Mpg For Rx330

[Crystal2]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330? My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank).

Does the mileage improve after break-in? Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)? What other ways to improve mpg?

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible). This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class. Any comments? Thanks.

[Unlisted]

i get 22 highway 16/18 around town. i dont know how your tracking but on the distance to empty meter only tracks about 16gallons the other 3 {reserve tank} are being used after it reads 0

[Crystal2]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330?  My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank). 

Does the mileage improve after break-in?  Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)?  What other ways to improve mpg? 

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible).  This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class.  Any comments?  Thanks.

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Unlisted, Thanks for your reply. I did not realize there are 3 more gallons after the 0 meter reading. This would bring my mileage up to approx. 12.5 mpg for in town driving. Still not that great; however, the RX was getting better mileage for our first highway driving last night. Hopefully, it will improve from this initial poor mileage. (My husband might also have inadvertently lowered the mpg by driving short distances in town with the 4th gear instead of driving in the "D" position. I also made the initial mistake briefly until I read about this in a forum).

[Unlisted]

good luck,also do not use the cruise control for the 1st 2500 miles. It allows the computer to learn your driving habit. Secondly use 91 octane . Much better performance and the gas mileage will make up for some of the difference in price. Take it out on the highway for a bit to even out the local driving you did in 4th. Where in Long Island did you buy?

[cruznroadking]

My gas mileage is similiar to unlisted. The mileage got better after 5,000 miles.

I have 10,000 on it now. 16/18 city 19-19.5 combined & highest on the freeway was 23 mpg driving under 70 mph. It seems to get worst mileage over 70.

[RX400h]

A coworker who has been leasing her RX330 for more than one year now is averaging 16 MPG in mixed city/high traffic/highway driving. Of course, living and driving in a big city involves plenty of stop & go driving, making a hybrid vehicle a particularly good choice. She intends to upgrade to the 400h when her lease has expired.

[Crystal2]

My gas mileage is similiar to unlisted.  The mileage got better after 5,000 miles.

I have 10,000 on it now. 16/18 city  19-19.5 combined & highest on the freeway was 23 mpg driving under 70 mph.  It seems to get worst mileage over 70.

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Thanks to all for your responses. RX400, I guess I am "regretting" not getting the hybrid tho the upfront $9000 difference in price was a disincentive, plus unknowns about how the parts will hold up over time. However, I do have feelings of envy reading about those who are averaging 27mpg with the RX400H. Oh, well. I do love the luxury feel of this SUV (better than the Audi Quattro A6 my husband has been driving).

Unlisted, I purchased my RX TC from a CA. dealership on April 16; had it transported from CA to Long Island. Unfortunately, the worse part of the deal was the salesperson tried to renege on an agreement for me to do my own license/ registration (to save me half the amount in these fees). They held up the process for over a month (by withholding the title), so I did not actually get to drive my RX until 5/24/05. Thought I had a good a salesperson, but the ending left a very sour taste.

Also, I will file a complaint and cannot expect much help from the CA dealership given the bad ending and the distance, so these forums are especially helpful to me as a new RX owner. Thanks again! : :D

[wwest]

good luck,also do not use the cruise control for the 1st 2500 miles. It allows the computer to learn your driving habit. Secondly use 91 octane . Much better performance and the gas mileage will make up for some of the difference in price. Take it out on the highway for a bit to even out the local driving you did in 4th. Where in Long Island did you buy?

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None of the ECUs remember more than ~3 minutes of "driving style" history and even that history is erased each time the vehicle is restarted. Otherwise the next driver, after the LOLITS, might be really surprised at how poorly the vehicle reacts.

[Unlisted]

if you paid the car in full then you are able to handle the DMV on your own. If you financed {through any lender yours or their} they are required to collect the tax and handle the dmv to ensure the lien is correctly placed on title. How much cheaper was it in CA?

[Booyah]

i get 22 highway 16/18 around town. i dont know how your tracking but on the distance to empty meter  only tracks about 16gallons the other 3 {reserve tank} are being used after it reads 0

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Where does it say that after the trip gets to Zero you have Approx 3 gallons left?? That would be nice

[Crystal2]

good luck,also do not use the cruise control for the 1st 2500 miles. It allows the computer to learn your driving habit. Secondly use 91 octane . Much better performance and the gas mileage will make up for some of the difference in price. Take it out on the highway for a bit to even out the local driving you did in 4th. Where in Long Island did you buy?

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None of the ECUs remember more than ~3 minutes of "driving style" history and even that history is erased each time the vehicle is restarted. Otherwise the next driver, after the LOLITS, might be really surprised at how poorly the vehicle reacts.

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Unlisted, I paid $41,800 (included $400 for transport from CA to NY) for a 2005 AWD TC, Towing Prep, Heated Front Seats, Adaptive Headlights, Automatic Wipers, Headlamp Washers, MSRP $46,363. I had to pay $45 for doc fee, TTL (8.75% NY), in addition to the above mentioned price.

Still trying to determine if the low miles make this SUV less of a buy than the RX400H, esp. with Sales Tax credit in NY.

[OKEH1]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330?  My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank). 

Does the mileage improve after break-in?  Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)?  What other ways to improve mpg? 

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible).  This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class.  Any comments?  Thanks.

←

I have just passed the 30000 miles on my 2004 RX330 and I am very happy with fuel economy.

My daily running includes probably 50/50 of town and freeway, so this gives a good average, which equates to 25mpg on a regular basis, if I do mainly town running, this drops to around 21-22, but pure freeway at cruise of 65mph gives me a nice 28 mpg.I would like to add thought this has been achieved through experimenting with octane of gas, and now I find the premium to be the best for mpg, so in the end it works out cheaper.

One hint , these cars like to be driven smoothly , without a lead foot, so try to accelerate without a racing start, again I found adopting to the characteristics of the vehicle will give the most satisfaction as the car is slightly underpowered for its weight or could be that the emmision components drain a lot of the power.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully your experience will improve, my good mpg make up for all the negative problems I have had with my RX, but that was my fault for buying one of the first to be produced. B)

[Crystal2]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330?  My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank). 

Does the mileage improve after break-in?  Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)?  What other ways to improve mpg? 

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible).  This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class.  Any comments?  Thanks.

←

I have just passed the 30000 miles on my 2004 RX330 and I am very happy with fuel economy.

My daily running includes probably 50/50 of town and freeway, so this gives a good average, which equates to 25mpg on a regular basis, if I do mainly town running, this drops to around 21-22, but pure freeway at cruise of 65mph gives me a nice 28 mpg.I would like to add thought this has been achieved through experimenting with octane of gas, and now I find the premium to be the best for mpg, so in the end it works out cheaper.

One hint , these cars like to be driven smoothly , without a lead foot, so try to accelerate without a racing start, again I found adopting to the characteristics of the vehicle will give the most satisfaction as the car is slightly underpowered for its weight or could be that the emmision components drain a lot of the power.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully your experience will improve, my good mpg make up for all the negative problems I have had with my RX, but that was my fault for buying one of the first to be produced. B)

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OKEH1, Wow! You have reported 1 of the best mpg averages (25 mpg combined city/ highway driving) I have read about. The others seem to average 18 -20 mpg combined city/hwy driving.

It is very encouraging to read this. I will be happy to get 22-23 mpg average. I was reading up on the octane gas issue and I have concluded that I should use premium (between regular and super premium) to get the best performance and mpg.

Congrats! You are in the neighborhood of some of those driving the RX400H.

[Booyah]

i get 22 highway 16/18 around town. i dont know how your tracking but on the distance to empty meter  only tracks about 16gallons the other 3 {reserve tank} are being used after it reads 0

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HEY---Where do you get this Info of 3 gallons left when the trip hits ZERO.

[RX400h]

I have just passed the 30000 miles on my 2004 RX330 and I am very happy with fuel economy.

My daily running includes probably 50/50 of town and freeway, so this gives a good average, which equates to 25mpg  on a regular basis, if I do mainly town running, this drops to around 21-22, but pure freeway at cruise of 65mph gives me a nice 28 mpg.I would like to add thought this has been achieved through experimenting with octane of gas, and now I find the premium to be the best for mpg, so in the end it works out cheaper.

One hint , these  cars like to be driven smoothly , without a lead foot, so try to accelerate without a racing start, again I found adopting to the characteristics of the vehicle will give the most satisfaction as the car is slightly underpowered for its weight or could be that the emmision components drain a lot of the power.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully your experience will improve, my good mpg make up for all the negative problems I have had with my RX, but that was my fault for buying one of the first to be produced.  B)

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This person should be in the Guiness Book of World Records! A non-diesel, 4200-lb vehicle with automatic transmission averaging 25 defies the laws of thermodynamics, to say the least. After all, a 4-cylinder Toyota Camry, if driven gently may achieve 24 MPG and these cars weigh far less.

Even Consumer Reports auto test drivers, who are well known as being very conservative drivers, average only 17 or 18 MPG. I'm guessing someone at the factory slipped in a Highlander 4-cylinder engine in your vehicle!

[RX in NC]

If indeed it does have a 4-cylinder under the hood, then it also better come equipped with some bicycle pedals and a chain drive to the rear wheels so he can get up the hills. The RX300/330 is underpowered to start with, but if you were to throw in a 4-banger instead of a 6, even skateboarders would pass you....

[Booyah]

330RX underpowered? Step on the gas:)

It feels decent to me

[OKEH1]

I have just passed the 30000 miles on my 2004 RX330 and I am very happy with fuel economy.

My daily running includes probably 50/50 of town and freeway, so this gives a good average, which equates to 25mpg  on a regular basis, if I do mainly town running, this drops to around 21-22, but pure freeway at cruise of 65mph gives me a nice 28 mpg.I would like to add thought this has been achieved through experimenting with octane of gas, and now I find the premium to be the best for mpg, so in the end it works out cheaper.

One hint , these  cars like to be driven smoothly , without a lead foot, so try to accelerate without a racing start, again I found adopting to the characteristics of the vehicle will give the most satisfaction as the car is slightly underpowered for its weight or could be that the emmision components drain a lot of the power.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully your experience will improve, my good mpg make up for all the negative problems I have had with my RX, but that was my fault for buying one of the first to be produced.  B)

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This person should be in the Guiness Book of World Records! A non-diesel, 4200-lb vehicle with automatic transmission averaging 25 defies the laws of thermodynamics, to say the least. After all, a 4-cylinder Toyota Camry, if driven gently may achieve 24 MPG and these cars weigh far less.

Even Consumer Reports auto test drivers, who are well known as being very conservative drivers, average only 17 or 18 MPG. I'm guessing someone at the factory slipped in a Highlander 4-cylinder engine in your vehicle!

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My Rx consistently returns around 22mpg with 50/50 freeway, since I started using premium and removing the roof bars (never used them and they added noise) .

I repsect the car for what it is and not a sporty coupe, so have learnt to drive smooth and non aggressive.

The car improved steadily from around 25000 to its present mpg, the only time I see drops is when I am in a traffic jam then it will drop to around 18, but I no my area and where the backups generally are.

I did consider the 400H, but cant see any benefit for a few extra mpg if any, as I see it , the 400 is heavier initially and even with the extra power and some electric assistance , both the 330 and 400 should return about the same mpg on a freeway run as both are using just gas, maybe round the town the 400 comes out better but only because it factors in the non gas motoring which from waht I have read is not too much.

For the fun side of life , I drive a new Acura TL , which to me is a better quality car than the Lexus and will probably hold its value much better with SUV 's on the decline.

To conclude its horses for courses , the RX330/400 are still SUV's and not sports coupes so even if they have power they are not safe when it comes to manouverability, the Acura hugs the road impressivly and never feels unsafe on bends or quick manouvers.

[OKEH1]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330?  My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank). 

Does the mileage improve after break-in?  Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)?  What other ways to improve mpg? 

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible).  This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class.  Any comments?  Thanks.

←

I have just passed the 30000 miles on my 2004 RX330 and I am very happy with fuel economy.

My daily running includes probably 50/50 of town and freeway, so this gives a good average, which equates to 25mpg on a regular basis, if I do mainly town running, this drops to around 21-22, but pure freeway at cruise of 65mph gives me a nice 28 mpg.I would like to add thought this has been achieved through experimenting with octane of gas, and now I find the premium to be the best for mpg, so in the end it works out cheaper.

One hint , these cars like to be driven smoothly , without a lead foot, so try to accelerate without a racing start, again I found adopting to the characteristics of the vehicle will give the most satisfaction as the car is slightly underpowered for its weight or could be that the emmision components drain a lot of the power.

Anyway, good luck, hopefully your experience will improve, my good mpg make up for all the negative problems I have had with my RX, but that was my fault for buying one of the first to be produced. B)

←

OKEH1, Wow! You have reported 1 of the best mpg averages (25 mpg combined city/ highway driving) I have read about. The others seem to average 18 -20 mpg combined city/hwy driving.

It is very encouraging to read this. I will be happy to get 22-23 mpg average. I was reading up on the octane gas issue and I have concluded that I should use premium (between regular and super premium) to get the best performance and mpg.

Congrats! You are in the neighborhood of some of those driving the RX400H.

←

Here are a couple of hints that may improve your mpg a little, if you dont use the roof rack on a regular basis, thake off the two cross rails (takes around 10 minutues) or have the dealer do it, this helps with wind noise too. Also keep the tires at around 32 psi (Michelins are the better tires) . I know some people are sceptical about my mpg but even the dealer commented that the average I am getting is better than they see on the fleet cars, my guess it comes down to driving style and learning the way the car performs and its limitations, I bought mine for its comfort, space and safety , its just not a sports coupe and never will be.

As the car gets run in more , the engine will loosen up and return more economy. :)

[stonecutter]

I find that the city/freeway mix is a big factor in the mpg you get, at least based on the console reading of the "ave mpg". The RX330 seems to rely greatly on coasting to achieve its above average mpg, as others have noted. I wouldn't be surprised to see near 30 mpg on all freeway driving, but all city I expect 16-17 mpg.

[RX400h]

I did consider the 400H, but cant see any benefit for a few extra mpg if any, as I see it , the 400 is heavier initially and even with the extra power and some electric assistance , both the 330 and 400 should return about the same mpg on a freeway run as both are using just gas, maybe round the town the 400 comes out better but only because it factors in the non gas motoring which from waht I have read is not too much.

The electric motors assist the engine on a regular basis, so less "gas pedal" is needed at almost all times. This is where the increased economy comes in, not primarily from the vehicle being self-powered by the electric motors alone. Check the EPA ratings of both vehicles and you'll see that the city rating for the 400h is significantly higher. What this tells you is that if you can beat the EPA numbers by treating the quest for greater economy in the 330 as a scientific experiment, the same general improvements may be accomplished by "adjusting" driving habits in the RX400h.

The other gas-saver while driving the 400h is when negitiating heavy stop&go traffic. The 400h fuel milage skyrockets under these conditions, whereas the RX330's plummets. This is why I recommend the 400h or Highlander hybrid to anyone living in a big city. Another thing that simply can't be compared is the power difference. Having a tall vehicle does NOT necessarily mean that effortless power can not be appreciated. Driving the RX400h is not unlike driving a 400HP BMW M5 in that acceleration is effortless - kinda like working out in a gym consistently: You may not use your added strength every day, but boy, when you do need to, it really feels good to know it's there!

[BluAquarius]

I guess I am "regretting" not getting the hybrid tho the upfront $9000 difference in price was a disincentive,

I BELIEVE THAT HYBRID VEHICLES PURCHASED IN TAX YEAR 2005 ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A $2000 TAX WRITE OFF. IN 2006 I BELIEVE IT DROPS TO $500. CHECK WITH YOUR CPA.

YOU MIGHT STILL BE ABLE TO TRADE IT FOR A PRIUS...

[claud]

When we had 1200 miles on our 2wd 05 RX, we took a trip to our beach cottage. It was April, it was cool in the low 60s high 50s, and the interstate (I-40) is somewhat flat. At 75mph cruise control, we got a 25mpg average. This was with no city driving.

Now that it is hot, and we have 4500 miles on it, we get 23 mpg at an indicated 78mph cruise controled speed. There is more traffic now.

We use 89 plus gas in ours.

I think cooler weather makes for better gas milage.

[RX in NC]

Yes, all gasoline engines are more efficient in cool/cold weather.

[jimP]

Can others here in forum let me know what miles you are getting for your RX330?  My first 1/4 tank of gas is averaging approx. 10 mpg for in-town driving (1/4 tank with 50 miles driven, 19 gallons total per tank). 

Does the mileage improve after break-in?  Does this have anything to do with the oil (get slightly better once get synthetic oil change)?  What other ways to improve mpg? 

I am a careful driver (coasting of car, gradual braking, when possible).  This is of concern to me because I thought The RX330 was fairly decent with mpg compared with other SUVs of its class.  Any comments?  Thanks.

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