Kwara4u

Just trying to get an idea of what mode most people drive their ES on most of the time? I tried normal and Eco the first few days and notice Eco mode is not bad either, the car still has plenty of power and I don’t miss out much when on eco mode. I have mine on eco mode now at all times

what about you ?

EJC

We have a '16 and the car is much nicer to drive in SPORT mode

zes

I used to drive my ES300h in ECO when we lived in Ohio. When we moved to Colorado, the car because very sluggish in ECO mode because of power loss at over 5,000 ft elevation. So now drive mostly in normal. Still gives 40+ mpg on the computer. Use Sport on busy freeways because it pretends to give more acceleration for merging in fast traffic.

TechNut

Our cars are hybrids and we drive them in Eco mode. Seems to defeat the point of a hybrid to run it in sport mode unless the specific situation calls for it. We have been perfectly happy with the power and performance in eco mode. But sport is definitely cool when I feel like a little spirited driving (not that ESes are particularly suited to “spirited” driving...).

EJC

Mine is not a hybrid, but we usually use SPORT mode because the '16 is sloppy at speed in NORMAL mode. The Sport mode tightens things up just fine, of course it will never match my IS-F

Tootsall

Around town, Econo; I'm in no rush. On the highway, Econo when cruising except when I think I'll need quicker throttle/shift response (coming up to a semi or RV that is going to need a quick pass). Still need to experiment to see which is best and how significant the difference is but with a cold winter setting in I don't expect mileage to be all that great either setting. I do track mileage in a log...both "per fill" and "overall average since purchase" and compare dashboard stated tank mileage vs odometer/fuel pump consumption (they vary often in either direction...likely a round-off error or variation in when the pump clicks off...thus the importance of logging).

Maikerusan

Econo most of the time. Use sport only if on a highway with lot of curves and bends.

st1800

Where I live at 3500’ to 4000’ ASL sport is better for accelerating, passing merging etc. I mostly use sport because it firms up the steering.

Universe93

I drive in Sport mode only for the heavier steering feel. Otherwise, the ES steering is way too light and "floaty." The Sport mode doesn't make it German-car like but it's better than normal.

Dampfwalze

I didn't know if there'd be more wear and stress in sport on the transmission - only have had the car (2014 ES350) a few weeks and the sport is so much better for this 6 speed. In normal when I want to pull out and move to another lane because my lane of traffic comes almost to a stop the transmission wants to down shift for no reason just to gain a little more power and then you can even faintly smell the burning- until I found sport. Love the steering too, which is much more like my 2002 GS300 and my old 740 Volvo. Funny enough my friend's 2019 Camry with 4 cylinder and 8 speed auto accelerates faster more smoothly.

blacklandr

I just drive it in Eco mode, this car isn't meant to be a corner carver at all. I bought it for comfort and refinement, and I like spending time in it so it's not like I'm in always in a rush or anything. Like Kwara4u said, it's still got adequate power in Eco mode and I've got no trouble passing people on the highway with it.

If I've got passengers I stick it in Normal because that (presumably) makes the climate control more potent, but I've never driven it in Sport and probably won't anytime soon.

Dampfwalze

Wanting faster smoother acceleration though is not related to cornering, more related to safety - that's why Volvo used turbos decades ago - crash avoidance, move out of the way, passing, etc... It's disappointing to me how firm the 2013-2018 suspension is. Honestly, the ride - comfort and quality - is far behind previous generations. The 07-'12 seem a bit too bouncy and floaty while the 1999 ES I have is a perfect balance and does not ride as firm as the 2013-2018. However, the styling is much better on this gen and the current gen. Anyhow, that's probably why I'll stick with sport mode even if I spend a little more on gas.

blacklandr

Yeah, I can understand how quicker acceleration might be able to save you in a bind, but my previous car was a 150 HP Accord so I guess I don't really feel the need for extra power.

On the topic of suspension, I definitely noticed that the ride quality wasn't really any better than my SUV. If anything, it was slightly worse. Hell, I also test drove a used GS while I was deciding and noticed that the ride on the GS was only slightly less comfortable despite being the sportier car. I just chalked it up to the 18" wheels, but is this the case for every ES? Anyway, mine's got decent safety features which I why I opted for it over an 07-12 model which probably has better ride quality.

The new ES is sportier than ever, is the ride quality even worse in that one?

Poppa

I'd say the majority of the time I drive my ES in normal mode... however, on occasion, I'll put it in sport mode just because I like the change of the lighting on the dash to go from blue to red.

pab12

Normal mode always, never "felt" the reason to change.
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