the-headless_horseman

From your initial post, I don't think you have given enough time & miles for the vehicle to be properly 'broken in'. :whistles: How many miles are currently on the RX? ← I have over 1700 miles on it now...performing better than it was...the original 22.9 mpg is now almost 25 mpg...trying to coast a little more but using power when need it...highway about 27 mpg, depending on speed and road conditions... Headless

I think we need to clarify something here.... Highway mileage is just that...cruising at say 55-75 mph... City mileage can be interpreted a few ways...if you drive in a major surburban/city area and are in stop and go traffic all the time, your electric motors are all you need...you'll get over 30 mpg...this is because you are not often times going over 20 mph... However, if you live in the suburbs and have to start and stop on 35/45/50 mph roads, then you are going to get about 23-25 mpg...reason is because the electric motor is not enough to give you power up to the speed you need...then, top it off with frequent stops at lights and having to start up again...this will adversely affect your mileage... So, if we can set that straight, we can see why the highway mileage is better unless we are talking about bumper to bumper traffic for long periods of time...'normal' suburb driving is not that efficient...unless you drive late at night and don't hit all the lights...can coast a lot! Headless

The same trip to work I was originally getting 22.9 mpg with I am now getting close to 25 mpg...reason? Change in driving style to allow for more coasting (when available) and I guess some engine breakin... I also figured out that the less battery you use when the car is off, the less the ICE wil run when you first start up...it seems that there is an automatic battery charging session when you first turn on the car...and this will NOT show up on your dash display of the engine/battery energy control...haven't checked the navi screen on this though... Headless

No, not backward. 24 mpg refers to 45 mph roads with frequent stops and needing to get back up to speed quickly so the person behind you doesn't ram into you! This leads to the worst mileage, no matter what car you drive...by the time you coast, you have to stop again... On the highway, at least you get to coast, especially with cruise on (definitely recommend cruise when on the highway)...this is where your mileage numbers go up...or, of course, when you're in bumper to bumper traffic and only the electric motor is working... Headless

Okay, everyone, here's an update... I now have about 1700 miles on my RX400h. I can honestly say that highway mileage will range between 26 and 28 depending on speed...figure about 28 mpg at 60 mph...more like 26 mpg at 75. In regards to normal, everyday use...I'm around 24 mpg...still disappointed with this and don't expect too much more. I do have to admit that my area is probably the worst area to drive for fuel efficiency...many roads here are 45 mph limits with lots of hills and lights on the hills...sometimes you have to accelerate to get over the hill...this is an efficiency nightmare! As far as performance, the car is great...very comfortable...I don' t have the ML audio (although I wanted it) but I can safely say the stereo is 'good enough.' Listening to Flamenco (by Jesse Cook) is rather clear...tweak the mid range a bit to help! The voice activation is incredible if you can get a printout of all the commands...anyone have one? There must be a few hundred commands....I only know a few...HELP with this one please! Everything else good to go...for all you newbies, get a cargo mat...I leave mine rubber side up to prevent sliding when taking turns at a speed faster than 10 mph... As far as eletric motor running at certain speeds, I have found that the more warmed up the car, the more efficient both the gas and electric motor(s)...still hard to get car to run only on electric if you want to accelerate with any respectability... Anyway...still probably another 2000 miles for total engine breakin...I'm figuring I'll end up with 25 mpg 'normal' use, as described above, and about 27 on the highway...if ever in bumper to bumper traffic, you can safely assume the 31 mpg with no problem! Headless

What you are saying sounds about right... I think some on this board are accelerating rather slowly...if you accelerate and the gas kicks in, as it should when you actually try to keep up with traffic, you're going to get normal mileage... Those that are saying 30, 40 mpg, etc...I don't see that in real world driving...maybe coasting on a deserted road, but in higher traffic areas, stop and go on roads around 45 mph will put a demand on the vehicle for the gas to kick on...your mileage will suffer...but you'll still get around 25 mpg... As far as highway, the electric will kick on to maintain speed...if you go up a hill, the gas will kick on...this is normal... Expect about 28 mpg at 60 mph, about 25 at 75-80 mph...this is still very good mileage...only on the stop and go heavy traffic on I-95 did I see numbers over 30 mpg... Headless

The engine only kicks on for a minute or two or three...it will take away about 1 mpg on your meter...then again, this depends on how far you've traveled...if you happen to be in bumper to bumper traffic and get a few 'breaks' along the way, once you get up a little speed, the coasting will help prolong the battery charge... Headless

I have found that warming up the vehicle is crucial...being the car does not idle, this would entail driving over 10 minutes at a time... My drive to work is about 10 minutes, so I end up with about 25 mpg now...however, on my 1000+ mile trip over the weekend, I could be coasting at 20 mph, hit the acceleration a bit and only electric would kick in... From a standstill, if you're going to get 'up to speed' at like 35 or 45, you're gonna pay for it...however, in stop and go traffic, the little accelerations to keep up with the car in front of you will be made with electric, and this is where your mileage will be very good! Just remember that even in stop and go, the battery will run down in 15 minutes, and the gas will kick on...no matter what you do...the battery has to keep a certain amount of charge... Headless

...60 mph, you'll get about 28.4 mpg ...65 mph you'll get around 27 mpg ...at 70 mph, you'll get in mid 25s ...at 75-80 mph, you'll get in upper 24s Actually, these figures for the RX400h are significantly worse than what a Camry 4 cylinder can do. A Camry 4 cylinder gets (based on almost a dozen I have rented and driven thousands of miles): ...60 mph, about 34 mpg ...65 mph about 32.5 mpg ...70 mph, about 31 mpg ...75-80 mph, about 29 mpg The Toyota Highlander is about the same size vehicle as the RX400h and is available with the Camry 4 cylinder engine and so probably gets the same or a little better gas mileage than the RX400h. A 4 cylinder Highlander can only accelerate 0-60 in 10.5 - 11.0 seconds, so the RX400h is alot more powerful. ← I don't think there's much comparison between a 4-cylinder highlander and the RX400h...in appeal, performance, and/or luxury... Sure, the highlander might do better on the highway, but it won't do better in heavy traffic.. Plus, the RX has amenities that the highlander doesn't have...I'd also have to worry coming off a short ramp onto the highway as the highlander doesn't accelerate quickly and it could get you in trouble... The hybrid Highlander will be a good choice...a lot more money than a standard highlander, but the best of both worlds...basically, a RX400h with less amenities...but the engine will be the same, and that's a good thing! Headless

Okay everyone... Here's what I got!!! I drove my RX400h over 1000 miles this weekend...from MD to SC and back... I averaged about 27.1 mpg going down as I hit traffic in DC and Northern VA...in traffic, the mileage was great as I was able to coast around on the electric...however, the gas motor did kick on when the electric battery was drained enough...this took about 1 mpg off the avg. before it shut off again...I was not using air or heavy battery drain accessories... When I filled up, my manual calculations showed 27.1...the computer said 27.2... While driving around in slower terrority with 35-50 mph limits, I averaged in low 25s...when you accelerate from stop and have to get up to speed more quickly, it does adversely affect your mileage... On the ride home, I was at 24.1 for the first 150 miles...don't know why...oh yeah, had air conditioning on...so, figure that takes a little over 1 mpg away... The rest of the trip I averaged a little over 27...got as high as 33.1 when in traffic again around Fredericksburg, VA...big accident apparently and lots of traffic... So, I am a converted man...I see the vehicle can do the mileage as stated and I just needed to use it a lot more... BTW...speeds...at 60 mph, you'll get about 28.4 mpg...65 mph you'll get around 27 mpg...at 70 mph, you'll get in mid 25s...at 75-80 mph, you'll get in upper 24s...I had over a 1000 miles to test this, so you can be sure the range is somewhere around this... Headless

My system read 24 mpg at my first fill-up...but it was really 23.4...perhaps I filled up more than dealer, but still numbers a little low... Right now I'm trying hard to get to 23...and keep it there...still shorter drives though... Perhaps with more time it'll get up and over 25...I don't expect this vehicle to ever get over 26 on 'normal' driving for me...time will tell, I guess... Headless

Buyer's remorse, eh???? I don't think so...just adjusting to numbers not (yet) meeting expectations... Other than this issue, I love the car...it is quick (carefully though) and has tons of cool features...I'm sure I'll get years and years of quality use out of it... I'm just bickering over the mileage numbers cause I really wanted to see those great numbers right off the bat... Today alone I discovered how to drive 'older'...didn't tailgate, coasted more, and tried to time accelerations...mileage went up .5 to 22.9...23.0...I'm trying guys/gals...honest... I do think for those of you getting near 30 with normal road and highway use that your vehicle is tuned differently!!!??? Headless

Although I doubt in one fillup you are going to go from 22 to 25 mpg, I do appreciate your certainty regarding better mileage over time...(probably your driving style contributed more to your improved numbers) The RX has a more advanced hybrid system as compared to the Prius, so I expect that it should get better with time as wel, if not even moreso (% wise)l...it's just tough to drive it off the lot and get such low mileage when the darn sticker says it'll do much better... If the trend with the Prius is a nice long breakin, then I have no problem with a breakin for the RX...as far as changing driving habits, I can do that, to a point...I still want to enjoy driving, and timing my coasting with every acceleration doesn't really cut it for me...however, a little compromise is in order, and I'm fine with that... If I could end up with over 25 mpg combined given some time, while actually enjoying driving, I'll be praising this car to everyone...however, if it stays in the low 20s, you can be sure I won't be a Lexus proponent...so far, I contain my sentiments to this and like boards... Headless

Yeah, I'm beginning to think I need to get this puppy on the highway and drive it a few hundred miles to realliy 'open it up.' The gas motor needs to loosen up a little and I am aware that short trips aren't the best gauge for mileage... I will take the car next weekend on the open road and test several speeds on cruise for efficiency....I'll then report the numbers here for all to see... I fully EXPECT to be breaking 26 mpg at the lower highway speeds...55/60 mph...I just hope I don't fall asleep as the car is quite comfortable! BTW, Patt, the link you sent me said that most cars do not get their best efficiency until 3-5k miles...that's quite a distance....and quite a way to improve mileage...I'd like to see improvements regardless of driving types during this time! Headless

First of all...does the RX qualify for the $2000 fed. tax credit? Anyone have an update on that? I remembered seeing $1000 for 2005, but if the $2000 has been extended, that's great...and the RX should count...it is a hybrid!! (regardless of price!) As far as questions about how many miles driven...400...I'm sitting around 22.7 mpg right now but I realize that my drive to and from work is only about 7 miles each way...not much time for the engine/batteries to warm up and get efficient...it's 35-45mph speeds, is hilly, and has lights...maybe not the best conditions for optimal mileage... However, I did drive on the highway about 50 miles and did not do 'too' well...at 75 mph, my mileage avg. dropped from 24.0 to under 23.5...on the return 25 miles, I put it in cruise at 68 mph the last 10 miles and it did jump up to 24.0 again...so, I was glad to see that... My main concern is the mileage issue (obviously)...I do love everything else with the car...the features are great and easy to use...Lexus is number one for a reason...let's hope the mileage numbers get a LOT better with time... Headless