wakame

Just got my 2011 RX450h over the weekend. It is my first Lexus suv and hybrid. The car currently has 40000, but drives like new. We drove it for over 500 miles this weekend. The car average was 24 MPG on the highway, I was a bit disappointed in that number. Once I am back around city driving, I got 32 MPG so that was much better.

DunWkg

What's the outdoor air temperature where you are located?

Temperature plays a role in fuel consumption. Lately around here the temp has varied from 18 above to 18 below zero F and 24 mpg is about what I'm getting. However I drive too fast and let the car warm up, both of which drinks fuel.

User 41924

Congratulations on your new car! You're gonna love it!

3 things I've learned since we also got out first hybrid a little over a year ago. Although I'm not sure about the 2011, our 2013 is only rated at 25 MPG on the highway (pretty sure). Highway mileage is not the strength of the hybrid configuration, as the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) is running pretty much constantly in order to maintain highway speeds. Additionally, many states use a "winter blend" for fuel, which often negatively impacts fuel mileage. One last thing. We have noticed a drop in mileage during the winter months due in part to the winter blend fuel, but also because it can get cold in Colorado. The ICE runs significantly more in cold temps, in order to keep warm so the heater is effective.

OK 4 things I've learned. We REALLY like our RX450h. It sounds like you make occasional road trips, and the RX450h is the BEST road trip car I have ever driven. Even better than the RX350 we had previously! I would suggest that you develop a good working relationship with a service advisor at your dealership. Not that it will be required much, but it will help ensure a GREAT ownership experience!

Enjoy!

wakame

Thanks, I really like the car so far. We were driving from 60 F to 20 F weather.The sad ting is that we don't have a Lexus dealership even though just in my lot at work alone, there are 4 Lx470. The Toyota dealership here seem to be pretty big so we will see how is the service department.

rajudv

Congrats wakame and thanks for posting this. I will also be getting my 2011 RX450H with 27K miles (my first hydbrid/suv too) this weekend and am really excited about it. I took a test drive on a 2011 RX350 which I liked and hopefully RX450H ride is same or better. I will post on how it goes.

Cruiter

Raju, welcome and congrats to you on getting your new (h). The ride should be better as it's heavier and very well balanced with the traction batteries below the rear seat. Besides being 'just' a hybrid, it's a step up in the RX line with more features and trim as well.

Try not to be aggressive when accelerating from stops, coast when you can to stops, and plan your trips to make the longest stage 1st to get the car sufficiently warmed up if you can (short 3-5 mile segments are hard on mileage). Soon you'll be beaming with great MPG figures .

corradoMR2

As I've owned two hybrids in the past, they both work on the same principles and I expect the 450h to be the same.

As some have echoed above, mileage will be better in the city because of where power is sourced (more from batteries in city than highway speeds). To get the best mileage possible in the city, you must drive your h a little differently. You must learn and apply the "pulse and glide" technique. Search it on google or anywhere on CL for further details, but basically it's this. From a start, you accelerate normally to your desired speed, ease off on the accelerator momentarily to shut off the gas engine, then slowly re-engage the accelerator to maintain that speed without pressing too much that you re-engage the gas engine. The idea is to maintain that speed with electric power alone. There's a little practice to get it right and you do need the system to warm up first. You will need to pay attention to your hybrid power gauges to determine the sweet-spot. On my past CT for instance, it would be at or under the mid-point of the Eco range.

The fun part of owning a hybrid is you get engaged in trying to better your driving range and MPGs.

Congrats and have fun

Aptosuser

If you can use the seat heaters instead of the automatic climate control, you can avoid running the ICE all the time in moderately "cold" weather. In this case, I'm talking 40-50 degrees which is cold for us people in central, coastal California, although a heat wave by Midwest and Eastern standards this winter. I tested this theory today on my 4-mile round trip to our health club, knowing that the car hardly has a chance to warm up on either leg of the trip. On the way there I turned on the climate control. On the way back I turned it off and relied on the heated seat instead. I got comparatively lousy mileage outbound, even though, per the energy display on the NAV, I managed to keep the car in EV or charging mode for a good portion of the ride (which is uphill and downhill). On the way back, sitting in my hot seat with the climate control off it was a different story; mileage was appreciably better. Of course I never get anything close to what the car's capable of on these short trips. Getting 20 mpg is a moral victory. I have gotten as high as 29 mpg on extended road trips, at the speed limits, using cruise control as much as possible and keeping the car in eco mode at all times.

My 2010 RX 450h is the most comfortable car I've ever had. I moved up from an '07 V6 RAV4 in November because after more than six years of ownership I couldn't tolerate the RAV4's rough ride any more. I'm a much happier and calmer driver in the Lexus hybrid, and I love to hear the sounds of silence at stoplights. (By the way, this car was one of a kind in the greater SF/Monterey Bay area; a certified 2010 in pristine condition with less than 15,000 miles on it. It was too good a deal to pass up.)