The Forgotten Car Feature That’s Confusing a New Generation
I’ll never forget the first time I noticed it.
A friend and I were cleaning out his late father’s garage when we uncovered an old 1980s sedan hidden beneath years of dust.
The car looked like a frozen piece of history:
- Faded upholstery
- Chrome trim
- An analog radio
- The unmistakable smell of old leather and gasoline
But one detail immediately caught my attention.
Right there on the gear selector — beside the familiar letters:
- P
- R
- N
- D
sat one mysterious extra letter:
E
I stared at it for several seconds.
“Electric?” I guessed.
“Emergency mode?” my friend suggested.
Neither of us had any idea what it meant.
After several minutes of confused debate, I searched it online —
and the answer opened the door to a fascinating piece of automotive history many younger drivers have never heard about.
The mysterious “E” stood for:
Economy Mode
And surprisingly, it was decades ahead of its time.
What Did the “E” Gear Actually Do?
Long before cars had:
- Touchscreens
- Eco buttons
- Smart fuel-saving computers
- Digital driving modes
automakers were already trying to improve fuel efficiency.
The “E” gear was one of their early solutions.
When drivers selected Economy mode, the transmission changed how the car shifted gears.
Instead of allowing the engine to rev high before shifting, the transmission shifted earlier at lower RPMs.
The Result?
- Better fuel economy
- Lower engine strain
- Smoother highway driving
- Reduced fuel consumption
But there was also a downside.
Cars in “E” mode often felt slower and less responsive.
Acceleration became more sluggish because the car prioritized saving fuel instead of maximizing performance.
In many ways, it was the mechanical ancestor of today’s modern Eco Mode systems.
Why Did Economy Mode Exist?
To understand the “E” gear, you have to go back to the 1970s.
The oil crises of 1973 and 1979 completely changed the automotive industry.
Fuel prices skyrocketed.
Long gas station lines formed across America.
Suddenly, fuel economy became one of the biggest concerns for drivers everywhere.
Automakers scrambled to make vehicles more efficient.
The surprising history behind Economy mode — and why the mysterious “E” eventually disappeared from cars — continues on the next page.
