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Hybrid TechnologyUnique topics related to the 2010 - 2015 RX450H model hybrid drivetrain and other features/options found only on the RX450H. Please use the main forum for discussion about shared components with other third generation RX models.
Aptosuser, hope you're 450h is better. Sorry to hear what happened
I did a little driving in the country today. The speeds ranged between 25 MPH and 55 MPH with the average around 45. I checked the MPG every once in a while. The best I saw was 31, it could've been higher. And less than a quarter tank to go over 120 miles. Not bad considering all the hills. On the downside, I have quite the bug collection on the front bumper.
I have only had my car for a month now, but the mileage is very good in my opinion; in town I am getting 28.7 and 26.5 on the road. I have not put many highway miles on the car yet, but it should improve somewhat in a few months. This is my third RX Hybrid (2010 & 2012) and all seem to have been in this same range early on.
LOL, well this is unusual! We had to drive into San Francisco today and got stuck in slow moving traffic on the Bay Bridge. It wasn't complete stop and go, just between 5 mph and 20 mph the whole way after the toll plaza. Our RX 450h went into all electric mode and stayed there until it finally drained the batteries down to the point the engine had to come on! I've never seen our mpg screen show ALL 60 mpg indicators yet!
Last edited by websailor; 05-17-15 at 05:09 PM.
Reason: typo
And knowing people around you were losing MPGs probably made the traffic jam pleasurable. I had a similar experience sitting in stop and go traffic, speeds less than 20 MPH, AC blasting. Nowhere near 60 though. Most of us didn't buy the 450h for the mileage but it's fun when it goes up. Great job Ernie. Hope you're still enjoying the RXh.
I have only had my car for a month now, but the mileage is very good in my opinion; in town I am getting 28.7 and 26.5 on the road. I have not put many highway miles on the car yet, but it should improve somewhat in a few months. This is my third RX Hybrid (2010 & 2012) and all seem to have been in this same range early on.
We have had our 2015 450h for about three months. Mileage is just about the same as yours in city driving. Have not taken on road trip as of yet. What I find about mpg is even the slightest drive on a up-cline slope drops your mpg quite quickly. That's when I try to do the hyper mileage thing. It works for me. But--- what goes up must come down-- that's when that mpg skyrockets. We are very pleased with this vehicle. We have owned a Toyota Camry hybrid,two Prius and a Kia Optima hybrid---that last one had a horrid hybrid system. Dangerous with hesitations pulling into traffic--- the Toyota products were excellent though they can't come close to the perfectly blended RX450h. Has everything anyone could want. We plan on keeping this vehicle for many years. The new RX coming out late this year--2016-- is not to our liking at all. It's the reason for hanging onto the 2015.
LOL, well this is unusual! We had to drive into San Francisco today and got stuck in slow moving traffic on the Bay Bridge. It wasn't complete stop and go, just between 5 mph and 20 mph the whole way after the toll plaza. Our RX 450h went into all electric mode and stayed there until it finally drained the batteries down to the point the engine had to come on! I've never seen our mpg screen show ALL 60 mpg indicators yet!
Agreed this is a bit of an oddity, but for others that may think it's a problem -- FWIW, I don't. I've had something very similar happen once in close to an hour of stop-and-go traffic on my way to Los Angeles in my 2013 -- although I think you beat me by one or two bars. Have never seen it again, but then I also hope I don't see that sorta frustrating traffic any time soon either. The best part for me was I had my aircon going up the whole time in complete comfort and with complete silence creeping along -- the startling point was when the ICE finally came on and broke my almost zen moment to recharge the hybrid battery.
It was highly unusual! I was a little bit worried, but I knew the car was designed to handle conditions like this. When the ICE did finally come on, I was relieved. Ironically that was just a few minutes before the traffic started to open up. As we increased in speed, the battery charged up quite nicely.
In the trips we've taken in our local area, we have had a lot of opportunity (with careful high MPG techniques) for running on the electric motors. We've used up and recharged the batteries through fairly large ranges - but never this much!
It is nice to see that our car works as you would expect it to. It is a wonderful driving experience!
Now that the weather's warmed up, I'm getting to enjoy being in stealth mode too. Especially when driving through a parking lot with the windows open just as the stereo changes discs, and hearing nothing but the tires rolling over the asphalt . It never gets old
If you're getting 29 with ups and downs, you're doing very well. That's a big improvement over your 350's mpg. The dealer probably filled your tank with premium gas, which is what the owner's manual calls for. I have filled up with premium consistently, even though a number owners on this forum have said that they haven't seen better gas mileage with premium vs. regular. I don't think the premium gas recommendation is for mileage; it's for long-term fuel-injector maintenance, I believe. Anyway, I figure it's silly to spend $41,000 on a car and then nickel-and-dime it on gasoline if the manufacturer calls for premium gas. The 450h's fuel-sipping ways make it easier to "swallow."
This is the best time of year for mileage, fresh oil, summer tires back on, warm but not too hot, summer gas back at the pumps. I'm pushing just above 30mpg now, which is the best I have managed to get when conditions are optimal as they are right now.
Interesting SA article. One thing to remember though is that the article talks about a fixed compression ratio, but just like a turbocharger artificially raises compression by forcing more air into the cylinders that a normal engine, an atkinson cycle as used in hybrids artificially lowers compression by allowing less air into the cylinders than a normal engine. This is why the RX450h engine (apart from the total system rating) has less HP, less torque, but far more efficient that the RX350 engine. It is a non-turbo uncharger design.
My new to me 2013 RX450H with 13,500 miles is yielding about 28.5 MPG. My driving consists mainly of a 6 mile commute each way. Average speed is around 20MPH. There are some traffic lights with speed limits between 30 and 45MPH, and there's a 2 mile 55MPH stretch. I filled the tank for the first time since picking it up full from the dealer and put in 91 octane fuel. I keep the eco mode on. I'm a gentle driver and try to keep in the eco band as much as possible.
Just came off of a pretty good run. After a dreary run down the highway in lots of rain, pulled off and fuelled up, resetting the fuel economy readout. Sun came out, nice and mild, roof open with 3 people and cargo did 85km at about 80kph (~50 mile @ 50mph) round trip through some country roads. The meter finished off reading 7.2L/100km (32.5mpg). Then back on the highway to head home, I took it a bit easier than normal to see if I could keep a decent reading, cruise locked at 110km/h for about 170km (70mph for about 105 miles) and finished with a reading of 7.6 (31mpg).
05-10-15, 05:31 PM
60 MPG Indicators for all 1 minute segments!
The best part for me was I had my aircon going up the whole time in complete comfort and with complete silence creeping along -- the startling point was when the ICE finally came on and broke my almost zen moment to recharge the hybrid battery.
Good Run