GNGarcia

Our 2015 RX450h is simply not getting the MPG's that Lexus claimed the unit would get. What started out as a bare minimum of 24.8 MPGs has fallen to 23.4 MPGs. I check tire pressures all of the time, don't gun the car and drive at steady speeds. Yet, the MPGs. Anybody else have this experience? To boot, it doesn't matter whether its in-town or freeway driving, the MPG stays the same! Go figure

GNGarcia

Regardless of the entries, My MPGs are way below what Lexus wants you to believe and expect before you buy the Lexus.

corradoMR2

GNGarcia, are you familiar with the "pulse and glide" technique to maximize your fuel economy of your 450h?
See: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...ml#post8379815

Another thing to point out is winter/colder weather will have a negative effect on MPGs and more so on a hybrid in my experience.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your h!

BertL

GNGarcia, in addition to corradoMR2's points, you likely saw my post here a little above yours a few days ago. I know my short trips, relatively heavy foot at take off, keeping up with the crazy Southern California drivers on the Interstates, and several other variables contribute to my lower MPG. I have been able to achieve at-or-above estimated MPG in both of my RXh's when I'm focused on doing so, and not just driving and having fun as I prefer to most of the time. I've had similar experience with each of my Lexi, BMW and MBZ when it comes to trying to achieve mfgr MPG estimates -- but, IMHO, all hybrid vehicles (not just RXh or those from Lexus) require additional understanding and perhaps adapting one's driving style to achieve the highest MPG if one elects to. Corrado's post is a good start towards that, and as you are able to take the time to explore the forum in more detail with your favorite beverage , I know you'll find many more hints and tips to make your RX450h more enjoyable as so many of us have found.

Congrats again on that new ride!

COPAPILOT

The cold weather is working against you. First of all the winter gas formulation will decrease your gas mileage and second the EPA requires all hybrids to run the engine until it reaches a determined temperature even if you are at a stop light. The batteries are also cold from sitting in your garage and sitting out making them less efficient. Running the heater also uses battery power until the engine warms up.

I bought my 2015 RX450h in August and was getting 31+ around town running the A/C. In September and October I was getting 32+. I am now getting 24.5 in January using 91 octane. 87 octane game me 19+. I have found that if you can plan out all your shopping so the car does not cool down it returns to the 30+ range. Also using 93 octane from Costco or Sams Club adds a couple more MPGs. Costco, Shell and Mobile gas is a higher quality gas than the EPA minimum standard gas. See Gas Buddy for information and local prices.

sunnyside

We have had our 450H for 2 1/2 years and the mileage range is 26-31 depending on where we drive and if my wife is the driver. All opinions aside it seems to me that the best driving method is the same for hybrid and regular gas. Just maintain a steady speed with the right foot pressure like there is an egg under your foot. I get at least 2 mpg better than the wife. She has a heavy foot. Temp does make a difference. We have no complaints at all with the car. I am about to have to replace the original Dunlop tires at 40,000. The only complaint I have it that I miss the cargo capacity of the 4Runner it replaced.

NateJG

Just returned from a round trip from Michigan to Gulf Shores, AL.

Our trip was 2,430 miles (just under 1,000 each way). Keeping with traffic that mostly used the posted speeds as suggested minimums, our fill-ups ranged between 23.1 and 25.8 MPG on the highway - and we got 31.8 MPG for the 427 mile tank while cruising around Gulf Shores for day trips. Our best on-highway tank was 25.8 MPG for our final cruise into Kalamazoo which, coincidently, matched our overall trip average of 25.8 MPG (which ultimately dropped the overall lifetime MPG average for 27K miles down to 27 from the 27.2 MPG lifetime average at the start of the trip).

Gasoline prices were good. We averaged $2.525/Gal for the 93.75 gallons of Premium used.

We managed several trips to beaches, dinners, and cities in cool weathers; and our return trip home was a day ahead of schedule, as we successfully beat Friday's storm (Pandora) that made travel difficult thru Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. The drive each way was uneventful; however there were minor stop-and-go delays on our side each time -- and/but we missed the serious delays that occurred on the other side of the highway both trips. We had dry roads during the entire trip!

The car ('13 AWDh) is a dream to drive - enabling me to pilot the entire trip (no help from wifie) without fatigue.

WAZE(r) proved to be a valuable look ahead for traffic SNAFU's on the way - and a welcomed addition to the on-board navigation system.

I drove mostly in the Normal position, selecting Sport during congested areas (where I go into City Left-Foot-Brake-War-Mode for agility); and selected Economy when cruising around town merely to see what I could squeak out of the battery).

Cruiter

James, sounds like you had the right car . I liked your comment "Keeping with traffic that mostly used the posted speeds as suggested minimums", but what were your average hwy speeds? If above 70mph, that probably took a substantial hit on what you could have had. And I realize yours is an AWD which also takes a little extra (mostly for the extra weight). I found the difference between 70mph cruise and 75mph cruise would drop me from around 30mpg to about 27mpg.

COPAPILOT

Sounds like you were driving on Winter formulation on the way down and Summer formulation there. If this trip were during the summer on summer formulated gas you would get around 28 mpg on the highway even at 80 mph.

Mors

Winter fuel and winter in general will definitely lower your MPG. I don't get near what Lexus claims. I'm lucky to get 25 mpg in the summer. Right now, I get about 21-22 in the winter.

From what I've experienced:

I don't believe what they say about breaking the car in. The dealers tell you your MPG gets better the more miles you put on the car. My car only has 3600 miles on it; however, we have a camry hybrid that has 26,000 miles on it, and it doesn't get the stated MPG. It gets closer to the estimated MPG than my RX does since my wife has a longer commute to work each day, and it averages the same MPG as it has since day 1.

If you drive your hybrid for longer trips, you'll get better mpg. For instance, if you spend a saturday driving to many places that are 10-15 miles away from each other, then you can achieve 27+ mpg. If you just use your car to drive 5 miles to work, then go 5 more to lunch, then go 5 more back home, you will not get the MPG they claim. It's just not possible. You'll probably get 20mpg. Bottom line: if you don't have long commutes, you will not see the MPG you want.

Cruiter

You hit the nail on the head re: longer trips = better mpg's. It takes the power-train roughly 8-12 miles to reach optimal operating temps of the block, water, & oil. Until then you'll get less mpg's than after reaching those temps. Somewhere in my original 2010 manual it also stated that when running errands, go to your furthest stop 1st, then work back as the engine will likely be warmed by then. My Publix is only 4 miles from home and I'll always try to think of something I need further up the road and getting that before stopping on the way back for grocery stuff. It actually does make a difference.

kitlz

^Plus your milk will stay cold, Jim

I agree about the longer trips comments. My highest MPG was around 34 during a 50 mile drive on flat roads Add in the stupid cold, hills and winter blend with a five mile commute, fuhgeddaboudit! I stopped looking weeks ago. It's still more than I got on the 330. And gas prices are pretty low right now. So I'm not exactly complaining here.

Mors

Absolutely. I should have refined my comment a bit better in that your first trip should be long (10-15 miles at least), then the rest can be shorter distances to some degree. Just didn't know how to spit that out. I've always noticed that if I have a couple of errands, I get good gas mileage during that trip. I just hardly ever have to go very far nor do I have many errands that pile up. My old RX300 ended up getting around 18 mpg before I sold it. I'm sure a new 350 would get worse than what I'm getting now so I'm ok with it.

Kingy68

Since buying the RX450h (it was supplied by the dealer with about half a tank which I topped up) I've had two full tanks to get an accurate mpg figure from.

First tank (it was bad snow in the UK) gave 23mpg.
Second tank (no snow) gave 25mpg.

This is a lot of short journeys with heated seats on, lights on, music streaming, heating full blast and a couple of medium journeys - so whilst nowhere near the 'official figures' it's easy to see why the figures are lower.

Hopefully as it warms up here (April/ May) the mpg will increase. Low 30's would be nice, but I'm not too worried as part of the problem is sometimes you just have to use the power and hear the engine!

BertL

Just returned from a road trip I take from Southern California to Southern Nevada once or twice a year, and decided to pay a little more attention to what was going on with my RX450h AWD in case it's useful to someone wanting another real-life example. As I've explained in earlier posts, I almost never try to drive my hybrid like a hyper-miler would, so I recognize my MPG could be a whole lot better if I did.

ROUNDTRIP SUMMARY:
- 2013 RX450h AWD; ECO Mode On; AirCon on Auto 100% of the time; Premium Fuel only
- 613 miles roundtrip; 24.2 MPG Avg; ~96% of those miles via Interstate @ ~70+MPH
Net: My RX450h continues to be a super vehicle for me, especially on road trips. Relatively quiet cabin space that's also very comfortable, with most of the creature comforts I desire, and those LED headlights do a killer job lighting my way through long pre-dawn desert stretches. MPG meets my expectation with my perhaps heavier-than-some foot. (...and yes, I have to say it: The cost of premium fuel is up nearly $1.50/gallon in the last 35 days here in San Diego -- back to about $3.70 and still climbing again here in mainland paradise. I should have taken the trip a month earlier!)