2011 vs 2016 Torque - WAY lower on newer car

Thomas Lee · April 22, 2023

I bought a 2011 CT-200h new, still drive it and love it, so much so that when m'Lady needed a new car last summer we got a 2016 through Carvana. But we noticed the pickup is WAY less on the newer car.

At our favorite non-dealer shop, I asked about this. The good man downloaded the specifics on each individual car, based on VIN number. They both have identical horsepower: SAE 135. But the torque on mine is 142; hers is 105!!! I called Lexus national 800, got put on hold for 10 minutes, and then the girl came back and said "discontinued - not supported - no info." So I called the local dealer, asked for the Service Manager, and while I don't trust these people as far as I could throw my car, he was very forthright with me. Buyers complained of not getting the advertised mileage, so they put in an electronic dongle to limit torque and improve mileage. I told him I get 41; she gets 43 - but highway entry is Scary!! Not worth 2 extra miles, but he said dealers cannot alter this.

Has anyone heard about this, dealt with this, found a workaround? We are in SW Ohio near Cincinnati; geography counts if you suggest a shop.
Thanks in advance, Tom

jt4ct200 · April 24, 2023

I get bad gas mileage in eco mode. The car is slow and u use more gas trying to get up to speed. I get about 47 mpg in normal or sport mode. 43 in eco. Sport mode feels like RWD and still uses the electric motor.

Lexus-CT · August 5, 2023

We all have bad milage if you compare to what ads promise. Live in mountain area and hav 6½ L / 100km. Comparing to what Lexus did claim when we bought the car 3.8L/100km it is pretty bad.

All companies tell us we can drive longer on a full tank than possible in real life. Not just Lexus.

ECO or normal mode is different. If you press pedals hard in ECO you use more gas than when doing it in normal mode.

Talking about miles and gallons is difficult to me as there are more than 3 different lenght of miles (I know Sweden, UK and US at least) and gallons are not same all over the world, maybe not even same all over US.