Fuel Economy

Richard1200 · October 10, 2013

Just thought I would share my experience.

1200 miles, we are low mileage (about 6000 per year), no long journeys, no motorways, just two short trips to the coast from Bristol. All other miles town use. Now showing 49.7mpg since picking up from Lexus Bristol. I have the energy display on during driving so it's makes you very light with your right foot. Driving like a 64 year old which I am!

Love the car. With the cold weather coming my old IS250 would average about 23mpg for our everyday use.

Fantastic car very very happy.

The only down side is water running off the roof when opening the door if it's raining hard.

royoftherovers · October 10, 2013

That`s outstanding fuel consumption Richard.

Try Brimming the fuel fills and comparing with your On Board Computer (OBC). My 2003 E Class Auto estate Diesel still gives 50mpg on any journey over 50 miles and early this year I recorded 58mpg over the entire journey from Wirral to Fallingbostal in Germany. Its OBC however is 8% optimistic when compared to the Brimming method! So 58 is approx. 53 !

My new (to me) GS 450h has just covered 200 miles in my possession (all local,stop/start, short journeys) and the Brimming method gives 38mpg...I have yet to reset its OBC and I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING SO.

Regards

Activ8 · October 14, 2013

Doing a standard trip between Stoke-on-Trent and Barnmouth (186 mile round trip winding A and B roads and very hilly) I averaged 47.3 mpg and that was driving in D mode with little in the way of consideration for fuel saving and just enjoying the drive. This was using the brimming method to calculate. The computer was telling me 48.6 mpg so not hugely different. The best I have had is 73.2 mpg (computer) on a one way 15 mile trip that was all through the town although reasonably flat terrain. Very impressed so far! :)

royoftherovers · October 14, 2013

Doing a standard trip between Stoke-on-Trent and Barnmouth (186 mile round trip winding A and B roads and very hilly) I averaged 47.3 mpg and that was driving in D mode with little in the way of consideration for fuel saving and just enjoying the drive. This was using the brimming method to calculate. The computer was telling me 48.6 mpg so not hugely different. The best I have had is 73.2 mpg (computer) on a one way 15 mile trip that was all through the town although reasonably flat terrain. Very impressed so far! :)

That`s impressive David....and not even trying!

We had a caravan in Harlech for 10 years and I`m still a member at Royal St Davids so I know the terrain and route reasonably well. It`s a lovely part of the World.

Enjoy your car.

Regards

dazed · December 9, 2013

Had an IS300h demonstrator out for a day's test driving last week to assess whether or not it's going to be on the shortlist as a replacement for my IS250 SE auto (57 plate) next year. I drive about 80 miles a day, predominantly on dual carriageways and freely moving A roads with a small amount of city driving.

I drive with a reasonably light foot, but I'm certainly no dawdler. For reference I average about 35mpg with my IS250. The IS300h returned 50.5mpg on my representative test drive, so not bad really.

During cruising (70mph) my IS250 averages 40 to 42mpg when up to temperature. The IS300h was managing around 48mpg - not totally unsurprising.

It was around town that the real improvements were evident. Whereas my IS250 drops off down to the low to mid 20s, the IS300h was easily returning 50-55mpg.

So will I buy one? Probably not in my case. I do too much fast cruising and not enough stop/start town driving to reap the real benefits of a hybrid. If I really wanted to drive my fuel costs down (which to be honest isn't the biggest factor to me) then I'd probably still look to a diesel.

The IS300h was a decent drive, although the electric whine as I came to a stop and pulled away would take some getting used to. The ride was also a little firmer (despite the 16 inch wheels) than the 2nd gen IS and the engine had a slight drone at cruising speeds which I found a little irritating and ultimately tiring - although I accept that this might have been a fault with the particular car I was driving. The driving position in the IS300h was also lower which made it more difficult to get myself comfortable (support under my quite long legs was less due to the lower seat position), but of course, that is a criticism specific to me.

No rattles or squeaks to report though - so that's got to be good.

Stuno1 · December 9, 2013

My isf does these sort of mpg figures as well! ;)

Haf · December 9, 2013

agreed - my 400 mile test drive also gave around 50 in both motorway and city driving - while driving carefull anyway..

I'm almost convinced that F-sport is the way to go...

Wicksy · December 9, 2013

Had an IS300h demonstrator out for a day's test driving last week to assess whether or not it's going to be on the shortlist as a replacement for my IS250 SE auto (57 plate) next year. I drive about 80 miles a day, predominantly on dual carriageways and freely moving A roads with a small amount of city driving.

I drive with a reasonably light foot, but I'm certainly no dawdler. For reference I average about 35mpg with my IS250. The IS300h returned 50.5mpg on my representative test drive, so not bad really.

During cruising (70mph) my IS250 averages 40 to 42mpg when up to temperature. The IS300h was managing around 48mpg - not totally unsurprising.

It was around town that the real improvements were evident. Whereas my IS250 drops off down to the low to mid 20s, the IS300h was easily returning 50-55mpg.

So will I buy one? Probably not in my case. I do too much fast cruising and not enough stop/start town driving to reap the real benefits of a hybrid. If I really wanted to drive my fuel costs down (which to be honest isn't the biggest factor to me) then I'd probably still look to a diesel.

The IS300h was a decent drive, although the electric whine as I came to a stop and pulled away would take some getting used to. The ride was also a little firmer (despite the 16 inch wheels) than the 2nd gen IS and the engine had a slight drone at cruising speeds which I found a little irritating and ultimately tiring - although I accept that this might have been a fault with the particular car I was driving. The driving position in the IS300h was also lower which made it more difficult to get myself comfortable (support under my quite long legs was less due to the lower seat position), but of course, that is a criticism specific to me.

No rattles or squeaks to report though - so that's got to be good.

I find that astonishing - compared to my recent cars (Audi A5 and Land Rover Evoque) the 300h is so much quieter at cruising speeds - there isn't any drone whatsover - I can assure you that this is not the norm.

Lexus Si · December 9, 2013

Rich1200, I'd be surprised if you get much more out of a 2.0tdi with an auto box especially with Petrol being cheaper. A bit unfair but my BMW X3 gets 39mp but with considerable less refinement. Pretty sure an auto 3 series wouldn't get more more than 50 but I've only driven a manual version.

Haf · December 10, 2013

the german 2 litre diesels will all get 60+ on sensible motorway driving as the auto boxes (7/8 speed) arenow more fuel effecient than manuals. they do suffer inner city though even with stop start and 40mpg is a good result.

I think I once got 70mpg on my 2.1d merc on a warwick to heathrow run in the summer...

CD69 · December 12, 2013

Had my F-Sport for 2 days now and driving gently (compared with my Merc C250 CDi) I'm struggling to get 40MPG. My route to work is very hilly so maybe that is having a very bad effect? Also eco mode is scary, absolutely no acceleration whatsoever so kinda sticking with Normal mode for now.

Tel · December 12, 2013

I specifically ran mine in & the highest consumption was c.45 mpg on the Franco/Swiss Border with c.25 when Ascending & Zero when Descending to the valley floor.

I get c.45 in Sport Mode & c.55 in D which I used for the first 2000 miles------Never used Prius Mode yet but an Italian Trip may

force the change as Rural stations are not always open on Sundays!

Tel

Activ8 · December 12, 2013

Had my F-Sport for 2 days now and driving gently (compared with my Merc C250 CDi) I'm struggling to get 40MPG. My route to work is very hilly so maybe that is having a very bad effect? Also eco mode is scary, absolutely no acceleration whatsoever so kinda sticking with Normal mode for now.

Don't worry to much about it my F-Sport gained about 4mpg after the first 1000 miles. Also the winter air knocks around 3-4mpg off the numbers too... You notice these things more with a hybrid. I have a similar route to work and I get around 47mpg at the moment this will be 50+ in the summer. Also don't drive too gently I sort of zoom up the hills and coast down them (this also used to work well for my prius). Also when accelerating from a start get up to speed as soon as you can (safely) then back off the gas completely and catchup the speed in EV (if under 40mph and the road flat) this can really increase your MPG.

CD69 · December 12, 2013

Thanks for the reassurance David, driving is mainly on motorways which are pretty awful at this time of year so will try and implement the pulse and glide technique you refer to

Silver Arrow · December 12, 2013

+1 on the "pulse and glide" - on conventional non-h auto's you would get to speed and just release the pedal slightly for it to change up; it's the same with the hybrid, only difference is the engine will go off providing the Battery has some juice, or the CVT will change to allow for less RPM. That really works around town - more so on a hybrid.

DJP · December 12, 2013

I'd echo Activ8's technique, which is pretty much the opposite of what I'm used to in maximising petrol efficiency with a light right foot. I really notice the difference when accelerating up to speed and then effectively "coasting" with the EV indicator on. It does take some getting used to.

I'm getting around 40mpg which I think is a bit understated as I do sit around a bit waiting to pick people up from train stations etc. It's great just sitting there in the warm listening to the music running on electric power (until the engine kicks in of course).

I'm really pleased I've taken the plunge.

CD69 · December 12, 2013

Wow, really focused on my journey home tonight. Used Eco mode when traffic crawling and also got up to speed quickly as advised. The result? An mpg of 60.1! Kept up with the flow of traffic, heater on and tunes cranked up. Very pleased indeed

Haf · December 13, 2013

Wow, really focused on my journey home tonight. Used Eco mode when traffic crawling and also got up to speed quickly as advised. The result? An mpg of 60.1! Kept up with the flow of traffic, heater on and tunes cranked up. Very pleased indeed

Nice one.. Berst figures I have seen on the forum so far

Platypus · January 18, 2014

I do mostly motorway driving and keep at the 75mph (120kmh) limit in Eco mode. I don't have a heavy foot, and always stay within the speed limits. Only recently have I checked real-world mpg and was rather disappointed to see I'm only getting 41mpg (6.9l/100) as against others' claims of better mpg. I never believe the computer (which is telling me right now that I average 46mpg) but thought I was getting about 45mpg real-world before I had winter tyres fitted (16in replacing my 17in). Guess the tyres make a difference, as well as the heating, but can't see how anybody can get 60mpg if unless it's for a very short drive. More sadly for my carbon footprint, a car that is supposed to do 102g CO2 per km is pumping out 161g; but hell, I'm not blaming Lexus - I'm sure their figures correspond fully with the EU EUDC but everybody knows that a load of baloney.

Activ8 · January 18, 2014

I do mostly motorway driving and keep at the 75mph (120kmh) limit in Eco mode. I don't have a heavy foot, and always stay within the speed limits. Only recently have I checked real-world mpg and was rather disappointed to see I'm only getting 41mpg (6.9l/100) as against others' claims of better mpg. I never believe the computer (which is telling me right now that I average 46mpg) but thought I was getting about 45mpg real-world before I had winter tyres fitted (16in replacing my 17in). Guess the tyres make a difference, as well as the heating, but can't see how anybody can get 60mpg if unless it's for a very short drive. More sadly for my carbon footprint, a car that is supposed to do 102g CO2 per km is pumping out 161g; but hell, I'm not blaming Lexus - I'm sure their figures correspond fully with the EU EUDC but everybody knows that a load of baloney.

Whilst I have no idea of what CO2 my car is pumping out (disappointing if it is that high)... if I drove in eco mode at about 75 on the motorway I would probably get around 41mpg too. However motorway driving is not the strong point of the car from an economy point of view. I always drive in normal mode on the motorway and stay between 70-80... now the trick is not to have a light foot and accelerate up to speed quick and then back off completely and catch up your speed. this will give you a better Battery assist. Without hypermiling I can easily get 48-52 mpg real world economy (brimming method) on a 50+ mile run between Staffordshire and Warrington on the M6. Hypermiling in good warm weather was getting me high 50's and early 60's when I first had the car last September. Where the care does great is on flat round town runs where I have managed 15mile trips in the 80's. The strange thing about your figures is that the 16" rims should perform better than the 17's.

Platypus · January 18, 2014

Many thanks David! It's not the first time I read about the technique on this forum, but was a bit sceptical about it; I'll try it out next week and see what it gives. I think the winter tyres also make a difference because they give more grip but I'll be damn happy to get 48mpg. So the trick is to stay out of Eco and basically floor it to 75mph - think I could manage that! You can easily calculate your CO2, by the way: 1 liter of petrol creates about 2.31kg of the stuff (diesel is about 2.65kg but also has a greater calorific value).

Silver Arrow · January 19, 2014

Hybrids are really not for long distance/motorway driving....the benefit of a Hybrid comes when you use the batteries. Seeing that at best the IS will do is about 31mph on batteries, for a mile or so, you have no real chance of getting good MPG at motorway speeds unless you lift off the pedal a lot...... The Govt figures are obtained in a lab type test - and they will do their best to get low CO2 - with expert drivers!!!

Platypus · January 19, 2014

Jonas, I wouldn't fully agree with you on this. Given that Lexus makes more hybrid cars than conventional ones, I think if they said people shouldn't be driving their cars on motorways they wouldn't be selling many of them. Luxury cars are made for motorway driving - if I were to drive in town all the time, I would go for something small that's maneuverable as well as fuel-efficient. The IS300h is supposed to compete with the German diesels, which epitomise motorway driving.

Silver Arrow · January 19, 2014

Platypus, and thats where the German cars are better (i.e. more economical), which is why more of them sell (see thread in IS250 section). Lexus will NEVER say that hybrids aren't as good on the motorway as diesels. A hybrid will typically be carrying the weight of the batteries and motors without them doing much unless you drive totally differently - i.e. lift at every opportunity, coast, gently apply throttle to try and get some thrust with the motor only etc etc. It would be come tedious, and you would have to drop speeds considerably to get that 60+ mpg on a motorway with a hybrid.

There is still a much bigger difference between what a diesel will get MPG wise in "the real world" on a motor way compared to a hybrid in relation to the govt test figures. The CO2 tests only help to sell cars against a company and BIK/Tax needs. The whole thing is a bit of a sham.

At motorway legal speeds my GS250 will easily achieve between 35 and 37mpg consistently. My old 525d BMW (6 Cyl 3.0l Auto) would easily get 45-47mpg, and a friends new shape 320d will hit 53-55mpg without trying.

rayaans · January 19, 2014

My RX450h is doing 24mpg at the moment. I think its to do with the Dunlop F rated tires as well as living in Yorkshire which is a really hilly area + the cold weather doesnt help. Max Ive ever got is 31.3mpg, bearing in mind I don't go much on motorways and have the car in normal mode most of the time with plenty of sport mode when im in the mood.