Cross Country Trip - Thoughts, Observations, and MPG
12-21-14, 08:41 AM
#1
Driver
Thread Starter
Cross Country Trip - Thoughts, Observations, and MPG
(2015 Lexus NX 200T F-Sport AWD). Drove the NX cross country from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Meridian, Mississippi. 1230 miles. 18+ hours. Here are some thoughts and things I learned and the not so great MPG, but I was doing 80-85 most of the way.
- Power. I was never wanting for power. It was right there waiting for me whenever I needed it. Going up hill at 80 there was no loss of power, no down shifting to get up the hill, no higher engine noise, it was smooth smooth. It is so quiet- I never really heard the engine unless I punched it. Even passing the NX would shoot from 80 to 90 or 100 mph with little effort - even going up hill !!! Simply put the power is fantastic. (I had it in ECO mode the whole time, but not sure if that really impacts driving at those speeds, especially when you put your foot into it.)
- All HWY MPG (ECO mode the whole time for what it's worth):
Topped off with Premium 89 (highest in CO) before I left - still over half a tank from Dealer.
---Premium 89, 280 to 610 Odometer = 330miles got 24.1mpg, lots of hills (gas light had come on) <--did not use Cruise
---Premium 93, 610 to 879 Odometer = 269miles got 21.1mpg, more hills <--cruise cintrol 80mph the whole time)
---Premium 91, 879 to 1187 Odometer = 308miles got 23.5mpg <--did not use cruise
---Mid Grade 89, 1187 to 1498 Odometer = 311miles got 23.3mpg <--used cruise a little bit.
****** it is worth noting that the car computer calculated the MPG pretty much spot on (using After Refuel setting) as my manual calculations and my MileageKeeper App.
****** it seemed to me that cruise control will give you a little worse gas mileage.
- Ride - the ride was fantastic overall and very quiet. I heard the slight wind noise from my side mirrors more than my engine! I have 18" All Season tires.
- Rattle - the spring loaded button on the drivers adjustable seatbelt height thingy - there was this weird reverberation coming from there. Took me a while to find it - thought it was in the headboard or the B-piller- right by my ear!!! But good news - a squeezing and adjusting of the seat belt up and down a few times and the rattle was gone for good).
- For those of you following the "Electronics Bug" thread I posted - it did not happen. Hasn't happened in a while now thankfully.
- There were a few times where my windshield fogs up all the sudden. And when I looked down the temperature had dropped from the high 20s-30s outside down to the teens -- I was also driving in some pretty heavy fog. Had ice buildup on the leading edge of the side mirrors! I'm guessing that drastic temp change had a lot to do with it. Nothing the defroster could not handle in a few seconds. I learned that the upgraded LED fog lights work fantastic.
- Dash Lights - you can't turn the dash lights all the way off for what it is worth. I usually turn mine way down when driving at night. Anyway the dash only goes down to Low, not off, but the footwell lights do go to off. And for what it is worth the blue Hibeam light, green headlamp light, green park sense light, and green ECO light do not dim At ALL (it's the blue that really gets on my nerves.
- Nav LCD reflection. At night there is a slightly annoying reflection of the Nav LCD on the windshield (at least for me at my sitting height and angle etc) it shows up right under the rear view mirror. Not terrible though.
- THE SEAT. Ok I want to let you know that I love the seat and I hate the seat. Until this long drive,I loved the seat for around town driving. It fits me like a glove! This seat was made for sporty racing FSporty people. Not cross country - well I should point out that I am 6'4" and 185lbs - after the first few hours the right side of the seat (at my hip) basically became a concrete wall. After 18+ hours in the car it hurt!!! It's like a piece of metal was pushing into my hip for a day. But a day later I am all good now. And still love this car. After this drive though, If I could get the F-Sport with a luxury seat instead of an F-Sport seat I probably would.
Ok all I can think of and I have to go eat some fantastic Southern Food.
- Power. I was never wanting for power. It was right there waiting for me whenever I needed it. Going up hill at 80 there was no loss of power, no down shifting to get up the hill, no higher engine noise, it was smooth smooth. It is so quiet- I never really heard the engine unless I punched it. Even passing the NX would shoot from 80 to 90 or 100 mph with little effort - even going up hill !!! Simply put the power is fantastic. (I had it in ECO mode the whole time, but not sure if that really impacts driving at those speeds, especially when you put your foot into it.)
- All HWY MPG (ECO mode the whole time for what it's worth):
Topped off with Premium 89 (highest in CO) before I left - still over half a tank from Dealer.
---Premium 89, 280 to 610 Odometer = 330miles got 24.1mpg, lots of hills (gas light had come on) <--did not use Cruise
---Premium 93, 610 to 879 Odometer = 269miles got 21.1mpg, more hills <--cruise cintrol 80mph the whole time)
---Premium 91, 879 to 1187 Odometer = 308miles got 23.5mpg <--did not use cruise
---Mid Grade 89, 1187 to 1498 Odometer = 311miles got 23.3mpg <--used cruise a little bit.
****** it is worth noting that the car computer calculated the MPG pretty much spot on (using After Refuel setting) as my manual calculations and my MileageKeeper App.
****** it seemed to me that cruise control will give you a little worse gas mileage.
- Ride - the ride was fantastic overall and very quiet. I heard the slight wind noise from my side mirrors more than my engine! I have 18" All Season tires.
- Rattle - the spring loaded button on the drivers adjustable seatbelt height thingy - there was this weird reverberation coming from there. Took me a while to find it - thought it was in the headboard or the B-piller- right by my ear!!! But good news - a squeezing and adjusting of the seat belt up and down a few times and the rattle was gone for good).
- For those of you following the "Electronics Bug" thread I posted - it did not happen. Hasn't happened in a while now thankfully.
- There were a few times where my windshield fogs up all the sudden. And when I looked down the temperature had dropped from the high 20s-30s outside down to the teens -- I was also driving in some pretty heavy fog. Had ice buildup on the leading edge of the side mirrors! I'm guessing that drastic temp change had a lot to do with it. Nothing the defroster could not handle in a few seconds. I learned that the upgraded LED fog lights work fantastic.
- Dash Lights - you can't turn the dash lights all the way off for what it is worth. I usually turn mine way down when driving at night. Anyway the dash only goes down to Low, not off, but the footwell lights do go to off. And for what it is worth the blue Hibeam light, green headlamp light, green park sense light, and green ECO light do not dim At ALL (it's the blue that really gets on my nerves.
- Nav LCD reflection. At night there is a slightly annoying reflection of the Nav LCD on the windshield (at least for me at my sitting height and angle etc) it shows up right under the rear view mirror. Not terrible though.
- THE SEAT. Ok I want to let you know that I love the seat and I hate the seat. Until this long drive,I loved the seat for around town driving. It fits me like a glove! This seat was made for sporty racing FSporty people. Not cross country - well I should point out that I am 6'4" and 185lbs - after the first few hours the right side of the seat (at my hip) basically became a concrete wall. After 18+ hours in the car it hurt!!! It's like a piece of metal was pushing into my hip for a day. But a day later I am all good now. And still love this car. After this drive though, If I could get the F-Sport with a luxury seat instead of an F-Sport seat I probably would.
Ok all I can think of and I have to go eat some fantastic Southern Food.
Last edited by cb80923; 12-21-14 at 08:24 PM.
12-21-14, 11:10 AM
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Thank you for the report. MPG is disappointing since manufacturer published highway MPG is 28. As you mentioned if may be due to hills and high speed. Could the engine being brand new also be a factor? Glad to hear you love the car. Enjoy the southern food.
12-21-14, 11:25 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
- after the first few hours the right side of the seat (at my hip) basically became a concrete wall. After 18+ hours in the car it hurt!!! It's like a piece of metal was pushing into my hip for a day. But a day later I am all good now. And still love this car. After this drive though, If I could get the F-Sport with a luxury seat instead of an F-Sport seat I probably would.
It is an unfortunate downside too, since it's not likely something you'd notice on a 30 minute test drive if the issue only shows up after several hours of driving.
12-21-14, 11:29 AM
#4
Lexus Champion
Consumer Reports had a recap that showed 28% of the small turbo engine cars that they tested missed their EPA estimates by 10% or more. For conventional gas cars it was 10%. For Hybrids it was 55%!
Probably no surprise that at speeds of 80-100 mph gas mileage with the small turbo would suffer.
Probably no surprise that at speeds of 80-100 mph gas mileage with the small turbo would suffer.
12-21-14, 11:46 AM
#5
The pursuit of F
Great writeup! Loved some of the detail regarding lighting, ride quality, and of course mpg.
On to that point. The EPA measures mpg at much lower "highway" speeds (50 mph average), on a flat surface, and in a lab...
You should reset your mpg trip computer and check your average highway mpg going at 50, even 55mph over a level surface, on a non-windy day. I bet you will easily get 28 mpg, even more. At 80 mph and on mountainous roads, a significant amount more energy is expended to overcome the hills AND increased wind resistance.
On to that point. The EPA measures mpg at much lower "highway" speeds (50 mph average), on a flat surface, and in a lab...
You should reset your mpg trip computer and check your average highway mpg going at 50, even 55mph over a level surface, on a non-windy day. I bet you will easily get 28 mpg, even more.
At 80 mph and on mountainous roads, a significant amount more energy is expended to overcome the hills AND increased wind resistance.
12-21-14, 02:46 PM
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Great writeup! Loved some of the detail regarding lighting, ride quality, and of course mpg.
On to that point. The EPA measures mpg at much lower "highway" speeds (50 mph average), on a flat surface, and in a lab...
You should reset your mpg trip computer and check your average highway mpg going at 50, even 55mph over a level surface, on a non-windy day. I bet you will easily get 28 mpg, even more. At 80 mph and on mountainous roads, a significant amount more energy is expended to overcome the hills AND increased wind resistance.
On to that point. The EPA measures mpg at much lower "highway" speeds (50 mph average), on a flat surface, and in a lab...
You should reset your mpg trip computer and check your average highway mpg going at 50, even 55mph over a level surface, on a non-windy day. I bet you will easily get 28 mpg, even more.
At 80 mph and on mountainous roads, a significant amount more energy is expended to overcome the hills AND increased wind resistance.
12-21-14, 02:55 PM
#7
Driver
Thread Starter
Yeah I knew I would most likely get poorer mpg based on the speeds I drive - which are just going with the flow these days. However, I did expect it to get better on the mostly flat roads of East Texas, Louisiana, and MS. Was surprised the best mpg I got was mostly in Colorado which was the most extreme hilly.
On the seat. I say I am all good but that really isn't true. I would say I am a bit bruised and it still is touchy - right hip only. I am NOT looking fwd to the trip home in a couple weeks (simply because of the damn seat). But hopefully my bruised hip and my sunny disposition are better by then.
On the seat. I say I am all good but that really isn't true. I would say I am a bit bruised and it still is touchy - right hip only. I am NOT looking fwd to the trip home in a couple weeks (simply because of the damn seat). But hopefully my bruised hip and my sunny disposition are better by then.
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12-21-14, 03:59 PM
#8
The pursuit of F
Yeah I knew I would most likely get poorer mpg based on the speeds I drive - which are just going with the flow these days. However, I did expect it to get better on the mostly flat roads of East Texas, Louisiana, and MS. Was surprised the best mpg I got was mostly in Colorado which was the most extreme hilly.
On the seat. I say I am all good but that really isn't true. I would say I am a bit bruised and it still is touchy - right hip only. I am NOT looking fwd to the trip home in a couple weeks (simply because of the damn seat). But hopefully my bruised hip and my sunny disposition are better by then.
On the seat. I say I am all good but that really isn't true. I would say I am a bit bruised and it still is touchy - right hip only. I am NOT looking fwd to the trip home in a couple weeks (simply because of the damn seat). But hopefully my bruised hip and my sunny disposition are better by then.
A suggestion. Put a small couch pillow on the seat bottom so you're slightly raised sitting a little over the bolster = should result in less bolster pressure. Not an elegant solution and by far not a permanent one, but it should help for your long trip back.
12-21-14, 07:24 PM
#9
Driver
Thread Starter
I can somewhat relate to the bottom right bolster causing discomfort on the F-Sport seats during long trips as they are the same on the IS. The good news is it does soften a little over time.
A suggestion. Put a small couch pillow on the seat bottom so you're slightly raised sitting a little over the bolster = should result in less bolster pressure. Not an elegant solution and by far not a permanent one, but it should help for your long trip back.
A suggestion. Put a small couch pillow on the seat bottom so you're slightly raised sitting a little over the bolster = should result in less bolster pressure. Not an elegant solution and by far not a permanent one, but it should help for your long trip back.
. I have a 2014 IS350 F-Sport and have been on long trips - no issues at all. Yes the IS has bolsters but not like these on the NX. I hope it does get better/softer. (I wear a size 33waist jeans so that is not the problem!!!).Additionally, the upgraded LED fog lights are quite nice as the "turning lights". I haven't quite figured out the mechanics but it seems that at lower speeds they come on and turn outwards when you turn the steering wheel (not with the blinker). They do not come on when passing at highway speeds etc.
Last edited by cb80923; 12-21-14 at 07:29 PM.
12-22-14, 08:56 AM
#10
CB: for what it's worth, I live in TX, own a 2015 RX 450h and don't get anywhere near the MPG I'm supposed to get. My best MPG is 24.5 (supposed to get 29). Anyway, in the past with my old RX, when I went to Denver on vacation, I seemed to get better MPG there than in TX. Why? I have no clue.
12-22-14, 10:33 AM
#11
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Elevation is one of the reasons for the MPG results varying on these cross country trips.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6744997_ef...s-mileage.html
http://www.ehow.com/about_6744997_ef...s-mileage.html
12-22-14, 12:18 PM
#12
The pursuit of F
Haha thanks Corrado. My mom said the same thing! . I have a 2014 IS350 F-Sport and have been on long trips - no issues at all. Yes the IS has bolsters but not like these on the NX. I hope it does get better/softer. (I wear a size 33waist jeans so that is not the problem!!!).
.
. I have a 2014 IS350 F-Sport and have been on long trips - no issues at all. Yes the IS has bolsters but not like these on the NX. I hope it does get better/softer. (I wear a size 33waist jeans so that is not the problem!!!)..
PS. How's the ride quality compared to the IS (firmer, softer, about the same) and what about noise levels?
Last edited by corradoMR2; 12-22-14 at 12:22 PM.
12-23-14, 04:14 AM
#13
Lexus Test Driver
Your gas mileage isn't that bad. How many miles were on the vehicle before you took yoru trip? If you're still within the breakin period, that would explain some of the lower gas mileage. Also, at the altitudes you were at, that also is a large factor. When changing altitude like that, it will take the ECU time to recalibrate your fuel tables.
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review.
12-23-14, 07:32 AM
#14
Driver
Thread Starter
The ride is very nice, but more aggressive and sport feeling than any SUV/CUV that I have ever owned (I have had Jeep Grand Cherokees,Tahoes, Explorer, Touareg).
I have All season tires on the NX and its AWD. My IS 350 has low profile summer tires as I'm sure many do, and is Rear wheel drive. The IS 350 is firmer than the NX, you feel the road more in the IS. I have a feeling of being More in control in the IS 350. That's not to say I don't feel in control in the NX. You just feel more ("become one with the car and road and curves and driving") in the Is 350, but you know that "zen" potential is there to some level in the NX with the cockpit and turbo engine and wrap around seat and sporty steering wheel with paddle shifters .
The NX does have a sporty ride (much firmer than the previous '14 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit which was fantastic luxury/technology but also lots of bugs and issues) but it rides down the road nicely and can get sporty if you put your foot into it.
Noise level: I hear the road a lot more in the IS 350. Closer / lower to the road and summer tires. NX is quiet really!
So long way to say IS is firmer than NX. NX is firmer than any other SUV I've owned. The NX is a really nice riding sporty SUV with a sinister side if you want to bring it out!
12-23-14, 09:53 AM
#15
Your gas mileage isn't that bad. How many miles were on the vehicle before you took yoru trip? If you're still within the breakin period, that would explain some of the lower gas mileage. Also, at the altitudes you were at, that also is a large factor. When changing altitude like that, it will take the ECU time to recalibrate your fuel tables.
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review.
New car (is it through breakin?) + 80+ MPH speeds + elevation + cool temps = not so great MPG.
Thanks for the writeup! I am sure your MPG will increase as the miles wear on.