Some people swear by it. They press it the second they start the car and never look back. They claim it smooths out the ride, making the CR-V feel more civilized. If you’re a chill driver who never rushes, ECON is your best friend.
Other people hate it. They say it makes the car feel sluggish and dead. They call it the “painfully slow button.” These are the folks who peel out of parking lots and treat every yellow light as a dare. You know who you are.
I fall somewhere in the middle. I use it when I’m low on gas and the next station is 10 miles away. It’s my emergency “please don’t strand me” button. Otherwise, I leave it off. Life’s too short to drive a sleepy car, even if I save 30 cents.
Quirks You Didn’t Ask For
There is a secret society of CR-V owners who will argue ECON mode ruins the car’s transmission. They’re wrong, but they’re passionate about it. The button doesn’t hurt anything; it just changes how the transmission shifts. It shifts earlier, holding lower RPMs to save fuel. That’s it.
Another weird thing: the ECON icon sometimes disappears. Don’t panic. It just turns off if you press the gas pedal too hard. The car says, “Fine, you’re in a hurry. I’ll stop saving gas now.” It’s like the car has an attitude. A passive-aggressive attitude.
Econ Mode On Honda: Does It Really Save Gas?
And here’s my favorite quirk: the button glows green. If you have a 2015 or newer model, it also glows amber when you turn on the defrost. That tells you ECON has been overridden because defrost uses more engine power. It’s like the car is having a tiny argument with itself.
