This is probably a somewhat unusual use case regarding gas consumption on the NX350H. Over the past couple of years I have driven 3 times between SF and LA in California. I drove down I5 and those familiar with the route know people drive in excess of the 70mph speed limits. Most drivers on the left lane are going 80mph if not faster. What I experienced driving at such speeds is that it introduces a form of "range anxiety" on these cars. On paper, SF to LA is roughly 380 miles and with most modern cars, one tank is sufficient for the trip. Our hybrids have much smaller tanks and despite the range projection on the "Distance to Empty" display, the number quickly dwindles at speed. I am told that the low gas light also comes on way too early and I wind up refueling before reaching my destination for peace of mind. You do not want to get an empty tank in the Grapevine or in traffic jams at either city. Once, I filled up twice after seeing reports of traffic (at either end). Note that at 80 mph, gas consumption is down around 30mpg or even less. When I looked up other Hybrids, I realized that it's a universal problem (some may not consider it one). I posted up about this on soc med and immediately got flamed, mostly saying "you bought the wrong car". I did it 3 times over 3.5 years and it's not part of my normal drives. I know that Toyota/Lexus has models that have Turbo/Hybrids with lockup AT which works better on the highway, but CITY mph is not the same. Maybe they should put larger tanks in but I doubt it. I suppose most that do this trip regularly on Hybrids grin and bear it. What do you folks think?

 

It sounds like this is kind of a non-issue since you mitigate your range worries by filling up. I do that on long trips where I'm pushing the one-tank range (both hybrid and non). That said, I just picked up a Crosstrek Hybrid which under perfect conditions can get near 560 miles (16 gal tank). Even if it gets 520, I'm good to go but I agree that many hybrids have smaller fuel tanks. My wife's UX has a small tank, something like 11 gallons.

 

It is unfortunately the way these work. The lockup AT I believe is only the trucks, so maybe not what you were thinking. Physics-ally, the wind drag really increases exponentially over about 45, so maybe the corolla or camry would lose less mph at higher speeds. But, I still get about 32-34 at 78mph? And as a ‘23 with the original tank, I really only can use about 11 gallons. Nothing you wanna hear, but it’s the compromise Toyota has engineered to work for the most efficient and majority of people.

 

You are right, it's really a non-issue, just an occasional annoyance. I found out that all NX models use the same size 14.5 gallon tank. On one of my trips, a friend drove down in his 2015 Macan S with a 19.8 Gallon tank and he did not have to refuel and in fact still had gas to drive around. He certainly had more fun on the highway and on the twisties in the mountains. The other thing that annoyed me was the eCVT, often showing I was at 3-4,000 rpm in the mountains for no apparent reason. That had me thinking about hybrids that have lock-up AT's that work well on the highway.

 

I know you can get 32-34 in the 70's but 80 and above drops your MPG precipitously. I noticed it on the trip average reading at the bottom of the range MID Panel.

The RX 500h F SPORT Performance has a lock up AT, and Toyota has one or two such models with similar drive trains. I don't think they are traditional torque converters but have similar functionality. The KIA (and Hyundai Counterpart) notably the new Telluride have turbo hybrids that have lockup features.