I just got home from this 1800 mile trip from New York City to South Carolina and I recorded some interesting facts. The car has approximately 12k miles and was carrying, 1 driver, 1 passenger, plus luggage.
Tires - Factory Equipped Bridgestone Tires inflated to 31psi.
Fuel - 87 octane from various manufacturers.
Climate Control - 90% off.
Fuel Economy -
1st. tankful from NYC, mostly highway driving(65 to 75mph), averaged 29.8mpg.
2nd. tankful, both city & highway, averaged 27.2mpg.
3rd. tankful, mostly highway(70 to 75 mph), averaged 30.6mpg.
I was being as accurate as possible determining the mpg figures, and I was very pleased. I figured that if I didn't drive as fast on the road, I could have increased the mpg's at least 2 mpg more.
On a previous trip from New York City to Minneapolis, MN., I used 91 octane fuel throughout, and the best mpg figures I got was 29.5mpg, but in this case the Climate Control was on about 40% of the time.
I determined that using the Climate Control cut my economy by about 1 to 2 mpg.
All in all, the car performed flawlessly in all respects, including the transmission shifting, and the tires were quiet and extremely smooth at all speeds.
The HID lights were terrific, both on the highway and also the back roads.
The radio sensitivity was adequate, but not great.....I might be looking to get a satellite radio hookup soon.
This '03 ES is fast becoming one of the best Lexus's I've owned....so far. :)