I just bought the lexus Rx450h and getting about 8.3 - 9.0 L/ 100 km. This is not close to the specs ( 6.8 combined ). Just wondering what people are getting.

Thanks in advance...

 

that sounds about right. when my wife drives, it's usually around 9.0 L/100 km as well. mind you, she doesn't like to drive in ECO mode, which explains the higher gas consumption.

on a side note, my best is around 7.9 L/ 100 km, and that's with ECO mode. now mind you, that's driving conservatively but not like a turtle. to really minimize gas consumption, you would literally have to gently roll when the light goes green and really take your time to get up to speed. in real world driving, that's not possible or practical - you are going to get honked for blocking traffic.

 

Agreed with Stormforge. Btw, in the real world, it's almost impossible to duplicate those numbers. I don't mean it's not happening, but like to say they're very tough numbers to replicate in our daily commute or normal driving.

No big foot, no mistake, but only gentle and conscientious driving.

And, you know the numbers go up when in winter.

 

yes, gas consuption is higher in the winter. Also, you get better efficiency after the first 1000 miles, or after the break in period. I know from experience that you will probably not be able to duplicate the city mileage, but the highway is possible and even easy to achieve

 

I have driven my RX450h for almost 10000 miles in four months. The best mileage I got was 34.3 MPG (6.9L/100km) and the worst was 23.1 (10.2L/100km). Overall average was about 28.7 (8.2L/100km). I used 91 octane, ECO mode on, and auto AC on all the time. Tire pressure 35 psi. The worst mileage was recorded while driving on Interstate highways at 85 to 90 MPH. Driving smoothly and not exceeding 65 MPH, I can easily achieve 31 MPG (7.6L/100km). I am getting about 20% improvement over my previous RX400h.

 

Thanks for all the replies. It will be interesting how much better the gas mileage when it starts warming up.

 

I know when the weather is below freezing, the gas mileage goes down alot. At least on the first RXh.

 

I'll tell you what. You guys should have been driving your RX450h here in frigid IA the past few weeks. Then, you would realize what a tremendous difference temperature makes on fuel efficiency. With temperatures in the single digits above and below zero, and snowy, slippery streets the gas mileage gets hammered. At times it has been difficult to keep it above 20mpg. When temperatures are in the 50s, 60s, or warmer, I can easily get 31-33 in the city. BTW, in comparison, with the RX400h that we previously owned, we were lucky to get 14 mpg when temperatures were as cold as they have been the past several weeks. So, everything is relative.

The good news is that the temperatures for the rest of this month will be MUCH WARMER (I am a meteorologist). Highs will be warming to the 30s and 40s for day time highs on a consistent basis. Once we get rid of the deep snow cover, it might even make it to 50. With these temperatures, gas mileage will increase a lot.

 

I have to agree wholeheartedly with you. I was so close to breaking the 30 MPG barrier and then the weather made that goal unattainable.

Our 3500 mile 450 is hovering around the 20 number.

I hope your weather prediction is correct. I need to wash off some salt deposits!

 

I'm not even looking at the gas mileage. It's too darn cold out! Temps are supposed to go back to normal soon.

DunWkg, I hear you with the salt. The roads are white around here but it's not snow. I was going to wash mine this weekend to get all the dust off until I heard more snow/rain in the forecast

 

I admit my short distance 1-5 mile commutes have caused MPG suffering this last couple of weeks but moderate and sensible driving have minimized it. Yesterday I made a three hour trip on a combo of Interstate and state highway roads and averaged 32.1 going down and 30.1 coming back (all state routes with stop and go driving and two lane pass events). So it's the short cold start rides that are hampering the mileage.

Funny memory. I'm remembering all the posts from last summer claiming that when winter came and we could turn off the 'Electric' A/C we'd get a big improvement in MPG . Maybe it was Al Gore that said that ???

 

It is cold (especially bitter cold like zero degrees) that destroys gas mileage. The loss of gas mileage due to the AC is NOTHING compared to bitter cold weather. The ultimate outside air temperature for the best gas mileage is somewhere between 60 and 75 degrees. With these temperatures the ICE is used the least. Outside air temps in the 40s and 50s are OK as well. For every degree colder than 40, there is a significant loss in gas mileage. And when it gets to below 15-20 degrees, the loss is almost exponential. You could not get 30 mpg with these temperatures if you crawled along for miles and miles. It is the nature of the beast. I already noticed that this afternoon when temperatures warmed to the low 40s, the gas mileage is increasing tremendously. This is the first time it has gotten above freezing here in weeks.

You folks down in the South have a HUGE advantage in this regard over us northerners (especially here in the western Midwest). Even at a place like New York City the loss in gas mileage is nowhere near as dramatic as it is here in IA for example in the winter. The normal high this time of year in New York is 38-39 degrees while in Des Moines, IA it is 27-28. You have not experienced real cold until you live in this part of the nation. It was 15 to 20 degrees below zero here on several mornings recently. And guess what? The summers are hotter here than they are in New York and Boston. The good news, as I stated on another post, is that it will be MUCH WARMER the rest of this month not only here in the Midwest but for the entire eastern half to 2/3 of the nation.

 

PatsSoxfan, temps have not been near normal here around NYC - 20s during the day and teens/single digits at night. We started getting into the 30s and will briefly see the 40s in the next few day before diving again. Granted, it might not be as bad as IA but still, brrrrr! How do you get the 450h warm? Forget the gas mileage!

 

Yes I know the temperatures have been below normal in New York recently but compared to here, it has been balmy there. It's all relative. And trust me when I tell you that it will be an overall warmer pattern the rest of this month. Yes there will be some fairly cold days, but not that big of a deal.

On the wicked, near zero degree days here, we had to take the 450h off the Eco Mode in order to heat up the cabin temperature to comfortable levels.

 

Interesting numbers.

My mom's 400h dropped into the 24 MPG average range, the lowest I have ever seen it. Turns out she had been ignoring her tire pressure warning light. Front tires were down to 22 psi, outside temp 50 degrees. Check your tires folks!