Poor MPG in 2013 F sport

[KDyke]

Hello,

I am new here to the forum and thought that this would be the best place to ask about what MPG people are getting in there is300H,
I have had the car now just short of a year and my average MPG is 36 the MPG is Set to UK units now im not too heavy on the accelerator but i do quickly get up to speed then coast as much as possible while trying to keep the car in ev mode when at low speeds around town.
The best mpg i get is 44 and thats on a long trip down to Cornwall about a 240 mile trip for me and thats mostly just on the cruise control
iv been keeping up with servicing the car but im not close to the numbers i got on a test drive model i drove that was around 44-46 round town and just over 50 on a 60 MPH road 

I do understand i have chosen this model with wider rear tyres but are they alone making this much of a difference to my MPG

Also on a side note does anyone use the EV mode as im finding it hard to stay in ev mode i  just keep getting the error of accelerating to fast or that im going to fast to use the ev mode 

[ianhu]

I reckon I am getting close to the same mileage per gallon as you are. 

As for evmode, I am long past considering it anything more than a joke. No one should have to concentrate on a style of driving to keep the ecu happy enough to maintain the selected mode.  It's ridiculous, and lexus should (if they are not) be ashamed to add this to their cars and tout it as a feature.

I would however like to hear anyone who has success with evmode. Do tell us (me) none believers in the so called technology. 

 

 

 

[wharfhouse]

EV mode is in a few circumstances useful but it's not a regular driving mode. In my case I use it for:

1. Moving the car around the drive or very short distances so the ICE doesn't start when the engine is cold - to do this you press the Start button and then immediately press the EV button. Light use of the accelerator will let you move around in EV mode for a while. 

2. Leaving the house early - use EV as above and you can get going down the road in silence before the ICE kicks in. 

3. When sat in the drive for a while after starting the car but need to do a few things before setting off - same as above press EV mode and get all that done before the car starts it's ICE when engine is cold. 

4. When stationary - press EV and the car will sit longer before the ICE kicks in to start charging. 

By and large though it's not a driving mode as such - the car will go to EV as much as it thinks is best for economy on its own (more so in Eco mode) so for best economy it's actually better to let the car decide - forcing EV mode can actually be detrimental to economy. I find best way to maximise efficiency is put the car on Eco (this does make a difference in the next step) then accelerate at a reasonable pace and then if under about 45mph live off the accelerator completely for a split second and so long as the engine is warm and the Battery has charge the car will go to EV and then feathering the throttle will maintain speed and keep on EV mode for a surprising amount of time. If you have to increase speed generally more efficient to let the ICE start to raise speed reasonably quickly again and then lift and feather for EV running. 

[Tel]

Only drive in Sport -Mode & average c.45 mpg with a 10% increase in Summer & a 10% decrease in Winter.

Above 80mph mpg falls to c.35 & above 90mph mpg is in the high 20's.

In the Alps c. 25 up & c. 58 down..

Tel

[matt8]

I have the same aged car and same spec as you.

38 MPG since Jan 2018 over 5000 miles.

That's not using what's on the dash, but what is calculated from full fuel ups and miles travelled.

I used to force EV mode as much as possible but it's capped at 30mph, and I've realised this is not good. Stick it in Eco, and you can be running on electric for you to 40mph or so when conditions are right.

[PaulWhitt20]

What is your average speed?

I consider myself to be an economical driver but my average MPG over 3 years 24,600 is 37.9 MPG according to Fuelly. (Best 44.7 MPG)

Normal mode Advance trim level.

and my average speed on my daily commute 12 MPH! 

 

 

[wharfhouse]

According to the trip computer mine is around 48mpg overall average (17" wheels) - that's a complete mix of driving over a couple of years of warm and cold weather - motorway (where clear pushing on but also living in the south of the country a mix of 50mph and stop start too) and then A roads and cities (though not too much city driving in the rush hour). Easy to see 50+ mpg on long clear motorway runs doing a decent speed and 60+ mpg on leisurely A roads. Short runs in the cold in winter is what drops it back as the engine has to be on to warm up and warm the car interior up. 

[route66]

I have a 2014 Executive with standard 17" wheels.

Fuelly Summary (brim-to-brim checking and therefore more accurate than the computer which will over read by somewhere between 2 - 3 MPG):

• Low: 31 MPG
• High: 45 MPG
• Average: 39.4 MPG (+5 for summer, -5 for winter)

Trips as reported by Computer:

• 51 MPG (155 miles, 95% motorway @ 120 KM/H / 75 MPH)
• 62.7 MPG (50 miles, urban dual carriageway, 50/60 MPH)

Eco mode definitely helps as does using the seat heaters instead of the HVAC system to keep warm - e.g. lowering the temperature to "Lo" will regularly cause the engine to switch off in traffic. Of course, this can make for a very unpleasant, miserable environment with windows you can't see out of, so you might just want to throw the heating on and damn the expense! 😂

[wharfhouse]

13 minutes ago, route66 said:

I have a 2014 Executive with standard 17" wheels.

Fuelly Summary (brim-to-brim checking and therefore more accurate than the computer which will over read by somewhere between 2 - 3 MPG):

• Low: 31 MPG
• High: 45 MPG
• Average: 39.4 MPG (+5 for summer, -5 for winter)

Trips as reported by Computer:

• 51 MPG (155 miles, 95% motorway @ 120 KM/H / 75 MPH)
• 62.7 MPG (50 miles, urban dual carriageway, 50/60 MPH)

Eco mode definitely helps as does using the seat heaters instead of the HVAC system to keep warm - e.g. lowering the temperature to "Lo" will regularly cause the engine to switch off in traffic. Of course, this can make for a very unpleasant, miserable environment with windows you can't see out of, so you might just want to throw the heating on and damn the expense! 😂

Yep don't see much sense in  paying for a nice car like the IS just to freeze on a cold morning or sweat on a hot day so I just leave the climate control to it's own thing on Auto around 20C (plus or minus a couple of degrees)... Keeps the journeys enjoyable. 

[sheamus]

I have F-Sport 2013. Average 38 mpg over 5000 miles, using dash estimate which means its probably up to 10% less (say 34 mpg). Drive in normal mode 90% of time.

I have 3 Bridgestone Potenza s001 + 1 Pirelli P0 and both of these tyres have an E fuel efficiency rating according to blackcircles. Will be changing to another brand when required to get better economy and reduced sound.

So pretty much same as yous Kieran.

[rayaans]

Depends on how you drive and where you drive really. 

[NemesisUK]

Compare your mpg with others on Fuelly useful for real life average comparison.

[ganzoom]

My wifes get around 40-45mpg for 10 mile work commute. On long runs she gets 50-55mpg. You can get just under 60mpg if you really try - but to get over that your need to hypermile.

I've never seen ours report under 40mpg on a tank, and I do all the fuel ups- Ours is on 17inch wheels, 22k in and orignal tyres still have 4mm tread. 

[KDyke]

On 12/11/2018 at 12:49 AM, wharfhouse said:

EV mode is in a few circumstances useful but it's not a regular driving mode. In my case I use it for:

1. Moving the car around the drive or very short distances so the ICE doesn't start when the engine is cold - to do this you press the Start button and then immediately press the EV button. Light use of the accelerator will let you move around in EV mode for a while. 

2. Leaving the house early - use EV as above and you can get going down the road in silence before the ICE kicks in. 

3. When sat in the drive for a while after starting the car but need to do a few things before setting off - same as above press EV mode and get all that done before the car starts it's ICE when engine is cold. 

4. When stationary - press EV and the car will sit longer before the ICE kicks in to start charging. 

By and large though it's not a driving mode as such - the car will go to EV as much as it thinks is best for economy on its own (more so in Eco mode) so for best economy it's actually better to let the car decide - forcing EV mode can actually be detrimental to economy. I find best way to maximise efficiency is put the car on Eco (this does make a difference in the next step) then accelerate at a reasonable pace and then if under about 45mph live off the accelerator completely for a split second and so long as the engine is warm and the battery has charge the car will go to EV and then feathering the throttle will maintain speed and keep on EV mode for a surprising amount of time. If you have to increase speed generally more efficient to let the ICE start to raise speed reasonably quickly again and then lift and feather for EV running. 

Not sure if it is my car only but when i click EV mode straight away from getting into the car it tells me that it is not available yet, my test drive at lexus i was told the car needs to warm up first before being able to use EV mode

[wharfhouse]

1 minute ago, KDyke said:

Not sure if it is my car only but when i click EV mode straight away from getting into the car it tells me that it is not available yet, my test drive at lexus i was told the car needs to warm up first before being able to use EV mode

Strange - I press Start button (foot on brake) to put the car ready to go and then simply press the EV button - you have a few seconds to do it. This makes sure the ICE doesn't fire up. Only reason I think it wouldn't work would be that the traction Battery is very low on charge - you can check that on the display. Certainly don't need to warm up the car to enter EV mode however it won't hold it long when the engine is cold but long enough to move the car around (on a very light throttle) or set off and get a bit down the road before the engine kicks in. 

[KDyke]

i can see now from pictures of the none f sports having the speedo and accelerator on separate and being able to see when your in echo would be helpful but i don't seem to have this on my car the only way i know when im echo driving is when the ev light is on mainly when going downhill
my drive to work is only short just over 2 miles up hill there and 2 miles down hill back this could be the reason for poor mileage too i guess, but the short trip was my reason to pick a hybrid over a diesel car but i get high 20's on the commute then on weekends and going out i get 30's on longer trips 

[wharfhouse]

12 minutes ago, KDyke said:

i can see now from pictures of the none f sports having the speedo and accelerator on separate and being able to see when your in echo would be helpful but i don't seem to have this on my car the only way i know when im echo driving is when the ev light is on mainly when going downhill
my drive to work is only short just over 2 miles up hill there and 2 miles down hill back this could be the reason for poor mileage too i guess, but the short trip was my reason to pick a hybrid over a diesel car but i get high 20's on the commute then on weekends and going out i get 30's on longer trips 

2 mile uphill with a cold engine won't run in EV - both the incline and the short distance work against that. Coming back downhill in summer would probably get EV on after about a mile. In winter doubt the engine would get warm enough to go to EV by the time you are home. So in essence you are pretty much running those 4 miles a day on just the engine. With a Lexus hybrid it's not like a PHEV so not really meant for any significant EV running - the battery/electric motor supports the engine to run more economically but isn't designed to be running EV for very long and not when under any significant load like uphill or accelerating quickly. You would probably gain a lot more with a PHEV or full EV car for such a commute. 

[mhult]

Kieran, if a large part of your driving is two mile trips, I can understand why your fuel consumption is high. I imagine any car with some kind of combustion engine is going to do poorly under those conditions. I think the only way around it is to get a fully electric car, or a plug-in hybrid that doesn't start the combustion engine at all during those short trips.

[Mikey B]

My commute is about 14 miles each way, but the majority of the way in is uphill - I tend to average 45 in the morning and 52-54 on the way back. however, for the first couple of miles the average is only in the 20's while the engine warms up.

If your journeys are only 2 miles then you will get pretty poor economy.  Best I achieved so far was 62 in heavy traffic, M4 on a Friday afternoon 

[wharfhouse]

15 hours ago, KDyke said:

i can see now from pictures of the none f sports having the speedo and accelerator on separate and being able to see when your in echo would be helpful but i don't seem to have this on my car the only way i know when im echo driving is when the ev light is on mainly when going downhill
my drive to work is only short just over 2 miles up hill there and 2 miles down hill back this could be the reason for poor mileage too i guess, but the short trip was my reason to pick a hybrid over a diesel car but i get high 20's on the commute then on weekends and going out i get 30's on longer trips 

Kept an eye on my journey mpg this morning - left at 8:00am and outside temp was 2C. Car was in Eco driving mode and heating set to 22C and the rear window demister was also on. The journey is 30-50mph roads flowing (so not stop start) with one uphill. After 2 miles the mpg was showing 25mpg. The car had warmed up after the 2 miles and would go into EV on lifting off the accelerator at this point but any acceleration started the engine (the Battery would have been very cold overnight and I've noticed Lexus protect this when it's cold from the electric motor drawing too much). Continuing the journey (similar roads and speed etc.) after 10 miles the mpg was showing 40mpg. EV would now come on readily and stay on even with mild acceleration so I assume the Battery had now warmed up properly. I have an Executive spec so 17" wheels but doubt that would matter too much for this journey. Looks like your mpg for your 2 mile commute looks about right. 

[agent_dess]

Does tyre fuel rating really make a massive difference? I've often wondered, yes you should buy the most efficient tyres you can afford but would you say going from an E to C  rated tyres result in 10mpg improvement?

I seem to be averaging 30mpg on 18". I also have unknown Chinese branded tyres which I want to move away from asap, they're ok in dry but wet at roundabout is a different story 😬

[agent_dess]

You may find this useful:

https://www.willis-owen.co.uk/tyre-fuel-efficiency-calculator/

[agent_dess]

I finally seen 35mpg at the weekend, thats the highest I've managed since owning the car back in January.  I leave car in eco mode these days, hoping it will improve further as weather improves.  I also put a bottle of Toyota fuel cleaner same day I filled up tank back on 1st of may.

[wharfhouse]

10 minutes ago, agent_dess said:

I finally seen 35mpg at the weekend, thats the highest I've managed since owning the car back in January.  I leave car in eco mode these days, hoping it will improve further as weather improves.  I also put a bottle of Toyota fuel cleaner same day I filled up tank back on 1st of may.

Not sure why you are so low - with the warmer weather I'm now getting back to close to 50mpg average (measured on the car computer) on a decent run (50 miles motorway and A road) in my IS 300h. I do find the difference between 10C and 15C temperature is where the biggest gain is made so maybe it's warmer down here in the south than where you are. However even in the coldest weather I wouldn't be as low as 35mpg. Also tyre pressures do make a difference too - I keep mine around 2.6 bar (handbook says 2.5 bar) and mine are 17" wheels so I probably gain a bit on mpg over your 18" wheels. 

[agent_dess]

11 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

Not sure why you are so low - with the warmer weather I'm now getting back to close to 50mpg average (measured on the car computer) on a decent run (50 miles motorway and A road) in my IS 300h. I do find the difference between 10C and 15C temperature is where the biggest gain is made so maybe it's warmer down here in the south than where you are. However even in the coldest weather I wouldn't be as low as 35mpg. Also tyre pressures do make a difference too - I keep mine around 2.6 bar (handbook says 2.5 bar) and mine are 17" wheels so I probably gain a bit on mpg over your 18" wheels. 

It was 12degrees on Sunday. And Sunday was an unsual day in which I made two 30miles round trip that day. My normal day is 5-6miles around town.  I think if I did longer trips daily I would start to exceed 35mpg.  My tyres are recommended pressure for 18".  I'm so ecstatic with 35mpg

 🤣

I still think my tyres are largely to blame.