Quote:
Originally Posted by ramonajim
Ok, I'll confess - I have no clue what the "B" is for......
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The "B gear" is most closely related to a jake brake on a truck. B is similar to a Low gear in a regular automatic. You should only use it when descending a long/steep hill where you'd be concerned about brake wear/fade. The B gear forces the gasoline engine to spin to bleed off some excess energy and to help slow you down.
B is for engine "Braking" and no, it does NOT mean "battery." (under most circumstances, you'll have less battery charging in B mode compared to D, just as you'd have lowered fuel economy in B mode compared to D because of the energy drain from spinning the gasoline engine.)
For most driving, you should stay in the conventional "D gear" (drive).
If the newer hatchback style of Prius, note that the use of the "B gear" will cancel cruise control if you have it turned on.
More info on the "B gear" can be found at:
http://prius.ecrostech.com/QandA/BMode.h…
http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/car…