Lexus Rx400h Thread

Steve · June 3, 2005

Old news to some but we have launched the RX400H Press release.

Click Here to see the Lexus RX400h Press release.

Cant wait for a test drive! :D

bill jarvis · March 15, 2006

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Ullevi · March 15, 2006

Yuck,smelly old oil burning stove???

shm · March 15, 2006

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.
My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

bill jarvis · March 16, 2006

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

Gord · March 16, 2006

The one ive got at the min gives 32+mpg, it much better than my is200 :o

shm · March 16, 2006

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

I am in the USA, and it sounds like you are in England. Are you figuring your mileage in miles per hour and miles per gallon as I am? Consumer Reports and all of the auto magazines over here are finding the same reduced mileage that I am getting.

Steve

fergy · March 16, 2006

So remember...UK gallon is larger than the american gallon....

So if if the US you'll definietly record less mpg... try looking at http://www.onlineconversion.com/fuel_consumption.htm for a convertor

24mpg (american) = 28.8 mpg (UK)

Ullevi · March 17, 2006

I get 31-33mpg on a long run.These figures are in the cold,however.i can't wait to try it out in better weather-i've only known cr4p weather since i bought the Lexus.

Anyway,I didn't buy the RX400h for economy,I bought it for the combination of excellent performance and relatively good fuel economy and reasonably low CO2 emissions(compared to similarly sized vehicles).

If I'd wanted an ecomonomical car I would have bought a small diesel econobox and got 60 mpg and 0-60 figure of 13 seconds.

By the way,I am surprised that so many people are complaining that you do not get published fuel economy.I am yet to own one car that gets fairly near to published fuel economy data.In fact,I think the Lexus is probably the nearest to official figures.

I think that a combination of cold weather,quite a few short journeys where the engine doesn't warm up properly and "spirited" driving are probably contributing to lower than published mpg.

bill jarvis · March 17, 2006

I get 31-33mpg on a long run.These figures are in the cold,however.i can't wait to try it out in better weather-i've only known cr4p weather since i bought the Lexus.
Anyway,I didn't buy the RX400h for economy,I bought it for the combination of excellent performance and relatively good fuel economy and reasobaly low CO2 emissions(compared to similarly sized vehicles).

If I'd wanted an ecomonomical car I would have bought a small diesel econobox and got 60 mpg and 0-60 figure of 13 seconds.

By the way,I am surprised that so many people are complaining that you do not get published fuel economy.I am yet to own one car that gets fairly near to published fuel economy data.In fact,I think the Lexus is probably the nearest to official figures.

I think that a combination of cold weather,quite a few short journeys where the engine doesn't warm up properly and "spirited" driving are probably contributing to lower than published mpg.

I believe the reason for this particular car attracting so much criticism, regarding fuel economy, is this car was sold mainly on its economical hybrid system.

I do not drive in a "spirited" way, yet still struggle to get anywhere near 30mpg on a long run. In fact the car returns better mpg in town conditions, where the electric motors are used more.

bill

lelandv · March 17, 2006

I just like the idea of being able to drive through Central London during a week-day and be able to flaunt it in front of the guy in the Smart as he steps out of his car to go pay the congestion charge ;)

fergy · March 17, 2006

mmm...and the £30,000 he's saved by buying a smart car in no way makes up for having to pay the congestion charge ??? ;)

ooo...and up here no congestion charges :)

schweboo · October 16, 2007

My RX400H mileage was pretty good for the first three months, but over the past week, in town mileage dropped from 28-29 MPG to 22-25MPG. Motorway (freeway) driving performance seemed to climb from 30-31 MPG to 31-32 MPG.

Have sent the car back to be checked out - I live in London and do a lot of in town driving. Will report back - has anyone else experienced the same drop in MPG?

Chris

mch52 · April 28, 2008

I have a 2006 and live where we have all four seasons. This car will get worse mileage in the winter because the gas engine is used more for the heat and also in the really hot weather because the batteries don't perform quite as well in the extream heat so the engine will have to charge them more. I have seen alot of complaints about the mileage in southern California and Arizona in the summer. As someone earlier said this vehicle is just as much about performance VS the 330 or 350 as it is the economy of it.

car parts furme · May 26, 2008

Hey,

I was thinking of getting this for the wife. Is the fuel consumption really that bad?

As for car parts <-- that place any good? Anybody dealt with them?

carl001 · June 26, 2008

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

I have owned an RX 400h since December 2007 and the worst fuel consumption I have ever recorded was 27mpg. The normal indication hovers around 31mpg combined motorway/city journeys. Use of Cruise Control whenever possible and allowing motors rather than engine to start the car rolling after each stop helps in this direction.

gsa · August 13, 2008

Hi all,

I am a new member. I don't actually own a 400h, but I borrowed it for 24 hours from the local dealer. I was quite impressed to get 35mpg in town driving and 31mpg on the motorway. Some people claim to have got 40+mpg, which sounds a bit far fetched, but even so, I think the 33mpg that I got was quite exceptional. And this was in a brand new car. I understand from the posts elsewhere that the fuel economy improves quite substantially after the first 10000miles, as the V6 starts kicking in around 40mph rather than 25mph for a new car.

TWI · December 8, 2008

I have now owned an 08 Lexus RX400h for 2 months and put about 1500miles on the clock. Although the overall driving experience is great, one thing I am not very happy about is the fuel consumption. I do not drive like a particular loon and I have had a mix of motorway and urban driving. Average consumption since I got the vehicle is 24mpg!! Also it seems that often the petrol motor kicks in at anythign over 10mph. On the vehicle I test drove it seemed to kick in around 30mph..could this be the reason? Should i be contacting the dealership to make demands or is this just the difference between marketing hype (31mpg+) and reality? If latter then I wish i had my BMW 535d back as I chose the lexus to improve my fuel efficiency..

Cainey · December 8, 2008

I have now owned an 08 Lexus RX400h for 2 months and put about 1500miles on the clock. Although the overall driving experience is great, one thing I am not very happy about is the fuel consumption. I do not drive like a particular loon and I have had a mix of motorway and urban driving. Average consumption since I got the vehicle is 24mpg!! Also it seems that often the petrol motor kicks in at anythign over 10mph. On the vehicle I test drove it seemed to kick in around 30mph..could this be the reason? Should i be contacting the dealership to make demands or is this just the difference between marketing hype (31mpg+) and reality? If latter then I wish i had my BMW 535d back as I chose the lexus to improve my fuel efficiency..

Had mine for 10 weeks from new and now have 7300 miles on the clock, lots of motorway driving, initially clocked around 27 now getting around 31 if I keep my speed to around 70.

carl001 · January 3, 2009

I have a 2006 RX400h and my combined average is 29.9-30.1 mpg. I get a better figure using cruise control on the Motorways. The trick to urban driving is to let the electric motors do the initial accellerating and to allow as much "99.9mpg" driving as possible.

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

GBR134 · January 8, 2009

Mine is an 07 which I have had for 14 mths. OK so I do the 50 mile round trip to work driving like a Grandad to see what economy I can get but on a long trip I let it go!

Summer average @ 32 mpg Trip @ 30 full tank to and from work in Grandad mode summer 34.5 winter 32.5. My local garage claims a farme always quotes over 40 - my guess is he is misreading it or lying!

Anyway I reckon for mixture of comfort, performance and economy its brilliant - would I buy another - NOT unless they allow overide of the Nanny State electronic disfunctions!

Lexusjohn · February 13, 2009

I have been away from these boards for some 2 years now after buying a RX300SE and outing it very quickly due to very poor economy (18 MPG average).

My local Lexus dealer has asked me if I would test drive the NEW RX450h when it arrives as he says "It will be very much more economical than any of the others"................ Well the last RX400h I borrowed from a mate only gave 27MPG nursing it so this new one me suspects will not be much better, your thoughts?.

Ian-Leeds · March 3, 2009

I have been away from these boards for some 2 years now after buying a RX300SE and outing it very quickly due to very poor economy (18 MPG average).
My local Lexus dealer has asked me if I would test drive the NEW RX450h when it arrives as he says "It will be very much more economical than any of the others"................ Well the last RX400h I borrowed from a mate only gave 27MPG nursing it so this new one me suspects will not be much better, your thoughts?.

If I 'nurse' my 400 cross country I can get around 38. Hit the motoway, stay around 70 then about 30.

RonC · November 7, 2009

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

I have owned an RX400h SE since October last year.

My one criticism is the petrol consumption is nowhere near Lexus quoted figure, I get around 31mpg on my journey to and from work and around 28mpg on a motorway journey.

This is still very good for a vehicle of its type, but I do wonder why they don't make a diesel hybrid, surely this would be the true fuel saver.

bill

Hi Bill, I have owned the Lexus hybrid since July of 2005. We are only getting 23-24 mph on the highway and the same in town, so you are doing much better. How do you get such great mileage?

Steve

I have no idea why you are getting such low MPG.

The worst I've had is 27mpg on a run.

If I keep to 60mph I can get 32mpg.

bill

I am in the USA, and it sounds like you are in England. Are you figuring your mileage in miles per hour and miles per gallon as I am? Consumer Reports and all of the auto magazines over here are finding the same reduced mileage that I am getting.

Steve

I owned a 2006 RX400h and averaged 27.6 for all kinds of driving ... better in town and lower on the road. It had EXCELLENT power, and if you used it the mileage would definately go down. I also only used premium fuel, it would run regular, but the mileage hit was proportionate so I just stuck with premium.

The real reason I am posting is that I just traded my '06 in on a new 2010 RX450h. What an upgrade! MUCH nicer car! Nav system controls are the best I've ever seen. Mileage is 10% better than the '06 (consistently getting 30 mpg). Although the advertised horsepower is up, the '06 "felt" stronger ... the 2010 is no dog mind you, just that the '06 was a HOT ROD and this one is heavier and the power seems to be more smoothly applied. It is still quite strong and 0-60 numbers are nearly the same, just doesn't have the "kick in the pants" feel that the '06 had. Price is up, but the content is up more ... buy one ... you'll love it. It's a better value for the money than the '06 was. The '06 wasn't real "upscale" in it's feel ... the 2010 definately is ... it feels like a Lexus. The '06 felt more like a "fancy" Toyota.

RonC · November 7, 2009

I have been away from these boards for some 2 years now after buying a RX300SE and outing it very quickly due to very poor economy (18 MPG average).
My local Lexus dealer has asked me if I would test drive the NEW RX450h when it arrives as he says "It will be very much more economical than any of the others"................ Well the last RX400h I borrowed from a mate only gave 27MPG nursing it so this new one me suspects will not be much better, your thoughts?.

Your dealer is not lying (this time) . I owned a 2006 RX400h and averaged 27.6 for all kinds of driving ... better in town and lower on the road. It had EXCELLENT power, and if you used it the mileage would definately go down. I also only used premium fuel, it would run regular, but the mileage hit was proportionate so I just stuck with premium.

The real reason I am posting is that I just traded my '06 in on a new 2010 RX450h. What an upgrade! MUCH nicer car! Nav system controls are the best I've ever seen. Mileage is 10% better than the '06 (consistently getting 30 mpg). Although the advertised horsepower is up, I admit that the '06 "felt" stronger ... the 2010 is no dog mind you, just that the '06 was a HOT ROD and the 2010 is heavier and the power seems to be more smoothly applied. It is still quite strong and 0-60 numbers are nearly the same, just doesn't have the "kick in the pants" feel that the '06 had. Price is up, but the content is up more so the value proposition is improved ... buy one ... you'll love it. It's a better value for the money than the '06 was. The '06 wasn't real "upscale" in it's feel ... the 2010 definately has that upscale feel ... it feels like a Lexus should feel. The '06 felt more like a "fancied up" Toyota, IMHO.