I always drive in D, whereas my wife mainly uses B and switches to D on motorways and dual carriageways. Use whichever you are most comfortable with. I don't think efficiency is affected as much as by other factors (wind, rain, cold, etc).
B vs D mode revisited!
Approaching 5 months with my ID3 and I must admit I’m still not 100% sure I’m comfortable always driving in B, especially on motorways, from an efficiency and ease of driving perspective.
I kinda gravitated to B as a more natural fit to aid general braking but at times I still feel like it encourages a heavier use of the accelerator pedal with ‘the push it through claggy jelly’ feeling!
What’s your latest thoughts on best, most efficient, use of B and D after owning the car a while??
I kinda gravitated to B as a more natural fit to aid general braking but at times I still feel like it encourages a heavier use of the accelerator pedal with ‘the push it through claggy jelly’ feeling!
What’s your latest thoughts on best, most efficient, use of B and D after owning the car a while??
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I've found that I tend to use B mode when the traffic is going at under 70km/h and D mode when faster than that. In UK terms that would be a dividing line of ~40mph
B mode around town and ACC everywhere else providing the road is not too twisty.
You can use ACC in either D or B mode can’t you? Unless I’ve been missing something.B mode around town and ACC everywhere else providing the road is not too twisty.
VW design D as the preferred mode and I don't personally like the feel of B.
Albeit, this is based on my 20 min test drive, but I tried 5 mins of B and didn't like it. It seemed counterintuitive to pressing on. I can see it being of benefit only to people who drive with a lead foot on both the accelerator and brake, with no real anticipation of the road ahead, those who accelerate to a roundabout and then jump on the brakes rather than those who come off the accelerator early and brake lighter and later.VW design D as the preferred mode and I don't personally like the feel of B.
I think I'll be sticking with D when I get mine (which should have landed in Grimsby today after a 7 week wait in Emden).
Another vote for D mode here. As above I have only driven it for a test drive (2 hours), but after that and 40 minutes in a model 3 (essentially B mode +) I preferred D mode in the ID.3 by a large margin.
Coming from an ICE automatic, I initially found B had a more familiar feel.
However I soon switched to just leaving it in D unless I know I’m going to need to slow down before the car ever could (such as stretches of road with speed bumps)
However I soon switched to just leaving it in D unless I know I’m going to need to slow down before the car ever could (such as stretches of road with speed bumps)
Yes, but it makes no difference as the ACC handles the regen as required to maintain distance to the car in front.You can use ACC in either D or B mode can’t you? Unless I’ve been missing something.
Noting I am in an e-Golf, but assume it would be the same on ID3.
A few minutes during a test drive is not enough to understand the pros and cons of B and D.
Once you have the car, I suggest that you try again over an extended period.
That's what my wife and I did when we got our Golf GTE nearly four years ago.
I enjoyed learning the technique of using B properly and have continued to use it exclusively ever since. A little adjustment was needed when changing to the November 2020 ID3 but 2.1 upgrade takes me back to virtually the GTE technique.
My wife has stuck with D after her experiments. That means our brakes do not rust like they would if I was the only driver.
It's a very relaxing car to drive either way and I doubt that you could measure any difference in economy.
Once you have the car, I suggest that you try again over an extended period.
That's what my wife and I did when we got our Golf GTE nearly four years ago.
I enjoyed learning the technique of using B properly and have continued to use it exclusively ever since. A little adjustment was needed when changing to the November 2020 ID3 but 2.1 upgrade takes me back to virtually the GTE technique.
My wife has stuck with D after her experiments. That means our brakes do not rust like they would if I was the only driver.
It's a very relaxing car to drive either way and I doubt that you could measure any difference in economy.
As I understand if D and B mode have no effect on the amount of brake usage. They just change the way the regen is controlled.
Classic advice is D on motorway and fast open roads then B on rural twisties and urban roads.
After 9000 miles in mine, on mostly A and M-Way roads, I’m a confirmed D man now.
I can achieve better efficiency using anticipation, acceleration and coasting than ACC and I find B mode scrubs off hard won momentum unnecessarily.
In a city environment, or twisty B roads, or descending a big hill, B could be better, but I’m not a fan.
I can achieve better efficiency using anticipation, acceleration and coasting than ACC and I find B mode scrubs off hard won momentum unnecessarily.
In a city environment, or twisty B roads, or descending a big hill, B could be better, but I’m not a fan.
I'll have another play when I get the car, but for me, I'm pretty sure I'd rather drive a car that's wanting to keep moving rather than trying to stop without your input. It's more economical to preserve your momentum and minimise waste rather than rely on a recovery system that is probably 60-70% efficient.A few minutes during a test drive is not enough to understand the pros and cons of B and D.
Once you have the car, I suggest that you try again over an extended period.
That's what my wife and I did when we got our Golf GTE nearly four years ago.
I enjoyed learning the technique of using B properly and have continued to use it exclusively ever since. A little adjustment was needed when changing to the November 2020 ID3 but 2.1 upgrade takes me back to virtually the GTE technique.
My wife has stuck with D after her experiments. That means our brakes do not rust like they would if I was the only driver.
It's a very relaxing car to drive either way and I doubt that you could measure any difference in economy.
I'm presuming that using the brake pedal to a certain extent activates the regen rather than actually using the brakes and the actual brakes kick in under a firmer pedal press, as they would in B mode anyway - is that correct? If so, I'd think that driving in a way that generally preserves momentum in D mode would be noticeably more efficient than driving in an uneconomical manner and rely on "B" mode to save you some of that wastage.
I used to smash the combined mpg figures before stop-start massively skewed the figures. Even now, my missus averages 33mpg in our Polo GTI+ and I average 37mpg doing similar journeys. I get up to speed quicker than her but brake half as much as she does...anticipation of the road ahead.
I’ve yet to find a scenario where B suits so I don’t think I’ll bother complicating things in future and I’ll just stick with D
The brakes only kick in after 0.25g worth of deceleration or very slow speeds. Regen for everything else.
Thanks, interesting replies. I’d thought they’d be more B fans, especially as youtubers like Teslabjorn always drive in B. But there is plenty to be said for a natural feeling freewheeling coast.
Of course ID3 typically has some intelligent regeneration assist in D which slightly complicates things I guess.
I think I’ll start using D more on faster roads.
Of course ID3 typically has some intelligent regeneration assist in D which slightly complicates things I guess.
I think I’ll start using D more on faster roads.
D mode for me all the time unless I'm in stop/start traffic but I turn off the intelligent regen assist by making sure its in normal and not eco, I find it annoying when I switch on sport mode and it acts as though it's in B mode.
I have found the same; D for long-distance cruising and NSL roads, B for stop-start stuff, but don't really stress about changing exactly as the road changes.I always drive in D, whereas my wife mainly uses B and switches to D on motorways and dual carriageways. Use whichever you are most comfortable with. I don't think efficiency is affected as much as by other factors (wind, rain, cold, etc).
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