BobBass

That is GREAT mileage! The only way I could even hope to get 30.9 would be to run premium gas and travel 55 mph on a relatively level road.

You gotta help me out here - I can't read it on my screen even after zooming in.

2008 RX400h with 23K miles. We just took a 990 mile trip to Portland, ME from near Philadelphia, PA and back. Regular gas (10% ethanol), temps in the 70's, A/C on, two people/minimal luggage onboard, tires ~38 PSI, speeds in the 70+ range and we got a solid 28.5 mpg. That's actually the best I've ever gotten on a long trip like this.

HEAR, HEAR!

Sharr, IMO, the previous posters are right on the money. I have an '08 400h AWD, live in southeastern PA, run regular gas (10% ethanol), don't do a lot of long trips, and average ~22 in winter and am lucky with judicious driving in summer to get close to 26. People are always (negatively) surprised when I give them these "low" gas mileage figures - I just reply that moving ANYTHING weighing close to 4,440 lbs. around is going to burn a lot of gas. And, if I had the regular version, I'd be lucky to get 18-19 under the same conditions. I'm coming up on the end of my lease and enjoy the 400h so much I very well may purchase it...the first time I've ever done that with a lease. The 2010 re-design does nothing for me and does not ride as well. One last thing - you may want to check the tire pressure. You can inflate them to 38 with no problems and improve the mpg.

Funny....this happened to me for the first time the other day. We had been waiting in line to get in the car wash and since the A/C was on while sitting there, the traction battery charge dropped. By the time we actually started to go thru the wash, when I put it in neutral, I got that same warning. However, when I shifted to "D" at the finish, everything was fine. BTW, I recommend you do NOT have the HVAC on while going thru a car wash. Dunno if it's the same design as a Camry, but we did that one time with our TCH and water got in the air intake and saturated the cabin filter. The A/C was very weak until the filter dried out.

There's a pretty cool explanation and interactive diagram of the Prius CVT here: Prius CVT description If anybody knows how the RX400h differs, feel free to chime in.

I vividly remember seeing the '06 RX400h on a pedestal at the Philly Auto Show and wondering, "Where's the wood?" My recollection is that since this was a HYBRID vehicle most likely being purchased by people with an "environmental bent," Lexus made the decision to NOT put wood in it. The gas RX had the normal wood accents.

Wildta, Glad to see your "real world" gas mileage is similar to what I get. I keep reading about these people claiming 26+ mpg and wonder how they're achieving it. They must barely push the accelerator and never go above 55 mph. I'm from SE PA where we have 10% ethanol gas and have used regular since leasing the RX in 11/07. With mixed driving, in the winter I'm lucky to get 22 mpg and today the readout showed 25.1. I'm not about to spend the extra $ for premium especially after reading your post.

Well, befitting my avatar, I am offically saying loudly, "DOH!" I completely forgot about the SEDAN hybrid based on the GS. Not only that, but I didn't even SEE the "GS" in your message. When I saw the 450h, my mind "filled in" RX! And here I consider myself a "car guy." Maybe I better just stick to READING this board and not posting anything which would make me look even more OUT OF IT! As Emily Letilla from Sat. Night Live would say, "NEVER MIND!"

I was confused by what you meant by "2008 or newer GS450h." There weren't any 450h's in 2008 as far as I know. I know what you mean about the blue background for the badges. It would be cool to have that.

My white 2008 RX400h does NOT have badges like that. The exterior badges do not have a blue background. The interior lighted ones do.

I am in the same position except mine is in excellent condition (no kids.) My lease is up in November. Any input from the members would be much appreciated.

Tuba, I heartily concur with Lemon. I have the beige interior and the tan looks just fine. You wouldn't want them to be too much lighter anyway considering all the crapola that can accumulate there, especially after this past brutal winter here in SE PA. On an unrelated to Lexus note but related to your username, check out this "SaxoSousaphone":

They were the very first things I got for my '08...and I'm in a lease! They were also the first things I got for our '09 TCH. I had the other soft/rubbery WeatherTechs MATS for my '04 Maxima and they eventually split at the place where my heel rests. These LINERS are very thin, precisely form-fitted and pretty much indestructible. chand3: you will not have to worry about these LINERS catching on the accelerator pedal. As I said, they are very thin, fit exactly against the sides of the floor and CANNOT move. Not only that, but the OEM floor mat hooks in the carpet fit exactly into holes molded in the LINERS. In fact, it's very difficult to remove them when you need to wash them off or vacuum the carpet floor underneath. However, I'll take that difficulty any day over the potential of slipping. It's just another redundant safety feature.

Rajuthan, That is SAD to look at - I have the SAME color except mine is a 2008 with the chrome door handles. Good Luck with the insurance.

"Suckered" - as I kept reading your complaints about driving the 450h "at speed" in slippery conditions, my first thought was you should have gotten an AUDI. I doubt that most 400h/450h owners are interested in driving like that in inclement weather - I certainly am not. Looks like you got the vehicle that suits you better and the Q5 is a great vehicle. Enjoy your new gas mileage and "tighter" interior... "Someone Else" - are you SURE reverse is only "electric" in the 400h? I do not dispute your assertion, but if that's the case, why does the ICE kick in when you put it in reverse and push on the accelerator? It's one of the things that drives me nutz - EVERY time I back up, even when the engine is fully warmed up and the battery is green, the ICE kicks in when I put it in reverse and press on the accelerator pedal. I just assumed it was because Toyota programmed the powertrain to always have the CVT moving the vehicle backwards with some assist from the rear electric motor rather than "overstress" it. It's my understanding that's why you cannot turn traction control "off" - Toyota does not want you to "overstress" the electric drive system. But, then again...what do I know. Don't flame me if I'm wrong here - just seems dumb that Toyota apparently feels battery power is never enough to move it backwards.

I'll chime in here; I've had my RX400h for 25 months. As I was driving around yesterday, it occurred to me that I wasn't getting my normal "two-year itch" to get a new vehicle. That says a lot since that is my typical pattern - get something new every two years. Sure, there are some things about the RX I do not like, mainly the typical Toyota "less than ideal" NAV system. Lexus dealers overcharging for maintenance costs can be outrageous, too. But other than those, I'm prefectly satisfied. In fact, I'm not sure what to do in 11 months when the lease is up. I do NOT care for the styling revision Lexus did on the 2010 model, although it might grow on me. IMO, RxRey has had some "interesting" input on this forum for years and I've generally appreciated his comments in the past.

Sorry, can't say that I've noticed anything like that on my '08 AWD with ~ 5K miles. Good luck resolving the problem.

Steve, With all due respect, I must say your comment comes as quite a shock! From virtually everything I've read in reviews and message boards for the last few years, the Toyota NAV has been universally panned. Even the Germans who were last to embrace the DVD-based format have apparently surpassed Toyota. And, actual experience with my '08 400h bears that out. Although it has the best display of the cars with NAV I've owned ('02 Cadillac STS and '04 Maxima) the general operation leaves a LOT to be desired. I've been telling people for 25 years that Toyota makes the best vehicles, and now that I've "returned to the fold" with my RX, (we also we have an '04 Sienna XLE LTD that will be traded for an '09 TCH - with NAV - next week) I still maintain that mindthought. It pains me to say it, but this is one area where Toyota has really dropped the ball in and they apparently refuse to correct the situation. It is truly mind-boggling and INEXCUSABLE!

Good thing Toyota apparently never noticed this discrepancy and the current RX generation is on its way out, or they SURELY would have disabled that "feature" on the smaller radio screen. This certainly would have been a bigger priority for them than to, say, add an IPOD interface or use a REAL OEM NAV supplier.

Regardless of what it costs to flush to brakes, keep in mind that it might be the ONLY money you spend on the braking system. Some reviews of hybrids have projected brake pads/discs to last the LIFE OF THE VEHICLE! Can't complain about that.

wwest, I've always been impressd with your auto-related knowledge, but....you're always "stirring the pot." If silvercorvette can afford a vehicle in the GS450h category, give him credit for getting one that gets decent gas mileage, regardless of whether in YOUR opinion, it's "an absolute ABUSE of hybrid technology insofar as global warming consciousness is concerned." I think that credit should generally be given to all the "hybrid owners" on this board.

In general, you may be correct, but the reason I ended up leasing a 400h was that the ES350 shared the infamous "flaring transmission" with the current generation Camry. No way was I going to take a chance and hope to get one with a "non-flaring" transmission. I haven't been following that controversey for awhile and don't know if Toyota has finally corrected the problem, but this is a HUGE defect that was not discovered until hundreds of thousands of these vehicles were on the road. MANY of those dissatisfied owners went thru tortorous buyback or lemon law procedures to get out of the car. They used to use that axiom for Nissan, too, but as the previous owner of an '04 Maxima, I can tell you it had MORE than its fair share of "first year growing pains."