yowps3

Not digging this new Lexus trend of making the rear passenger windows bigger!
They did it on the 3IS, 4GS and now it seems they also done it on this new RX

It gives the vehicle a more dowdy look whereas previous designs with smaller rear windows were very sleek (L-finesse)

BertL

FWIW, as a person that has continually owned two Lexus RXh since 2005, the issue with RXh "highway fuel consumption" comes down to 3 major things: 1) How "heavy your foot is" - aka your MPH 2) Ambient Temperature 3) Fuel Blend.

• MPG goes down as one tends to exceed normal highway MPH. Our legal highway speed limit here in the US is typically 55-70mph (88-112kph) depending upon the State and specific road. I don't know what it is in Europe. IMHO, as one exceeds perhaps 65mph (104kph), you can see an increasing negative impact the driver's decision has on MPG.
• When it's very cold outside (as in freezing and sub zero fahrenheit) as many have experienced in the Eastern part of the US this season, there seems to be a lowering of MPG
• For many of our States here in the US, the blend of gasoline available to everyone changes based on time-of-year to meet air quality guidelines. Different blends, and therefore different times of year, have a definite impact on MPG for most of us here in the US.

There are other more subtle things that can impact highway MPG, e.g. if one is doing primiarly uphill climbs, you also have lower MPG as battery regeneration isn't happening as much, resulting in more dependence upon the ICE and traditional gasoline for power. If anyone is interested in more info, there are real-life examples and discussion in our 3rd Gen RX450h MPG Thread, including some recent detail I provided from a 600 mile trip in my 2013 RX450h that reinforces several of the points above.

Sulu

I agree with Bert that the heaviness of your right foot plays a great deal in hybrid vehicle highway fuel consumption; it also comes down to knowing how to play with your throttle to get the lowest consumption, i.e. hypermiling.

We recently went on our first long road trip in my new ES Hybrid. I believe that I could see the fuel consumption difference between when my wife was driving and when I was driving.

When my wife drove, consumption was slightly higher than when I drove. Not having driven the ESh much (and not on the highway), my wife would have been applying the constant pressure on the throttle that she is used to with conventional cars (she drives a Honda Accord).

On the other hand, I tried some hypermiling techniques: accelerate up to desired speed and then ease off the throttle to the least amount of pressure that would maintain the same speed (and watching the hybrid gauge drop) or ease off the throttle altogether when on downhill stretches. I also used the cruise control at times to see how smart it was at maintaining speed while using the least fuel. No verdict yet on the use of the cruise control.

spwolf

heh... it is all a lot of crap from media and german manufacturers that pay them... when AutoExpress did a group test of all cars in entry premium class, IS300h was more efficient than all of competitor diesel engines. However same AutoExpress in IS300h test would state that it gets poor fuel economy .-).

I dont think customers are afraid of fuel consumption, they are just afraid of new technologies... and anyway, Toyota sells a ton of hybrids in Europe these days, something like 35% of all sales in Europe are hybrids (western europe), and for models that have hybrid option, number is 50%.

Ayberk

You are totally right about how it comes down to how heavy your foot is. I would say it is also heavily related to driving behaviour of the general public. Speaking for Germany, a big percentage of Autobahn is speed limit free and when there is a limit it is mostly 130 km/h. Of course it goes down when there is construction work etc. And I have to say from personal experience that 130 km/h is also the speed you should be driving or it will be an unpleasent ride. Left lane is mostly occupied by 220+ km/h driving Audi Avants, BMWs etc. and you have the trucks on the right. Don't forget that it is also mostly 2 or 3 lanes so you either drive fast or get stuck behind the truck driving uphill

rayaans

The IS300h has also won the WhatCar "Most Efficient Executive Car in Real World Driving" where it averaged 55.8mpg. Even the C-class hybrid which is a 2.1l diesel with a claimed 70+mpg couldnt achieve 55.8mpg!

So here we are - Lexus hybrid tech does work and its entirely dependent on the driver!

Levi68

I don't remember the exact number, but over 90% of sold Lexus in Europe are hybrid.

Pamperme

spwolf

yep... and one issue before, they panned IS300h for bad real life mileage :P

Same magazine, two issues apart!

ydooby

Thanks for the heads up. I looked it up and curiously the GS300h got worse fuel economy than a quite a few of its German competitors. Perhaps the efficiency of the 300h powertrain drops more significantly as the car's weight increases?
http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/real...e-cars/1227764

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

hybrid gets impressive fuel economy, but the price delta between lexus with and without hybrid still makes it NOT worth it.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Even more with gas at $2 a gallon.

Mr Bond

There is always somebody that has to pay for new and future technology, and I am gladly doing that if I can. We do all know that we cant drive cars like we do today forever. Turbo technology is not the answer .Just remeber the price tag of the first 42 inch flat screen TV back in the nineties, or the first really good smartphones ( like the Iphone 3GS ) compared to other regular phones. What would we have today if nobody wanted to buy them ?

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

How come no one comment on the leaked pictures of the RX? XD

ydooby

Cuz they are ancient artist renderings?