for itself in 36 months, all based purely on fuel economy.
Breakeven will be even less in reality as EPA #s are not real world. Checking Fuelly.com and Fueleconomy.gov (for 2014 WK2) for average user report mpg results the v8 gets an average of 18-19 mpg, the v6 21-22 mpg and the diesel 25-26 mpg. You have to throw out the highs/lows but you get an idea that most users don't get EPA.

But it's besides the point as those who know how to see ahead can slow down early and coast to a stop or not stop at all (as you timed a stop light or traffic). Unfortunately most drivers never see ahead of the person they are following and then always have to be on / off the throttle & brakes.

Using this method I've seen my WK2 ecodiesel get 27 instant mpg on the EVIC in heavy traffic on I287 in NJ near S. Brunswick in rush hour (just going 15 mph and leaving a long gap (don't care about the cutters) and just idle along. Going 60 mph and slowing / coasting where I'm able I've seen 34 mpg and it included several 2 lane passes as well.
 
#18 ·
If you regularly do 420 mile drives, you will find that the JGC Diesel is really great on road trips. Read the last of my trip reports.....getting 25mpg going 420 miles with the cruise set at 80mph is pretty darn good for a 5500lb 4x4 :) !
 
#35 ·
And manual....

I definitely notice a difference between Eco on and off, the tranny doesn't want to change down for that extra oomph when you put your foot down in eco, and wants to change up too early.
 
#26 ·
OK,

So here is the mathematical "skinny" on our trip.

We drove from Deming, NM straight through to Kerrville, TX - 591 miles.
25mpg (actually 25.92) was hand calculated using a tank fill at the end of the trip with 2.2 gallons left in the tank. 24.8 mpg showed on the computer, (trip A) which I reset when we hit the 80mph marker on I-10. I was curious to see the dynamic mpg at 80mph cruise on I-10, going up and down the hills. I also wanted to check the Low Fuel light, which came on at 3 gallons, just like it should, around 16 miles or so before we got home.

Total trip mpg from Deming to Kerrville was 25.92mpg with mainly 80/75 and 70 mph cruise settings, dropping to 65 through El Paso.

We've regularly seen 31/33 mpg at 60/65mph cruising "on the flat".


I LOVE this vehicle......:thumbsup:. As of this writing at a shade under 10k miles, we have not had one single issue/problem/niggle/nitpick:cool:.

Now, I just hope that statement didn't "call down the Devil" on me LOL !
 
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#34 ·
So i tried this 60-80 pull in the 3 day old EcoDiesel on the way home today... yeah, it's got plenty of power. Will be installing my Escort Redline as soon as it's back from repair.
 
#36 ·
Comparing performance on a test drive that random people at the dealership have possibly tromped on is not a great comparison but cannot be helped either. I personally find my JGC Diesel smoother shifting and certainly more powerful than my 2009 ML320 which walked a few VWs.

The truck adapts very nicely to driving style and power wise really opens up after 5000 miles.
 
#38 ·
Additional Fuel Economy information:

Did the round trip up 95 (and beyond) from WPB Florida to Vermont (~2500 miles total) a month back - 2 days up, 1 day bumbling about, 2 days back. Whole trip, including bumbling about, averaged around 31 mpg (by EVIC of course). Normally went 70-75 when I could; DC and NYC saw hours of stop and go. Cruise control whenever possible. During the trip, there were 3 occasions where the "miles traveled on the tank" + "miles 'til empty" > 900. Almost took a pic, but I figured that would make me weird...
 
#39 ·
If you aren't already aware, the EVIC uses a rolling average over the past 300 miles (or less, if you reset it). So that 31 MPG was only for the last 300 miles of your trip, not all 2500. If you want to track mileage over larger intervals you have to do it manually. I recommend Fuelly.com because they make entering your fill-ups pretty painless from a mobile browser or in batch via a CSV file.
 
#41 ·
I was aware. I am old school - I keep a fuel log in the vehicle...31MPG over the entire trip. One fill was over 33, another under 30, with a few more in between (attempted to fill wherever fuel was cheapest, not necessarily when I was empty).
 
#40 ·
So, I test drove the vehicle again last night and I started out with the Eco button off. I don't know if it was the button or what but I thought the vehicle drove much nicer yesterday then it did a couple days ago. I reset the trip computer leaving the dealers lot and was able to turn 28.5 mpg with a pretty good drive down the interstate and some downtown city driving with some idling in there while looking the vehicle over. Pretty pleased with that.

That said I think the Eco Button does make a small difference. :thumbsup:
 
#44 · (Edited)
I bit off topic but I considered the Touareg Diesel V6TDi and took it home for the night. Strong engine and smooth shifting but I couldn't get over the pleather seats and the almost monochrome control centre display which wasn't too intuitive. The Dynaudio upgrade as well as the Pano Roof and Tech Package (blind spot, adaptive...) options pushed the price up to V8 R-Line area ($120k in Oz). Plus salesmen playing sillybuggers.

Grand Cherokee is the bargain of the century.
 
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