I used to be in that camp, but I did the math (at least for my local gas prices) and the gain in mpg did not cover the increased cost. Ethanol was overall cheaper for me in the long run.

 

We have one station here that does 91 with no ethanol. I'm going to do a test for a full tank vs. 93 with ethanol. The prices are almost identical.

 

If it is truly ethanol free, I'd expect a slight increase in gas mileage. I recall that cars that run E90, 90% ethanol, were getting horrible mileage but at some point when petrol gas was $5+ a gallon, E90 still made sense.

 

18.6? GS has a 17.4 gallon tank right? That hasn't changed in a while...

I get 300 miles on a full tank, on average. I used to use regular, then said screw it and starting using premium (only 93 available) and instantly saw noticeable improvement in gas mileage. Enough that I do not use eco mode anymore, lol

 

Eco mode makes a noticable difference in mpg for my 450h, especially city.

 

Definitely. I used it all the time when I was on regular. Once I went premium I found I can get same/similar in regular mode, so I justified the price difference and got anyway from the granny shifting in ECO mode, lol.

My wallet still can't handle Sport mode though, lol

 

I only use ECO mode in the winter when the engine is still cold. ECO keeps the idle lower so there is less surging from a dead stop. ECO in the summer time is a never because it limits the AC output. Sport+ mode only when the roads are clear which is not often for me.

 

Shocked a 3.5L V6 gets only 20mpg with premium fuel, I may want to consider another car as I drive 30,000 miles a year.

 

I get just under 20 but next to zero highway driving.

Of course, driving conditions and styles vary so much 2 people will never see *exactly* the same fuel economy.

 

Highway miles you should be getting 24+ MPG.

 

But you get reliability. The 3.5L is an engine that's been around in one form or another since the early 2000s. The output is pretty decent at about 300HP but fuel efficiency was not a top priority when it was introduced. No common service issues like the competitors have with their head gaskets, water pumps, cooling systems, turbos, valve covers and much more. So the extra cost in fuel may even be less than the costs to service and repair the European cars out of warranty, or the extended warranty you need to buy. And how do you put a price on peace of mind, and time wasted at dealerships and service bays?

 

If you wanted to skinflint on gas you should have bought the camry from a few years ago or an 18 or older ES350. Both of those cars had the 2GR-FE in it which basically only
sipped gas. (I used to get 25-28 mpg out of my camry LE v6) The GS is not a car for skinflints, my advice is, after making sure your tires are inflated properly, turn that ****ing MPG meter off and forget it's there and just
enjoy the car. You'll be a lot happier.

-Mike

 

Thanks guys, for some reason I was expecting Toyota Camry MPG out of it for reason lol. I suppose mix driving you can pull 24 MPG out of it.

 

You should have gotten a 450h.

 

Still shopping my friend, that's on the list too but they are super rare around here. Will likely have to travel for that one. However the GS450H only comes in RWD which may not be good in upstate NY winters.