ggebhardt

I prefer a real transmission with real gears.

FLYCT

So do I, as long as the vehicle has 2 wheels, a clutch and loud pipes..

ericsan13

Why though? Accustomed to pauses between each gear or the noises?

mcomer

and brakes that last twice as long, no alternator or starter to fail, silent
running in drive up lanes...did someone mention strong performance?

destro888

Let me add 'fuel' to the fire here and see if your AA batteries pop. =)

Is that all you guys got? I was hoping to be impressed. Gotta love the need to justify paying more to get from point A to point B. What ever makes you feel better. Yeah, it's unfortunate that some are experiencing issues with noise in their car and hopefully Lexus will have a fix for them, but to celebrate about it... good for you. Let's have a parade so you can praise about how many MPG you can get at the end of the march.

(Troll virgin here so don't be too harsh)

kitlz

Let's stick to the topic and not knock each other's choices.

ericsan13

Maybe we should move this into the hybrid forum where it would be better received for folks actually interested in hybrids.

P.S. Not to feed the troll, but no one is celebrating the 350's problems except maybe other brand owners (misery loves company!). Also there is no justification of paying more to get from point A to B (most cars do that), it's a strict factual comparison of fuel costs between two models. I think someone is reading into things very negatively.

destro888

Really, so if you put yourself in other drivers shoe, how would you interpret this "I may be biased but I am glad to be unaffected by the gurgling A/C and hesitation/shifting problems of the 350."

You insinuate that every 350 have these problems?? I recently purchased a 350 confidently with great feedback from members of this forum. Not everyone have these "problems" so don't insult. I respect the hybrid vehicles and some day when the prices are inline, I may see the value in them. For now I'm not convinced.

Anyways, I apologize to the OP for this thread going way off tangent. I'm done.

JDR76

To the OP, thanks for posting your results. We've decided to replace our beloved RX with a Highlander and are considering the hybrid version, which should be similar in mileage to the RXh. This will help in our final decision.

john221us

I have had four RX's; two hybrids and two 350's. In my company, I have also had three Prius. One Prius is currently at 170K and the other two at over 140k. Maintenance is not higher on hybrids, with the exception that a squirrel ate through a transmission line on one of my RXh's to the tune of $9k that wasn't covered under warranty or my insurance (Farmers...I am now on Allstate which would cover it). The hybrids definitely have more torque and 20% to 25% percent better gas mileage. I am a bit of a lead foot, so it is moe pronounced.

DrRocky12

I recently traded my 2001 RX300 for a 2012 450h. I read in a forum that if you turn off the ECO mode, your gas mileage goes up and so does performance. I experienced both. I drive highway and city. Wouldn't trade my 450h for anything. Also, noticed that on trips I can use mid-grade without a drop in performance/mileage. My beef with Lexus is that I bought certified pre-owned. Car salesman said, "Bumper to bumper warranty for everything but oil, filters, and tires. Today's service trip had to pay 17.90 for new key batteries. Service tech said, that and other "wearable parts are not covered under certified 100K warranty. Current tv commercials say the certified pre-owned to 100K covers everthing, including oils, filters. etc. SOMEONE is lying.

ericsan13

If I had a 350 and I wrote that same statement, you wouldn't have taken any offense and reacted defensively. You forget that most of us are all Lexus owners and it is not a 'celebration' when others have problems with their Lexus. Nowhere in my statement did I insinuate that all 350s have these problems. Sorry I offended you, but I definitely think you read into it a bit too much as you did with the original post. Don't proclaim to troll if you can't handle the heat!

FLYCT

We are in a transition phase, just like 25 years ago when Cell Phones were just becoming reasonably priced. Eventually the oil industry will go the way of Kodak and Polaroid.

I am responding as an owner of a Nissan Leaf 100% Electric car. It's a great car to run around town in. It is our daily driver. It costs us 2 cents per mile to drive. Our electric bill has gone up $20/month for the 1,000/miles a month driven.

What is interesting is that Norway is looking at banning "the sale of all fossil fuel-based cars in the next decade. http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...-a7065616.html About 24 per cent of the country's cars already run on electricity, and it is a heavy producer of renewable energy with more than 99 per cent of electricity covered by hydropower."

"If passed, it would be particularly significant because a large proportion of Norway's funds rely on the country's petroleum industry."

FUZCO

Is the hybrid engine worth it if you have a fairly long highway commute with sections of slow traffic? I'm thinking the hybrid engine would alleviate a lot of gas consumption in this particular circumstance even though it requires premium fuel whereas the 350 takes regular.

Also, the lexus website shows that the 350 has 19/26/22 EPA-ESTIMATED MPG (CITY/HWY/COMBINED) whereas the 450h has 31/28/30 EPA-ESTIMATED MPG (CITY/HWY/COMBINED). Driving range is 422 miles on the 350 and 516 miles on the 450h. The last part seems incorrect though where it lists the annual fuel cost of the 350 being only $250 more than the 450h. Is that because of the regular vs premium gasoline requirements? Still you'd think the hybrid would be much less in fuel cost that the 350 over the course of a year.

Freds430

The difference in gas mileage based on the EPA is 7 more miles per gallon with the RX450. I drive 15,000 miles per year. Gasoline at $2.50 a gallon that is a savings of $380 a year. Our used 2017 ES 300 H was the same price as the ES 350 on the Lexus lot. The RX 450 H was $1,500 more. That is a break even just under four years. I will save on two brake jobs at 50,000 and 100,000 miles that will be at least $300 each.


I have used 87 octane in our 2015 RX450h and currently 2017 which both premium is required. Experimenting with the other two levels, I have noticed zero difference in gas mileage or performance. I have used 87 in cars that have required premium for over a million miles and have not had one problem. If using premium gas at a higher cost makes you feel better then by all means use it.
I always revert back to two MIT graduates that are car mechanics who had a syndicated radio show called Car Talk for 35 years.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/premi...egular-0#myth4

From the USA Today:
The only modern engines that should really need premium are those with superchargers, which force-feed fuel into the cylinders. "You're driving along and just tramp the gas and the knock sensor cannot sense the knock fast enough in some cases," because the supercharger boosts pressure so fast, says Bob Furey, chemist and fuels specialist at General Motors.

Burning regular when the owner's manual specifies premium won't void the warranty, nor damage the engine, even the most finicky automakers say. "You're giving up perhaps just a little bit of performance that a customer wouldn't really even notice, it's so slight," says Furey.__
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