Hi, I own a 21 plate Kuga ST line that I've had for about 6 weeks.

I'm new to electric motoring (and automatics come to that) and still finding things that I didn't know about.

When I select ECO mode on the left hand button near the rotary drive selector I do get the impression that the electric miles do get eaten up more slowly.

But what exactly is happening tech wise? Are the gears shifting later? Would I see any benefit when electric miles are zero and using petrol plus regen braking?

It would be useful if the manual had a slightly better description of what is happening under the bonnet.

Regards

Paul C

Mine is not a hybrid, but a diesel auto AWD. In ECO mode, it alters the throttle response and shift times.  In the hybrid you have CVT, so not sure what happens in that regard.  If you find a long hill and start to accelerate up it, maintaining a set pressure on the pedal, whilst flicking through the modes, you should feel a marked difference between normal, eco and sport etc.

In Eco mode on a PHEV or FHEV ECO mode will make the car run on battery power as much as possible, regen braking will be more severe and when it does need to run the ICE the CVT transmission will keep the revs as low as possible

As yours is a PHEV, do lots of research, especially on youtube into your driving situation and style as, if you keep the PHEV fully charged you may not need to use ECO mode at all, people will advise you on which is the best driving mode for your driving style