Rx 450H Mpg

[NEILJ]

I currently own an RX 300 and get around 24 to 25 mpg in summer months and about 22 in winter.

I have been interested in trading up to a 450H hybrid and the official figures quoted are 43.5, 44.8 and 47.1 mpg.

However I have now looked at many owners write ups saying that their average is between 25 and 28 mpg.

This is on not just one website but many. So I would like to ask if any owners would like to comment about their 450h

as it would not be worth looking at one at this mpg I would rather have a V8 something or other. Further I would like to comment, how can lexus

legally get away with stating this given so many are getting no where near the official figures. I would be livid if some salesman stated that the official figures are genuine only to find when I had made my purchase I was getting 25 to 30 mpg, this is blatant lying and cheating surely.

So before I forget the idea of looking any further into a 450h purchase would anyone like to comment or sway me in some way.

Neilj

[RXJasonRX]

Hello. I think a lot of it is down to how heavy your right foot is. I have an RX 400h and I mostly get 35mpg round town and 38 mpg on the motorway. 450 figures are probably near on accurate of you are not too heavy footed.

[ColinBarber]

I think you would struggle to get 40+ mpg from a 450h but mid to high 30s is achievable.

Which RX 300 do you have, series I or II, and what sort of journeys are you doing to achieve 25 mpg?

[katabrontes]

A friend of mine has a 450 and gets about 34mpg. He also has a Morgan so I guess he isn't too light footed!

[NEILJ]

Thanks for your prompt replies much appreciated.

I have a 2004 RX which I have come to realise was way ahead of its time with all the extras that came with the car. I get 24 to 25 mpg on my work run in summer months and on a trip down the motorway of about 100 miles round trip achieved 32 mpg having tanked it on the way to the wedding after a hold up so as not to be late. The RX is what has started me down the lexus route and I now also own an SC430 after having Jaguar for many years. They are amazing cars in many ways although the styling of both the RX and the SC are a bit of an acquired taste but if you can overlook that then you are onto a winner. The RX450h is a much nicer style and that is why I am considering one as my next purchase. My driving style is fairly steady these days rather like driving miss daisy so if I could expect mid to high thirty's then it would make sense financially too.

Thanks again for your responses.

Regards

Neilj

[ColinBarber]

Once you get use to driving, and getting the best out of, a hybrid then I would expect 35+ mpg except for high speed motorway where it would be nearer 30 mpg.

[rayaans]

I got 60mpg going downhill for 2 hours in traffic LOL.

My average at the moment is 31mpg but Ive hit 42mpg regularly in the city. I live in Yorkshire so lots of hills meaning the engine is used alot to go up the hills. I have never driven in ECO mode and im mostly in normal mode with bursts of Sport mode when im in the mood. The mpg goes up in the summer months too because the engine gets warm quicker.

Something to be aware of is that the RX comes fitted with Dunlop SP Sport 270 tyres which are rated very poorly for fuel economy and have a lot of rolling resistance which affects MPG.

Also, when officially testing the car, they put tape around the seams to reduce drag and pump up the tyres to 40psi which helps considerably in fuel economy.

In all honesty, this is the only car I have had which has managed to get within 3mpg of the combined estimate. I have a Merc C220 diesel rated at 41mpg but it managed about 33mpg. I also had a 2004 RX300 which is rated at 23mpg but I only ever got a maximum of 18mpg out of it.

[nelmo]

If I had a pound for every time I've heard that complaint about manufacturers economy figures...

Manufacturers figures are done on a rolling road, so there is no air resistance, which is why the figures are always so much higher than real world.

It may seem like a cheating way of quoting figures but, if you think about it, it's very good as it is the only way to compare cars. As long as they are all done on a rolling road, with set speeds, then if car A gets 25mpg and car B gets 45mpg, you can be sure that car B is more economical than car A. OK, you won't get the figures they say but at least you can get an idea.

Economy is dependent on so many factors, it's rarely any point asking what other people get. If you were getting 25mpg in the 300, you'll probably get between 7-15 mpg more in the hybrid IMO.

[Silver Arrow]

When they do the government tests they do them on a rolling road....

[Boxbrownie]

I really wish people would get over the idea that the manufacturers cheat to get higher economy figures, they just all follow the rules laid down by legislation.

Temperatures, tyre pressures, fuel type etc all have to be within stated tolerance there is NO wriggle room.

I know for a fact that a certain excecutive director of powertrain engineering in one of the largest manufacturers of vehicles in Europe has actively been lobbying for a more realistic test procedure for a long time, it does manufacturers no favours at all when the poor customer reads 67 mpg in the showroom and then proceeds to struggle to get 50 mpg on the road, more and more manufacturers clearly state that the figures in the test will not reflect real world results.

[ColinBarber]

Manufacturers figures are done on a rolling road, so there is no air resistance, which is why the figures are always so much higher than real world.

Manufacturers do a coast down test and the resulting drag coefficient is used by the rolling road to simulate air resistance. If there wasn't air resistance within the test there would be no point in testing at higher speeds. It also explains why an LS430 has worse urban fuel consumption compared to a GS430 (due to extra weight) as expected but actually has better extra urban fuel consumption (due to aerodynamics) given that it has the same engine and transmission, or why a Prius has better fuel consumption compared to a CT.

[Parrot of Doom]

Bear in mind that US forums, of which there are many, will be quoting mpg based on US measures, not UK measures.

[Boxbrownie]

Manufacturers figures are done on a rolling road, so there is no air resistance, which is why the figures are always so much higher than real world.

Manufacturers do a coast down test and the resulting drag coefficient is used by the rolling road to simulate air resistance. If there wasn't air resistance within the test there would be no point in testing at higher speeds. It also explains why an LS430 has worse urban fuel consumption compared to a GS430 (due to extra weight) as expected but actually has better extra urban fuel consumption (due to aerodynamics) given that it has the same engine and transmission, or why a Prius has better fuel consumption compared to a CT.

Drag coefficient is calculated in a wind tunnel.............at least the manufacturers I know about........Ford, Volvo, JLR, AM.

There is no cheating using taped up body shut lines and grills, there cannot be or if found out manufacturers would be unable to sell vehicles in those markets, it is just not worth the agro.

[rhosneigr]

The best mpg figure I've achieved is 34 and that was a motorway run of 40miles and not exceeding 60 mph. The average is showing 29.5 at present with 30.4 from last fill up which was 50 miles ago and all town driving. Imo it would be very boring driving to achieve anything better than 34 mpg.

[ColinBarber]

The best mpg figure I've achieved is 34 and that was a motorway run of 40miles and not exceeding 60 mph. The average is showing 29.5 at present with 30.4 from last fill up which was 50 miles ago and all town driving. Imo it would be very boring driving to achieve anything better than 34 mpg.

that really is no better than the RX400h then.

[rhosneigr]

I had a 400h before this one and you are right that for me anyway it is no better on fuel consumption though I find everything else better.

[Rillo]

Berkshire to Cornwall, back and then to Durham, Edinburgh and back to Berkshire. 32.9 mpg. Me and luggage in car.

After refueling and doing 50 on the many miles of empty roadworks on M1 I saw about 44 mpg.

[stevet]

Just done 2300 miles in my 400 and averaged 32 overall but for the two 10 hour stints driving through France only averaged 28 with the cruise set at 90mph. Was quite happy when the gite owner said he only got 17 mpg from his brand new Discovery set at 90!

[fulmar]

My Lexus RX450h is now 15 months old. The average petrol consumption has been 37.9 mpg, calculated from the total amount of petrol I have put in and the total mileage.

In Summer months I get about 10% more mpg and in Winter some 10% less.

My last Lexus was a GS 300 and I only got 27 mpg from that, so I am very happy with the improvement given by the Hybrid.

[Boxbrownie]

Just done 2300 miles in my 400 and averaged 32 overall but for the two 10 hour stints driving through France only averaged 28 with the cruise set at 90mph. Was quite happy when the gite owner said he only got 17 mpg from his brand new Discovery set at 90!

Blimey 17mpg, then again it has the aerodynamics of a barn!

We cruised down to southern spain in my neighbours new Freelander HSE Auto SD4 last year, thats four up, roof box (big) and trunk loaded with his disability trolley and gear (not light weight) and I cruised at 85 on the autoroutes and the FL managed around 32mpg, which I was a bit dissapointed about but in hindsight its not so bad.

We recently took the old "lifeboat" our RX300 for a tour of Cornwall and overall we managed 27mpg which I thought was bloomin' good considering.

I would hope a new 450H would give at least 25% better in the same circumstances if not more.

[Dewey]

Just done 2300 miles in my 400 and averaged 32 overall but for the two 10 hour stints driving through France only averaged 28 with the cruise set at 90mph. Was quite happy when the gite owner said he only got 17 mpg from his brand new Discovery set at 90!

I came back from a family Holiday, East Riding to France and back via the Euro tunnel, 2250 miles, avg mpg 29.8. Stuck to a GPS measured 81mph on cruise control on all motorways. Met friends who arrived from Portsmouth in their Volvo XC90, he was avg 32mpg, but I'm sure mine is better around town ie most of my driving.

The RX behaved impeccably, incredibly refined and comfortable, felt safe during torrential storms (worst weather I've ever driven in on Sunday). Awesome car :) Wish it had a bit more boot space, my mates XC90 has much more, though it doesn't seem much longer.

[LexIS200Sport]

I've always viewed the larger Lexus hybrids as performance vehicles as opposed to fuel-misers. The GS450h and the GS300 for example are not far off in real-world fuel consumption, but the 450h is considerably quicker. I'm pretty sure it's the same story with the LS460 and LS600h.

[Boxbrownie]

I've always viewed the larger hybrid Lexuses as performance vehicles as opposed to fuel-misers. The GS450h and the GS300 for example are not far off in real-world fuel consumption, but the 450h is considerably quicker. I'm pretty sure it's the same story with the LS460 and LS600h.

I think this is very true and a point often completely overlooked, to get the kind of performance that the 450H gives from a pure petrol engined vehicle would take the fuel consumption down into the mid 20's at least, I have never believed people could look at a very large 4x4 3-3.5L V6 engine and think economy, if they do they are kidding themselves and should be looking further down the line at the likes of a Prius! They obviously buy the RX for its performance and running cost blend, not just to save fuel :)

We have just replaced our ML with an Audi A6 Hybrid, it goes very nicely indeed thank you, quite brisk 0-60 of about 7.2 seconds (0-62 7.5) and with torque of 200ft/lb at 0 revs (just from the EV motor) its pick up from stationary is fun to say the least, Audi actually promoted it not as an economy model but a car giving the performance of a large V6 petrol engined car with the running costs of a smaller 4 cyclinder engined car, and they are correct. Its feels like its got a 3-4 Litre engine but I am getting around 37mpg average which would be about right for a 2 litre petrol in a big car.

I'll never forget the first time I drove a 400H.........wooohooo......its quick, pardon? What fuel consumption? Oh that!

[fulmar]

I've always viewed the larger hybrid Lexuses as performance vehicles as opposed to fuel-misers

For me, there were a number of reasons for choosing RX450h. It had to have that great feeling of power when you hit the accelerator. But that alone was not enough for me -- after all there are many cars that give you that. I wanted a comfortable and quality car with a total design that looks good every time I see it and am in it. I wanted a high seating position to make it easy to get in and out, and to have a good view ahead. I wanted a parking assist that really helped me put the car easily into a parking slot. And I wanted to try the Hybrid technology because it was a speciality of Lexus.

Having said all that, if the fuel consumption had been disappointing I would have felt I had been sold a pup. In the event I have got a very satisfactory improvement over my previous 6-cylinder, non-hybrid Lexus and so am well satisfied.

[LexIS200Sport]

Mike, off-topic but I'm loving that colour on your RX! I was actually looking for a GS in that colour but they're so rare.