Gas Mileage On Your Rx400h

[RXREY]

I just filled up after having gone 450.1 miles and I used 16.6 gallons...which I know was pushing it...I logged in over sixty miles after the warning light came on. This is the best I've done on one tank since I bought my pretty 400h two years ago, it came out to be, (drum roll....)

27.1 MPG "Ta Da!"

That" the best I've ever gotten on one tank so far. I think that because I mostly drive short trips, I've never been really able to get this before. On this last tank, I was driving the freeway a couple times a week instead of once here in L.A. due to a job situation I helped with. I was pretty happy to get over 27MPG!

I can now see that if you drive more, and many people do much more than I do, that you can get better than my usual 25 or 26 MPGs. happy driving, Rey

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

I just filled up after having gone 450.1 miles and I used 16.6 gallons...which I know was pushing it...I logged in over sixty miles after the warning light came on. This is the best I've done on one tank since I bought my pretty 400h two years ago, it came out to be, (drum roll....)

27.1 MPG "Ta Da!"

snip

NICE !

. . . and congrats. You know it must be due to the low drag coefficiency, from removing your roof rack, right?

:P

On the questionair pole, I posted our life time (just over 25K miles ) average . . . 24.4mpg which combines some of my real high mileage per tankfull #'s against the main driver, 'she who must be obeyed' ... with her lead foot and all.

[RXREY]

OK, stop it about my silly "no roof rack" for Pete's sake...you are too funny! I'm thinking of removing the windshield spray nubs and I should get over 30 MPGs! OK, enough razzing me ...I was really happy to see the great mileage with driving for a little longer than the ten minute drives which is what I do. Even though I don't drive too far/long I will never regret getting the 400h over the 330 or even the 350, I've driven them and they simply do NOT feel as nice as my 400h and most especially on the freeway. Accelerating on the freeway is when you can really feel the difference.

So to recap:

the best tank I've ever had thus far...450.1 miles on 16.6 gallons...+27.1 ( I always do the math myself, this figure is not from the onboard computer)

I will never try to get that close to empty either..but now I know I have at least 60 "Safe" miles after the warning light goes off...but I will now contiunue to top off at or just before that happens. Happy trails, Rey from L.A.

[Gryphon]

I removed my roof rack last week. To date my fuel economy has pick up to around 88 mpg. But, then, I was coasting down Pikes Peak. LOL.

Sorry, Rey, couldn't resist.

Tom

[RXREY]

Tom, I'm telling you, take off the squirt nozzles on the hood and you'll be in the 90s like me! Have you ever seen squirt nozzles on race cars? See? That proves it. I'm also thinking of losing about four pounds, that should add a little MPGs. It turns out it really doesn't help if you just tuck your stomach in. Rey

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Tom, I'm telling you, take off the squirt nozzles on the hood and you'll be in the 90s like me! Have you ever seen squirt nozzles on race cars? See? That proves it. I'm also thinking of losing about four pounds, that should add a little MPGs. It turns out it really doesn't help if you just tuck your stomach in. Rey

On a half way serious note, I've often wondered what effect if any it would have if one were to replace those big side view mirrors with tiny little 'side view cameras'. The mirrors remind me of air dams, when I look at the car from head on. Ok, maybe I'm obsessing.

[Gryphon]

Rey, I have the squirt nozzles turned sideways to spray unsuspecting pedestrians, like I did in high school. Drives 'em crazy when it rains from a clear sky.

Someone....yer obsessing. Seriously, I think you would need an EPA testing facility with very controlled conditions to notice a change in MPG with different mirrors.

Nothing constructive to add but too much time on my hands, I am.....

Tom

[RXREY]

Lets just be happy,as we are, having such a nifty vehicle. Also, thanks for the levity, we don't always have to be so serious for Pete's sake. You are all pretty funny and it makes the site a little bit less stuffy, more like a community. happy driving, Rey

[JayTracey]

We just bought an RX400h last month. We live in the city and drive mainly to/from work. Our first tank had an average of about 18 MPG. I am very careful about trying to utilize the electric motor as much as possible. Still, I found that the 2 times I took the car on the highway, I got much better mileage.

When we asked our dealer about this, they said that it takes a couple thousand miles for the car to "understand how you drive", and that we should see better gas mileage then.

Has anyone ever heard of that before? Has anyone experienced this low of gas mileage? Did we get screwed? Any tips? Thought? Suggestions? Thanks!

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

If you bought new, you are likely still in your break in period. Don't even think about it until you have one or two thousand miles under your belt.

Used? Hint: Release your parking break :P

[katzjamr]

also there is a cold weather penalty that costs 2 to 3 mpg. as soon as your chicago weather hits 60 or above your mileage will improve.

[richard4u]

hi i was getting 24-26 mpg since new but now that i racked up 2000 miles - it took me a whole year to do it

but the last time i went on a 50 mile trip - mixed city driving i got a whooping 36 mpg so i think the answer is

wait and see. i bet you will be suprised give it time to break in the moving parts- i dont think it can remember

your driving habits --

[LexRexBlue]

There is no question that the kind of driving, weather, etc. make a huge difference in mileage. When I have to cruise around the airport (because you can't stop and have to keep going slowly) I got 45 mpg!!! It was warm and I had the air conditioning on, too. They just switched back from the winter gas to the normal gas in NJ and my normal trips and style of driving went up 2mpg! The Bridgestone Alenzas chopped over a mpg off my results consistently and I've had them for months.

[NeoN]

We just bought an RX400h last month. We live in the city and drive mainly to/from work. Our first tank had an average of about 18 MPG. I am very careful about trying to utilize the electric motor as much as possible. Still, I found that the 2 times I took the car on the highway, I got much better mileage.

When we asked our dealer about this, they said that it takes a couple thousand miles for the car to "understand how you drive", and that we should see better gas mileage then.

Has anyone ever heard of that before? Has anyone experienced this low of gas mileage? Did we get screwed? Any tips? Thought? Suggestions? Thanks!

i had the same problem, i was averaging around 18-19 mpg with a bunch of cold starts, brand new car, mostly around town miles stop and go in COLD weather. now that its around 55-60 every day and my car has 2500 miles on it, im proud to report I average 25.2 miles per tank on average! I changed my morning commute so its mostly highway (20 mins) and my overall tank is 70% highway / 30% around town. I am very pleased to fill up with 13 gallons and get 330 miles! :) 87 octane helps too, only $3.37 filled up yesterday.. btw I have a 125 extra pounds of stuff in my car... my subwoofer/box combination including my amp and a secondary battery/ relay in the trunk. I also have that 50 pound grill guard on the front of my lexus, which probably owns my C/D ratio lol. I'm going to switch to Toyo Proxes 255/50/18, as soon as I save up some more money. Overall im extremely pleased, as my car is just as fast as a range rover sport supercharged (which gets 12 mpg), smooth on the highway for cruising and looks badass with my tinted tails and grill guard, subwoofer, etc. Love the smoothness of the CVT although i miss the shifting feeling when you JAM on the gas pedal and want to move. ... my writeup after 2500 miles, love this car, wouldn't cash it in for anything else given the chance.

[mindmachine]

In strictly highway driving when I fill up and get directly on the highway, I have done as well as 32.6 MPG. This is on state routes (50 to 60 MPH) not freeway in warm weather, 60 deg F or above. I average around 24 MPG in the city, so I guess that makes for a streight 50/50 average of 28.25 MPG. My RX is new though, less than 1300 miles and I suppose it will get better once I am over 2500 to 3000 miles or so.

[Robl45]

I drive my rx400h trying to get the best mileage, looking at the info screen to see when i'm on electric, trying to keep it on electric etc. I get like 22-24 mpg when I drive it. It is the wifes car and when she drives it, she gets 28mpg. She doesn't look at crap, she just drives how she wants to drive. I can't figure it out. The AC is always on since we live in south florida. She drives about 18 miles on the highway and 6 miles off highway each way to work. So the car can get decent MPG, but apparently babying it is not the way to do it.

[ilovelexus2007]

I drive my rx400h trying to get the best mileage, looking at the info screen to see when i'm on electric, trying to keep it on electric etc. I get like 22-24 mpg when I drive it. It is the wifes car and when she drives it, she gets 28mpg. She doesn't look at crap, she just drives how she wants to drive. I can't figure it out. The AC is always on since we live in south florida. She drives about 18 miles on the highway and 6 miles off highway each way to work. So the car can get decent MPG, but apparently babying it is not the way to do it.

I drive 33 miles each way to way (25 hwy, 8 city), I get about 26.8 MPG on average, the most I had was 29MPG and got as low as 22MPG in winter. Obviously, longer commutes increase your MPG significantly than shorter trips, I found you get the best MPG when you drive 45-55MPH non stop (like most gasoline vehicles as well), otherwise when you drive 20-25MPH, the gas engine will use the least (this is when the hybrid has the advantage).

[hoy]

I usually get around 28-29 MPG on average, sometimes it even hits 30+ MPG (AC off)..but only if i haven't touched the highway in a while..That gliding technique REALLY helps! Before learning that technique from one of the other forums, i used to get around 24-25 MPG on average...just amazing

[ilovelexus2007]

I usually get around 28-29 MPG on average, sometimes it even hits 30+ MPG (AC off)..but only if i haven't touched the highway in a while..That gliding technique REALLY helps! Before learning that technique from one of the other forums, i used to get around 24-25 MPG on average...just amazing

Hoy, that was amazing that you got 28-29 MPG on average. Is that the computer MPG or your actual calculation? What was your MPH when you got 29 MPG? I use the gliding technique too, but I hate it when stupid drivers cut in front of me as if I don't know how to drive (just because I'm smart and driving slow to save gas rather than hitting the gas and brake continuously like those impatient people).

[vinovelo]

I usually get around 28-29 MPG on average, sometimes it even hits 30+ MPG (AC off)..but only if i haven't touched the highway in a while..That gliding technique REALLY helps! Before learning that technique from one of the other forums, i used to get around 24-25 MPG on average...just amazing

Hoy, that was amazing that you got 28-29 MPG on average. Is that the computer MPG or your actual calculation? What was your MPH when you got 29 MPG? I use the gliding technique too, but I hate it when stupid drivers cut in front of me as if I don't know how to drive (just because I'm smart and driving slow to save gas rather than hitting the gas and brake continuously like those impatient people).

I too practice gliding to get into battery mode and have been successful at 35 MPH (sometimes 40). But, I am always

mindful of traffic around me. If traffic flow is faster and you are driving 10-15 mph below the speed limit just to get

better gas mileage that can be extremely annoying to other drivers. Plus, their conventional vehicle may be forced

out of overdrive and top gear meaning you can be causing them to be getting lower mileage.