I've just bought a 1.4 tsi PHEV and curious about which driving mode is better. D or B?

First DSG car and would appreciate any other tips for driving them. I'm in Ireland.

13 minutes ago, Guil said:

I've just bought a 1.4 tsi PHEV and curious about which driving mode is better. D or B?

First DSG car and would appreciate any other tips for driving them. I'm in Ireland.

I guess it depends what you want from the drive. I've not had a Superb, but we did have a Volvo XC40 PHEV. Initially, I used B as I thought the regen would improve electric range. After a few months I went to D. Found no difference in range, but it was a smoother, more enjoyable ride. We now have an Elroq and again, started in B but went back to D. We still use B in town but get better out of town consumption in D. You just need to remember the extra weight of the battery and brake early enough.

I know it's not a Superb, but hope this helps.

In my Superb iV I prefer the B mode, it gets closer to the one-pedal driving model where I hardly ever have to touch the brake except at the final stages of slowing/stopping. The only downside is that when I drive my wife's petrol Mini I lift off the accelerator, and am still slightly surprised that it doesn't slow down much 😄

I think it just comes down to personal preference.

16 hours ago, SteveMcK said:

In my Superb iV I prefer the B mode, it gets closer to the one-pedal driving model where I hardly ever have to touch the brake except at the final stages of slowing/stopping. The only downside is that when I drive my wife's petrol Mini I lift off the accelerator, and am still slightly surprised that it doesn't slow down much 😄

I think it just comes down to personal preference.

That one-pedal driving doesn't trigger the brake lights like when you press the brake pedal to slow down, until the very end when you actually press the break pedal. Just have this in mind.

14 minutes ago, fr1nklyn said:

That one-pedal driving doesn't trigger the brake lights like when you press the brake pedal to slow down, until the very end when you actually press the break pedal. Just have this in mind.

Are you sure? I thought that under EU rules the brake lights have to be activated once a certain level of deceleration is reached, whether that's direct application of the pedal or through regenerative braking?

I did find this quote in a newspaper article: "Type approval of brake light function is governed by section 5.22.2 of UNECE Regulation 13-H, and paragraph 2 of this section states that any deceleration of 1.3 metres per second squared, or greater, must light up the stop lamps" but I haven't tried it. It should be possible to see at night, if the brake lights are reflected in road signs behind you on a dark road.

I was curious about the brake lights at the weekend and was in B with my daughter driving behind me and the brake lights definitely came on when I let off the accelerator. Not sure how soon but pretty much straight away.

I like the idea of the one pedal driving and did it for a bit the other day but I really dispose someone in front of me braking for no reason or not slowing at all but just touching the pedal and I don't want to become one of them haha

Most likely they have updated this then. Apologies for the confusion.

I used to drive VW Up! Electric for few months and my wife complained about this several times while driving behind me with the kids.

It’s good that these went through regulations and it’s now fixed.

Trucks have had it a long time, I used to drive a 2017 Volvo and the brake lights would come on with the auxiliary brake.

My Superb is 2021

Edited 8 July, 20258 Jul by Guil

Can confirm that the lights come on on my Passat GTE lifting in B mode.

Ss for the original question, This has been "discussed" on EV forums and it depends a lot on how you drive and where you drive. Scientific experiments have shown without doubt that D mode is more efficient (in most cases). But it's not to everyones taste. Like above I sometimes use B in traffic or town or windy country lanes. Just gives more confidence in the slowing of the car in changeable speed situations. I use D most of the time but with active use of the paddles. This changes the car temporarily into M which adds roughly 70% of the regen of B. I then either let it return back to D on it's own or hold the upshift paddle to return to D. This way I can temporarily increase the stopping power for lights or a corner but quickly get back to the long coast feel of D.

Then there is the odd occasion that B is good on a downhill run. e.g. the hill down from hot air balloon roundabout (RIP pub) or the hills on A303. Just helps regulate speed easier.